Dantley Young, 25

Salt Lake City, UT

11th Overall, St. George Half-Marathon, Jan 22, 2011

Time: 1:16:16

• Type of Shoe Worn: Asics Gel Hyperspeed
• Race Attire: TYR running shorts
• Wrist Watch Used: Timex Ironman
• Had for Breakfast the Morning of Race: At 6:30 am had oatmeal cooked in almond milk and a cup of coffee then before the race a 1 Clif Mojo bar and 3 EFS Liquid Shots
• Ate for Dinner the Night Before: Home-made brown rice noodles, onion and garlic marinara sauce, red peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms.
• Pre-race Warm Up: 2 miles easy running, 2 more easy miles on site.
• Nutrition During the race: 1 shot of EFS at mile 9.
• Dantley's Thoughts on the St. George Half: This race is always a perfect middle-distance-pain-session to stat the season! Set in the hills of the Virgin River, picturesque red rock, vivid blue sky, bright sunshine and crisp air, you couldn't ask for a better setting. Flooding in the area a couple months prior had washed out the original and the back-up course, however, race director, Aaron Metler, and his crew quickly set-up a magnificent new route that was marked well and staffed with plenty of volunteers. This race grows in numbers each year, and it's no wonder with such great organization, an expo that ran smooth like butter, and some great swag. From first-timers to a very strong elite running field, this race suits the needs of all runners.
  
  The course starts out with a fairly flat first mile before starting to roll up and down a bit through a residential area near the St. George Golf Club. Runners then hit the gorgeous Virgin River parkway, winding over the river and back past the finish line through mile 8. The second finishing loop is flat with a few ups and downs around the river before returning home to the Dixie Center finish line. Chocolate milk, cookies, fruit and other sweets waited at the finish line to help runners recover after burning it up for 13.1 miles.
  
  An elite race of about ten athletes started right at 9 am. Seven of us hung together for the first mile while three others (Paul Peterson, Jeff McClellan, Fritz Van De Kamp) were flyin' like a G6! At about mile 3.5 the race really started to break-up and it was everyman for himself. I lost touch with the second pack and was running in no mans land until I was joined by Jose Soccoro at about mile 6. Jose and I paced each other well until about mile 9 when Ken Richardson caught us. I tried to make the move and go with him - big mistake! My elastic snapped and I started into a low spot for the next two miles. I popped an EFS Liquid Shot with a bit of caffeine, and that brought me back to life for the last two miles. I put the pressure on to try and close the gap between Ken and Jose, but they were not to be denied and finished very strong.
  
  Congrats to Paul Peterson for the win and for his stellar pace! And kudos to Jeff, Fritz, Riley, my boy and long lost friend Bob Lambert, Clyde, David, Logan, Ken, Jose and Steve for doing battle at the front. That was a BLAST!!! I'm already looking forward to 2012 for another beating by the well-established St. George running crew!
  
  If you are looking for a great place to start off your new year, make sure to mark the St. George Half-Marathon for 2012. After the race you can enjoy many other outdoor and recreation activities in the area. St. George makes for a great weekend. What more can you ask for, right?
  
  A personal thanks to my sponsors Brian at CityWorks, Matt at The Bike Shoppe, Robert at First Endurance, The Gang at Rocky Mountain Running and Triathlon Magazine, The Carl Horton Collection, my coach Massimo Testa and Richy "The Legend" Webb for giving me a ride down and a place to crash! Couldn't do it without you guys!!!
  
  Cheers and Best of Luck to everyone in 2011!