Authorities evacuated approximately 70 runners and volunteers from Utah’s Moab 240 ultramarathon on Sunday after a heavy rainstorm left them stranded on the rugged course overnight. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it worked alongside race organizers to rescue participants who were unable to safely exit the affected zones.
Destination Trail, the organization responsible for managing the event, reported that buses were transporting the final group of affected individuals away from an aid station located near Bridger Jack Mesa within the Bear Ears National Monument.
In a statement posted to social media, organizers expressed regret over the disruption. “We know this isn’t how anyone hoped Moab 240 would go,” the organization wrote. “So many of you trained for months and traveled a long way to be here, and we’re truly sorry the race ended this way. Sometimes the weather has other plans, and when it does, everyone’s safety has to come first.”
Race officials noted that supplies, including heated tents, hot meals, and ample water, had been delivered to the aid station prior to the storm’s arrival, ensuring the comfort of those awaiting rescue.
The Moab 240 is a 241.8-mile ultramarathon that challenges athletes as they traverse desert terrain, canyons, slick-rock formations, and two mountain ranges situated between Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. The race commenced on Friday in Moab and was scheduled to conclude on Tuesday.
The severe weather was linked to the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, which made landfall in Baja California, Mexico, on Saturday night. The storm system has continued to sweep across the Western United States, causing flooding in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as coastal flooding in Southern California due to large ocean swells exacerbated by an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave.
Fifty miles of slick rock in a downpour? Those runners are tough, but you can’t fight Mother Nature.
Glad everyone made it out safe. That’s what matters most in these extreme conditions.