One hundred eighty runners cross the Kanab 10K finish line

by Danielle Ramsay

Ready, set, go! Runners take off at the start of the gun. Photo by Jayme Church.

On Saturday, May 8, the Kanab 10K celebrated Mother’s Day weekend with nearly 180 runners crossing the finish line at the Kanab Center. The new course was a hit among the participants and we saw some of our fastest finish times in history!

Mother Nature gave us a beautiful, sunny morning as the participants began down the scenic course on Highway 89 from Moqui Cave toward Kanab, ending at the Kanab Center where spectators and supporters were there to cheer on the runners as they crossed the finish line. Mayor Houston and his crew served up a delicious pancake breakfast to the runners and spectators as part of the finish line festivities.

The men’s overall first place win went to Kevin Kirk of St. George, Utah, with an amazing time of 30:45. Benjamin Turner of Burlington, Ky. was hot on his tracks finishing with a time of 31:18, landing the second place spot. Jon Lee took the third place with a time of 37:58. Each of them were also top finishers in their respective age divisions.

Elizabeth Richardi from Page, Ariz., was the women’s overall first place winner with an amazing time of 42:37. Rebecca Gast from Longmont, Colo., took the second place spot with a time of 43:23. Rounding out the top three finishers in the women’s category was Kristin Smith from Kanab with a time of 44:09. Each of these ladies were also top finishers in their respective age divisions. You can find the results for all of the participants at www.runnercard.com.

In addition to unique sandstone trophies provided by Western Hills-Nature’s Showcase, the overall finishers, Kirk and Richardi, also received gift cards to Houston’s Trails End Restaurant. Trophies were awarded to the top finisher in each age division. A trophy was awarded to Tony Pryatel for wearing the oldest Kanab 10K shirt. Pryatel sported his shirt from the 1988 10K. Every female participant that crossed the finish line received a rose in honor of Mother’s Day.

A huge shoutout to our 2021 Kanab 10K sponsors that helped make the 10K possible:

Camille Olson with Citywide Home Loans sponsored the t-shirts for this year’s race. Camille is the person to call for refinances or purchases. She specializes in manufactured homes. She also specializes in credit repair options to get you where you need to be. Olson along with her husband and friends also participated in the race.

Our second sponsor was Weston Swindlehurst with Beauty Sleep Injections. Beauty Sleep injections helps you look and feel your best with their high-end selection of cosmetic injectables including Botox, Dysport, Juvaderm and Restylane. As one of the top cosmetic injectors known throughout Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, Swindlehurst has brought his knowledge and services here to Kanab. Located next to Quality Printing, consultations are free. You can reach him at 435-590-7817.

A special thank you also goes out to the Kane County Office of Tourism for their support in promoting the event!

Additionally, this event would never happen without the support of the Kanab City Police, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol, Kane County Search & Rescue, Kanab City Buildings and Grounds Department and EMT personnel. They do a phenomenal job in looking out for the safety and well being of the participants. Every year they are on board with this event and it means so much to have their unwavering support and help.

A special thank you goes out to Mark Kuehnel for being the emcee, Jake Koelliker, Jo McFadden, Dave Baird, Cameron Fryer and Dillon Rios for volunteering at the finish line, Austin Hutchings and Mayor Houston for handing out roses, the Events & Volunteer Center for transporting runners to the start line and helping with equipment for the race, the Kanab Center staff, Heather Fox for taking care of the aid stations, Jayme Church for taking photos, and the many others who helped make the race a success!