RATS Tracking

6/18 - The race for first place between Allen Belshaw and Scott Jamie is intense. Allen, a previous RATS winner, is being pushed and is moving faster than in his last RATS race. The reports from the trail make it sound hot and buggy, very buggy, with biting gnats leaving everyone covered in welts. Gotta love a wet season in the desert. At least participants were treated to root-beer floats by Milts Stop & Eat. Root-beer floats in the desert. After 37 miles of running in 100 degree temps. Maybe it was a mirage or maybe a tiny taste of heaven. Tomorrow is stage 4, the big 52 mile expedition stage that includes many climbs through hot canyons up into the La Sal mountain range. I've been there, and it is truly a challenging stage. Good luck participants!

-Alec Muthig

6/19 (3:05pm) - Still awaiting word on split times and conditions. I can convey a bit of inside information on this stage. For the first three stages, racers see the La Sal mountains looming on the horizon, just as this stage looms in their minds. They hold back on the other days, because they want to save something for stage 4. It is called the "expedition stage" because of the long distance, remote areas traversed, series of massive climbs, likelihood for intense heat in the canyons and the limited support that racers receive (which requires a pack of gear and water to be carried). It is 52 miles long and with all factors considered, is one of the most difficult 52 miles I’ve personally covered, especially after already covering about 67 miles in the previous days. When I think of this stage, I think of the two very large climbs that snake up through the canyons. These are the climbs that bring runners from river level to alpine level in a matter of hours. Many of the racers will not finish until sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. Then they get a bit of a break. I’ll pass standings and stories as soon as I hear them.

-Alec Muthig

6/20 (2:05pm) - The results are in! Allen Belshaw gained an hour on Scott Jaime during the second half of the 52 miles. Sounds like it was a warm 98 degrees in the canyons, but a breeze helped keep everyone more comfortable. Those who ran through the night found the temperatures at the higher elevations drop down into the 40s. Long night for some. Massimo put in a valiant effort and finished but was about an hour over the cutoff time, making him "unofficial." Today is their rest day and everyone is at the Sandy Beach along the Colorado River, getting some well deserved R and R before the final marathon-distance stage tomorrow. Even though we called it the "downhill day" it starts with a 1900 foot climb over a pass. The journey ends in Moab tomorrow...

6/21 (2:15pm) - Most of the competitors have completed the final stage and the 2008 Desert R.A.T.S. stage race. Two runners are still on the course but should be finishing soon. Scott Jaime won the final stage, closing the overall gap on Allen Belshaw to about an hour. Allen won the overall race with an incredible time of 21:51, winning the $1000 cash prize to be the first winner to go under 24 hours. Scott's time of 22:49 is the second fastest time ever for this race. Impressive. The gap between 2nd and 3rd place was around 10 hours, which shows just how much the first two guys were pushing each other back and forth. Once all of the runners are in, it's time for showers and a celebration dinner. Cold beer... mmmm.