Arches Marathon & Half

Organized by Mad Moose Events, the Arches Marathon and Half is a fall trail running event set against the geological improbability of Moab — a town that somehow sits at the center of some of the most dramatic desert terrain in the American West, bookended by Arches National Park to the north and Canyonlands to the south, with the Colorado River threading through it all. On Saturday, October 3, 2026, runners from across the country will gather outside the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area for a program that ranges from a 15K to a 50K, with the half marathon and full marathon completing the distance menu. This is not a road event. The courses run on slickrock, sandy washes, jeep roads, and desert meadow trail, through a landscape of Navajo sandstone fins and domes that begins at an elevation of approximately 5,300 feet. When the La Sal Mountains come into view from the first climb to the opening aid station, the race becomes something other than athletic competition.

The Course, the Terrain, and the Numbers

The course begins in the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area and winds outward through jeep roads and double-track trail toward Picture Frame Arch, with desert meadow sections providing visual relief between the more technical slickrock passages. Elevation gains vary by distance: the 15K offers approximately 745 feet of climbing; the half marathon and full marathon step that up considerably; the 50K delivers roughly 2,979 feet of gain on a lollipop-format course served by seven aid stations with a ten-hour cutoff. All distances finish where they begin. Packet pickup runs Friday, October 2, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM; runners must present photo ID. Mad Moose Base Camp, the free camping option at the start/finish line, allows participants and their crews to spend race weekend under the dark skies of southern Utah rather than commuting from town — a detail that substantially improves the morning-of logistics. A high-clearance or four-wheel drive vehicle is strongly recommended for the access road to the start. Water dispensers and reusable cup fill stations are positioned at the start/finish line and every aid station; Mad Moose Hydrapak cups are available for purchase at packet pickup for those who have not brought their own. Full race guide information, aid station charts, and cutoff times are published at madmooseevents.com.

Moab Beyond the Start Line

October is Moab’s finest month by the consensus of people who have visited in multiple seasons — the summer heat has broken, the crowds have thinned, the canyon walls shift through their best light as the sun drops lower on the horizon, and the La Sal Mountains carry early snow on their upper ridges, visible from most vantage points in town. Arches National Park is twenty minutes north of downtown, and the October window allows access to formations and viewpoints — Delicate Arch, the Windows, Balanced Rock — without the July and August crowd compression. The Colorado River is accessible at several BLM launch points south of town for morning paddle time before race day activities begin; outfitters in town offer guided half-day float trips on the daily river section. For dinner, Singha Thai Cuisine on Main Street has quietly maintained Moab’s strongest kitchen for years — the panang curry and the pad see ew with house-made noodles are the two preparations that out-of-town runners return to specifically after a race weekend. For a more casual post-race meal, Milt’s Stop and Eat on Williams Way has been serving burgers and shakes to canyon country visitors since 1954 in a converted filling station; the green chile cheeseburger and the chocolate malt represent the efficient end-of-day recovery option with no pretension attached.

Good to Know
– High-clearance or 4WD access to the start area is strongly recommended. Do not attempt in a standard passenger car.
– Free camping at Mad Moose Base Camp is available for runners and crew. See the Base Camp Guide at madmooseevents.com for details.
– Runners must be chipped on the shoe; no chip means no recorded time.
– October mornings at the start elevation can be cold — low 30s Fahrenheit is not unusual at 5,300 feet before dawn. Bring layering appropriate to standing still in the dark before a race start.

Canyon Country Waterways on Lake.com

The Colorado and Green Rivers converge at Canyonlands to create the most dramatic river confluence in the American Southwest, and the waterfront accommodation inventory surrounding Moab includes riverside properties along the Colorado and lake-access options at Lake Powell to the south. Search Moab and Grand County waterfront options on Lake.com for October availability.