Fifty Miles of Red Rock and River Country: Southern Utah's Most Scenic Team Relay Opens the Spring Race Calendar

The Lake to Lake Relay on March 7, 2026, runs 50 miles from Gunlock Reservoir to Sand Hollow Reservoir in Hurricane, Utah, with solo ultra runners departing at 6 AM and relay teams at 7 AM in two-person, five-person, and Kids formats across co-ed, men’s, and women’s categories through Washington County’s high desert terrain.

Event details

The Lake to Lake Relay is a 50-mile team relay and ultra marathon staged across the high desert terrain of southern Washington County, Utah, connecting two reservoirs on a route that traverses city trail systems and backcountry roads through some of the most geologically dramatic landscape in the American West. The 2026 edition takes place March 7, with individual ultra runners departing Gunlock Reservoir at 6 AM and relay teams launching at 7 AM. Packet pickup runs Friday March 6, 5 PM to 7 PM at the St. George Recreation Center. The finish line is Sand Hollow Reservoir, whose striking red sandstone bluffs above the water’s edge provide the kind of arrival backdrop that makes the effort of 50 miles feel architecturally justified.

Race Categories and Who Competes

The event accommodates participants across a wide range of competitive configurations. Solo ultra runners take on the full 50 miles. Two-person and five-person relay teams divide the distance into legs, with co-ed, men’s, and women’s team categories providing competitive divisions across all formats. The Kids division allows teams of up to 10 children to participate, structured in a format appropriate to their age and physical capacity. This breadth of entry options makes the Lake to Lake Relay one of the more genuinely inclusive endurance events in the southern Utah calendar: the same course that tests elite ultra runners serves as the venue for a family team relay that children experience as a meaningful athletic achievement rather than a participation exercise.

If You’re Going With Kids: The Kids team relay format is organized around a collective effort toward a shared goal rather than direct competition against the adult field, which gives children an entry into endurance sport culture that is both protective and genuinely challenging. Register the team through the official event website and confirm leg assignments before the Friday packet pickup to simplify Saturday morning logistics.

Southern Utah Beyond the Finish Line

Gunlock Reservoir, the race’s starting point, sits at the edge of the Santa Clara River drainage in a red-walled sandstone canyon that bears no relation to any racing venue in the eastern United States. Sand Hollow Reservoir, in the Hurricane city limits, is itself a recreational destination of considerable draw: the red sand beaches, warm-season swimming, and paddleboard access around the reservoir make it a natural extension of the race weekend for families who want to continue engaging with the water after the competition concludes. Zion National Park, approximately 40 kilometres to the northeast via Interstate 15 and Highway 9, constitutes the obvious family extension from any southern Utah event base. The Utah County Lake View Retreat on Lake.com provides a vacation rental option for Utah visitors seeking a lakeside base for the broader Washington County and southern Utah corridor.