Half marathon in Grand Teton National Park expected to draw 2,200 runners

VACATION RACES

Vacation Races, an event company that produces half-marathon races centered around national parks and national forests, is holding its annual Grand Teton Half Marathon in Jackson, Wyoming, June 2 and 3.

Starting with the race expo on June 2, runners and spectators will arrive in Jackson to run 13.1 miles and visit Grand Teton National Park. From 11a.m. to 7p.m., the Stilson Lot on the corner of Stilson Ranch Road and Beckley Park Way in Wilson, Wyoming, will be filled with runners, spectators and vendors.

This year’s participants include visitors from 49 states and four countries, with 94 percent of attendees travelling from outside Wyoming. The event has over 2,200 running participants and is expected to bring around 4,400 people to town.

The race will take place from 6:30-11 a.m. on June 3. The course will take runners along Highway 22 through Teton Pass for a little over 1 mile and then onto the jogging trail near Wilson Elementary School. Runners will cross Moose-Wilson Road and use the pedestrian bridge over the Snake River. The course then gets back on Highway 22 and takes runners up to Spring Gulch Road, where they will run the remainder of the race before striding across the finish line at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club.

“The towns of Wilson and Jackson have been so helpful and supportive, we really appreciate being allowed to host this race every year,” said Director of Race Operations Lyle Anderson. “We’re sorry for any temporary inconvenience our event causes.”

Vacation Races produces half-marathons against the backdrop of America’s national parks and national forests. Vacation Races was founded in 2012 with events in the southwest U.S. and expanded this year to include races in Yosemite, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Zion and Everglades.