Scott Jenkins – Moab 240 British Record!

The Moab 240 endurance run is a 240 (.3) mile footrace that begins and ends in Moab, Utah. With 29,467ft of ascent and a cut of time of 113 hours, runners must make a non-stop attempt of the looped route while facing swinging temperatures and challenging terrain.

The traversing canyons and mountain ranges can see fluctuating conditions, ranging from 26C in the daytime, to below freezing during the night. With no pacers permitted until mile 71 runners must make their own way through the early stages of the race as they head through the stunning but arduous USA desert.

Welsh-born ultra-athlete Scott Jenkins recently headed out to America to take on the Moab 240 in the last part of his 4-part race series, raising money for charity.

Day 1…

Setting off at 6 am, wrapped up tight in my warmest gear, I began the race. Only one mile in and daylight started to make its appearance over the desert in Utah. Quickly, I had to strip down again to cope with the warmer temperatures as they began to rise with the sun. Getting the gear off was not the main issue but having to carry it all on my back for 70 miles as I made headway across the desert canyons was a challenge.

“I knew that night would befall me once more before I would meet my support crew, and acutely aware of the risks with hypothermia, I was hoping that my preparation efforts had been enough to see me through the night alone”. 

That first day saw all my good plans go out of the window (as is often the case with all good plans!). Approaching an aid station at mile 20 there was an option for food, but I couldn’t get much down, and so I ate a gel that I am pretty familiar with, although it did not agree with me on this occasion, and I ended up throwing it back up again! I was sick a few more times as I made my way along the route and into an aid station at mile 28 where I tried a hot dog, but that came up too! In the end, settling for Trail Mix to ease my stomach and get the calories back on board, things began to get better as I made my way to the 70-mile aid station, where I finally got to see my crew and my wife, Abby!