70 marathon runners evacuated after being stranded by heavy rain: Officials
The runners were participating in Utah's Moab 240 ultramarathon.
About 70 runners and volunteers participating in Utah's Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated from the rugged outdoor race course on Sunday after being stranded overnight by a heavy rainstorm that hit the area, authorities said.
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday that it coordinated with race organizers to assist the stranded runners, who had been unable to safely leave the affected areas.
Canyonlands National Park, Utah, where about 70 runners participating in the Moab 240 ultramarathon became stranded, Oct. 10, 2026, due to heavy rain.
Jon G. Fuller/VWPics via AP Images
Destination Trail, which organizes and manages the race, said in an update on Sunday afternoon that buses were evacuating the final group of affected participants, who were stuck at an aid station near the Bridger Jack Mesa in the Bear Ears National Monument.
"We know this isn't how anyone hoped Moab 240 would go," Destination Trail said in a social media post to the stranded participants. "So many of you trained for months and traveled a long way to be here, and we're truly sorry the race ended this way. Sometimes the weather has other plans, and when it does, everyone’s safety has to come first."
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel are fueling flood threats, October 11, 2026, along the Southern California coast and in several Western states.
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Race officials said additional supplies were delivered to the aid station ahead of the storm, providing the stranded runners and volunteers with heated tents, hot food and plenty of water.
The Moab 240 race is a 241.8-mile ultramarathon that takes runners through the desert, canyons, slick-rock formations and two mountain ranges, while surrounded by Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
The race started on Friday in Moab, Utah, and is slated to end on Tuesday.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, which made landfall in Baja California, continued to sweep across the West on Sunday, fueling flooding in several Western states, including Utah.
Tropical Storm Rachel made landfall in Baja California, Mexico, on Saturday night, bringing heavy rain, blustery winds and flooding across the Western United States.
A combination of large ocean swells stirred up by Rachel and prolonged swells due in part to an El Niño-enhanced Kelvin wave has produced major flooding along Southern California's coast and is fueling coastal flooding in Southern California and heavy rainstorms in Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
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