The Moab 240 ultramarathon was canceled after severe weather linked to the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel caused flash flooding, fallen trees, high winds, cold temperatures and heavy rain across the race route in Utah. Destination Trail, the event’s host, said in a social media statement that all runners were safe and either back at race headquarters or in a vehicle on the way back.
The local sheriff’s office coordinated relief efforts with race organizers, sending shuttles and personnel to pick up runners. In a separate post, Destination Trail explained the cancellation: “The weather has become too dangerous to safely continue – we’ve received reports of aid station structures blowing away, trees falling down, wind, rain, freezing temps – and we’re expecting conditions to get worse tonight.”
The storm’s remnants were still moving across Utah on Monday, with a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon across most of the state, according to KUTV. Rachel had also been forecast to bring heavy winds and rain to northern Mexico and southern California, where the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings in parts of San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties.