Cedar City

Marked by both the red rock formations common here in southern Utah as well as the tree-covered hills and mountains here along the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau, Cedar Canyon makes for an especially scenic and fast course thanks to its long, gradual downhill descent at the Cedar City Half Marathon, which organizers call one of the nation's fastest half marathon courses.Runners start the point-to-point course for the race just south of the Cedar Breaks National Monument outside Cedar City, which is home to just over 27,000 residents here in southwestern Utah and the site of the annual Utah Summer Games, a three-week-long Olympics-style sports festival that draws some 9,000 athletes and 50,000 spectators to the local area every June.The starting line lies on the Cedar Canyon Road, at an elevation of about 8,200 feet above sea level (Cedar City lies at an altitude of just over 5,800 feet). The fall colors should be out in full bloom, giving runners the chance to see why this has been called one of the country's best destinations for viewing fall foliage. Runners will stay on the Canyon Trail for just over a mile until they reach U.S. Highway 14 again, and then cross over 14 to join up with North Highland Drive, which they follow north for nearly half a mile.The final couple of miles of the half marathon route are largely flat in to the finish line, as they wind past the Cedar Canyon baseball complex along 275 North and into the city, crossing onto Center Street.…