My favorite time to run is early on Saturday mornings when I have more time to run, can get up earlier and don’t have the time pressure to get into work. Usually I have a general plan of where and how far I want to run. At times this evolves into a somewhat random run where I explore new trails, new sights, but generally know where I am so getting lost is not possible. Other times my long run on Saturday morning is carefully planned with an exact route and time allowed. For me, to keep my interest in running, I rarely do the same routes over and over again. I used to run up Mount Timpanogos multiple Saturdays in a row, but I just can’t anymore because I know the trail so well. This summer I didn’t reach the summit at all. I know every turn, almost every rock and unfortunately I now have feelings of boredom when I run up that trail. So, my quest on my long runs is usually to find something unique, challenging, perhaps something no one has accomplished before, and even better, something that no one has even considered doing.
Such was the case on this particular Saturday. Somehow a couple weeks earlier an idea came to me for a lowland challenging run to accomplish. Could I run all around my city (Saratoga Springs) boundaries? I really didn’t even know the exact boundaries. I researched them and discovered such a run would probably be between 30-40 miles, an ideal run.
Saratoga Springs, on the northwest shore of Utah Lake, for about 130 years has been known for its resort springs. First known as Beck Hot Springs in the late 1800’s, it became a popular resort site to bathe in the warm water. Later renamed Saratoga Springs after the famed New York psrings, the resort expanded with many pools and became a poplar place for dances and sporting events by 1930. Amusement park rides were added in the 1950s. A boat harbor was built and it became a destination for water skiing and boat cruises. In 1968 a massive fire destroyed much of the resort but some of it was rebuilt. By the 1980s the resort languished and was eventually bought for development by a good friend. I moved there in 1999 when it was a quiet small rural community of about 1,000 people. The resort area was converted to a nice housing development pool and harbor. The original pavilion is the only thing still standing. A large outdoor pool is still heated by spring water. Since moving there, the city has exploded to about 25,000 in 2014.
As I looked closely at the Saratoga Springs boundaries, some stretches of the boundaries around farm segments contained no roads or trails. The only way to run exactly true to the boundary in those sections would involve bushwhacking across private property, dealing with possible cattle, dogs, and owners with guns. I ruled that out and instead planned a route that would at least attempt to wrap those properties within my giant circle.
I started my run at about 5 a.m. in my development on Utah Lake. For the first mile, there isn’t a trail along the lake. I guess I could have slogged in a marsh for a half hour, but I decided to just run the roads, staying as close to the lake as possible. Next up was a side segment of the Jordan River Provo River trail that extends along the north side of the lake, hopefully someday linking up with the Provo River trail. It ended and I decided to hop the fence and run along an old road for another mile, and then bushwhacked to reach the Loch Lomond development (which my family kindly refers to as “swamp estates” because it is on the lowlands next to the lake.) I became hung up getting over a barbed-wire fence which was frustrating and I was cut several times, but eventually I got over and was now on the pavement.
I ran on pavement for the next several miles heading north on the east side of my loop. It was still dark as I ran on roads passing by farms and developments. I made my way to the Jordan River Parkway trail and had a peaceful run along the winding river in the dark. My headlamp caught a pair of glowing eyes watching we closely from nearby bushes as I ran by.
Dawn arrived as I neared the north end as I ran on the Mountain View Corridor highway. My next focus was to run near the boundary of the super secret NSA facility on Camp Williams. A state trooper was posted as usual near the entrance with his lights flashing. I had no desire to run the true boundary along the fence line of the facility, so I instead stayed at least a quarter mile to the south and ran along the edge of plowed farmland. I noticed several deer nearby they ran ahead of me up the foothills. A few minutes later as I reached the west boundary, I heard a loud boom of a gun which startled me, followed soon by another. As I rounded the corner I saw a truck of a hunter. I put it all together and I guess I aided the deer hunter to get his deer. I’m just glad I was wearing bright orange.
Next I ran down a nice rolling dirt road along the western boundary that I had never run on before. About 100 yards further to the west behind the Camp Williams fence I could see another road and watched a jeep and a military bus drive along the road as the military went out for morning activities. I enjoyed running on these new roads and noticed the foot prints of another runner. Eventually I ran into a runner headed north. He looked surprised to see me, probably a rare sight to see on his training route.
I ran along power lines on the boundary between Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain. Reaching Pony Express Parkway, I stopped at the neighborhood grocery store which I used as an aid station to chow down on a donut and fill my bottles. On my way again, the morning was pleasant but my problem leg was now complaining slowing my pace. I reached the boundary of the church farm, and observed the massive work taking place moving dirt, burying a canal, and putting in the ground infrastructure for some big developments across the boundary, in Eagle Mountain.
Thoughts went to years ago when this was all wide, open land without development. I ran along what used to be called Tickville Gulch, the former name lost by those who couldn’t see a city named Tickville, which would have been bad for marketing.
I next reached an area where I have run through dozens of times. I watched from a distance a large caravan on trucks hauling ATVs and jeeps, making their way ahead of me, for a Saturday outing on the ATV trails. Eventually I reached this large group now parked. I observed that they were first doing something amazing. Along with their children they were cleaning up target shooting trash, loading it into one of their trucks. Wow! That made me smile, what a great service.
Around the next corner I frowned as I ran by target shooters. In this area, many just shoot next to their vehicles in what looks like random directions at random items, which always scares me. I ran on for several miles nearing my home. A mountain bike rider came by enjoying the dirt road but stopped short of getting near the shooters, turning back. A mile from my home I reached a cache of water bottles I dropped off to refill. I took off a layer because the morning was getting warmer.
I now ran on the Lake Mountain foothills, very familiar grounds. I ran by several miles that were destroyed by the 2012 fire, caused by target shooters using explosive targets. This area has somewhat revegetated and I observed many erosion-control efforts which got put in place AFTER the devastating after-effects of the fire, as basements were filled with ash and mud during a major rain.
I thought about the neglect of our then mayor, Mia Love, who dared not oppose target shooting on the mountain (for political reasons) believing they had rights to be out there destroying our mountain. And then she took very little action after the resulting massive fire that almost burned down large portions of our city. She was too busy trying to run for congress to put pressure on agencies to do erosion control. The result was devastating mud slides. And she is now going to be our next congressman? She lost her last congressional bid largely because of low support in Saratoga Springs, the town that knows her. Rather than get further riled up, I looked ahead and continued to run.
As I ran up Israel Canyon road, I saw a couple people riding down on an ATV with a dead deer strapped on the front. They looked happy after their successful hunt. Further heading south, I again heard gun fire and came upon a shooting area, but was shocked at what I saw. The shooters there had taken great care setting up a safe area with signs, road cones, tape, and many other safety precautions. This made me smile. This group was being very responsible and I knew wouldn’t leave behind their trash.
Finally on the south side near Pelican Point I made the turn north toward home. I had already run more than 30 miles. I reached developments again and did my best to try to keep as many homes along the lake within my boundary run. I estimated that during my entire run there were probably only 50-60 Saratoga Springs homes that were not inside my boundary run.
My last several miles by the golf course were painful as my leg protested loudly, telling me it had had enough, and needed rest and healing. I walked much of the final way home along the familiar trails along the lake shore.
When I reached home, my wife asked where I had run. I explained and she asked, “You did what? Why?” My reply was a reasonable, common answer, “because it was there.” My watch indicated that I ran 38.7 miles for 8.5 hours and and climbed 2,300 feet along the way. Rather than running a familiar route, I ran something new and discovered various new trails and interesting sights along the way. It had been a successful Saturday morning run.