If you’ve ever seen the famous video of U2’s 1983 “Under a Blood Red Sky” concert at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, then you’ve caught a glimpse of the kind of dramatic landscapes and gorgeous scenery that await the more than 2,000 runners who take part each year in the Sedona Half Marathon & 5K, which takes participants through the heart of central Arizona’s red rock spires and mountain valleys.

A challenging, hilly, high-elevation race, the half marathon portion of the Sedona race event follows an out-and-back course that starts and finishes at the city’s Red Rock High School just off Highway 89A and features a variety of surface terrain, from dirt roads to paved highways.

From the start at the school’s track and field facility, the course takes runners first eastward and then northward along 89A and then Dry Creek Road, crossing Dry Creek and then turning onto Boynton Pass Road. At about the 6.5-mile point, the race reaches its turnaround point and begins the course back toward the start.

02-04-2023, 08:00 am - 02:00 pm