The 17th annual Cedar City Half Marathon and 5k was held on Sept. 12, 2026. This year, participant attendance spiked over 630 for the half-marathon and more than 170 for the 5k.
From ages ranging from 11 to 75, 808 total runners crossed the finish line. Santiago Gaitan Caballero came in first place for the men, with a time of 1:11:25. For the women, it was Diana Mitchell with a time of 1:22:57, maintaining a pace of 6:19 per mile.
“I run the half every year in support of Suicide Prevention Month,” said runner Yazmin Koster. I always wear teal and purple to bring awareness [to] the topic.”
Of the 630 half-marathon participants, four of them crossed the finish line in wheelchairs. The quickest time is held by 13-year-old Rikki Laplant-Kesler with a time of 2:01:26.
“Running shows myself and others around us that the brain is such a powerful tool,” Koster continued. “If we can train our own minds to do hard things, we can share with others the belief that they can do hard things too!”
The half-marathon was held in Cedar Canyon. The road was closed to traffic while the participants descended over 2,000 feet. The Cedar City Half Marathon is known as a great high-altitude trainer to prepare for marathons, and those who finish are encouraged to run the Saint George Marathon.
Families and friends lined up at Bicentennial Park to cheer their loved ones on. With hundreds of runners coming in, awards were given out to those who ran the 5k and the half-marathon. There were many fun events at the park such as a climbing wall, medal engraving, food trucks, and many games.
Author: Talmage Fairbanks
Photo: Courtesy of Yazmine Koster
Editor: Lainey Porter
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