Haswell finishes third among women in Moab race

Christi Haswell said 2020 has been a year of heartbreaking, terrible events – and yet, a year of really incredible stories as well.

For Haswell, a Sheridan County commissioner and a runner, one of those incredible stories happened this month when she finished third among women in the Moab, Utah 240 Endurance Run.

Not only did she exceed her running goal, covering four days in just under 84 hours, but she exceeded the goal she set to raise funds for the Hub on Smith Street.

The race isn’t aimed at fundraising, but Haswell explained how, and why, she decided to use the event to raise funds for the Hub.

Well over 100 individuals and businesses contributed. There was no set amount, Haswell said. She accepted whatever people were willing to give. She added some of the businesses contributed in the form of matches. She added Sheridan is an incredibly generous community.

Haswell said she started the race at 7 a.m. Oct. 9, a Friday, and finished at 6:30 p.m. the following Monday. She estimates during that time, she got a total of about seven and a half hours of sleep. Rules of the race allow runners 119 hours to finish the race, so she came in comfortably under the deadline.

Haswell said this was her first year for the Moab Endurance Run, which is considered one of the most difficult and prestigious races in the ultrarunning community. Haswell said about 160 men and 40 women ran this year.

She added she had a great crew of pacers and support people, including her husband. With the Moab run now under her belt, Haswell said she’d love to get into some more races next spring.