St. George hosts watch party for 50 local Boston Marathon participants

ST. GEORGE — Marathon Monday was big for many St. George residents, who got up early to cheer on nearly 50 locals running the iconic Boston Marathon.

The event was held at Vernon Worthen Park, which serves as the finish line for the St. George Marathon. A large screen was set up at the St. George Marathon finish line, which added to the race-day ambiance.

Aaron Metler, one of the local runners competing at the Boston Marathon, is the recreation manager for races and events for St. George. Metler, 41, was invited as one of the top eight elite masters runners in the world to compete against the top runners.

Melter told KSL in January that competing in the elite field has "always been a dream." Many St. George locals, including Mayor Jimmie Hughes, attended the event in support of Metler.

"He's back there as a professional running in the Boston Marathon," Hughes said. "He's been a great employee for a long time. He's won the St. George Marathon a few times. This is a lot of fun."

Metler has won the St. George Marathon four times, and his time of 2:19.48 at the St. George Marathon last October qualified him for the elite coral. St. George Running Center store owner Steve Hooper was at the event Monday, keeping tabs on when Metler would cross the finish line. And when Metler crossed the line as the sixth-place master (over 40) and 57th overall with a time of 2:24.45, Hooper was all smiles.

"That's great!" Hooper cheered as the notification came through that Metler had finished. "He said he'd be happy with a 2:25. Aaron will be happy with that! Good for him."

Hooper was also there in support of the other runners who had earned a spot at the prestigious race.

"Utah's representing!" he told KSL. "We have a lot of locals who are running, about 45-plus. That's quite a few for the size of our community. We have a lot of active runners who have worked really hard to get here."

This year was the 130th annual Boston Marathon, and it is the longest-running marathon in the United States. Hughes said holding an event like the watch party is also a way of bringing the local running community together in anticipation of the 50th annual St. George Marathon — the second-oldest marathon in Utah, behind the Deseret News Marathon.

"The marathon has been a pretty big signature event for St. George," he said. "There's a lot of people who know the St. George Marathon and we want that to continue. So, we're trying to step up the game a little bit with this 50th one ... if it can be any better. Some people say it's as good as it can get. I think we can make it even better."

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