And while more teams meant more traffic in Utah's back country, which was, at times, challenging to maneuver through, everyone was patient, and most were prepared for the added number of runners. "We had some team meetings about this before the race," said Sunderland. "We had a lot of concerns going into it, but we anticipated most of the issues."

Most participants felt the only real issue was how crowded the exchange at Rockport was. But they also loved the added number of competitors and new friends, as well as the increased support from businesses and residents. "I thought they did a superb job given the number of runners," said Sunderland. "In the end, it all worked out."

Bell said that the race will now stay around the same number of participants. As of Tuesday afternoon, 190 teams had already signed up for the 2009 race.

"There is a certain amount of excitement now that we've reached (capacity)," Bell said. "Now we'll know what to anticipate. We've already gotten some great feedback, and I'm sure we'll tweak some things. Overall, it was an overwhelming success."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com