Dozens of ultramarathon runners stranded in desert as tropical storm battered West

Around 70 runners and volunteers were stranded in the Utah desert for 12 hours after a 240-mile race was canceled due to brutal conditions caused by Tropical Storm Rachel . Runners took off on the 241.8-mile course on October 9, where they were expected to spend four days winding their way through the desert, canyons, slick rock formations, and two mountain ranges. But by Saturday night, runners and course volunteers found themselves in dire conditions, with flash flooding blocking their path near Bridger Jack Aid Station, which is located at mile marker 96. Flooding made it unsafe for runners to cross, with shocking footage showing some attempting to maneuver through rapid, high water. The runners returned to the aid station, where they were given shelter, heat, food, and drinking water overnight. However, conditions did not improve by Sunday morning, and with other parts of the course also becoming hazardous, organizers Destination Trail decided to cancel the race. Brian Hamilton, who participated in the event, shared a picture showing him and several other athletes huddled in a shelter and draped in foil blankets as conditions worsened. The Oregonian has participated in the Moab 240 six times, but only completed the course four times, he told Fox 13 Now . He had been hoping to finish it a fifth time last weekend, only for it to be thwarted by the weather. Flash flooding caused by Tropical Storm Rachel caused the runners to have to stay overnight at an aid station near mile marker 96 on the course. Brian Hamilton (front) was among the group Around 70 runners and volunteers were stranded in the Utah desert for 12 hours after the 240-mile race was canceled in the middle of it 'I’ve never been hit in the head so hard by rain before. I had a very high-end rain jacket on with my hat on, put the hood [on], and it was hurting me,' he told the outlet. 'We had to stay the night in the windy rain hoping the tents would not blow away and huddled in our emergency tinfoil bivvy bags. So glad I always carry one,' he continued on his Facebook page, where he shared more photos from the mammoth event. 'We were in a marginally forested area,' fellow participant, Troy Eid, told Fox 13 Now. 'It was mostly open, and it was high, so it was cold. We were being buffeted by the rain.' On Sunday, organizers coordinated with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office to evacuate the runners. But after surviving a night of hellish weather, the group still had to hike four to five miles to where the sheriff's office was able to bring in ATVs to get them out. After that, they hopped on a school bus to be taken to Moab. By 9.30pm on Sunday, all the runners were accounted for. 'This is not how anyone wanted the Moab 240 to end,' Destination Trail said in a statement. 'Runners put months of training into getting here, and crews, pacers and volunteers invested an enormous amount of time and effort into supporting them. Destination Trail is deeply disappointed for everyone involved.' A woman braces against the the wind as she made her way though the course Another participant is seeing going through high waters Another participant climbed up steep terrain in bad weather Participants have to hike through two mountain ranges and up stick rock on the course In California, Tropical Storm Rachel brought devastating destruction, while it brought flooding to Utah It is unclear how many participants started the race. The Daily Mail has reached out to Destination Trail for comment. Tropical Storm Rachel caused the Baker Dam and Santa Clara River in Utah to overflow as the state saw flash flooding. In California, the storm battered waterfront properties as pricey homes collapsed into the monstrous waves. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning on Friday afternoon for Los Angeles County beaches until 3pm on Sunday, as forecasters expected waves reaching four to seven feet.