@Trilt, thanks for the sound advice!
I'm very familiar with hiking on rough terrain, but not with "running" on that type of terrain. I'm certain my pace will be considerably slower - especially since I haven't had a chance to scope out the actual trail course itself. Do you think I need to do anything different with my running shoes? Or, are regular running shoes commonly used in (mountain, canyon, ocean coastline) trail races?
Your point about "set it and forget it" is well-taken. You're correct: I won't be able to zone-out and I'll definitely need to "watch" where I am going. Since I don't want to trip and fracture my ankle, my speed will likely be very slow, most of the time. Now, that you've mentioned variability in speed, I think this race will be more like a "snail pace" race for me. Plus, there are a lot of cougars, deer and coyotes in the canyon/mountainous course area, but I doubt they'll want to run with any of us! Actually, the cougars might prefer to run "after" us and chase everyone out of their natural habitat!