5/5 Stars

Super scared! I loved that we had gloves ,blanket! Once we started it was so pretty

Yes

AWESOME!

Sign up and run it!

4/5 Stars

My dad drove me to the busses at about 4:30AM. I had gotten an e-mail from the BAA stating that registration for Boston 2017 was opening on Monday and I realized I didn't have a qualifier. So I immediately looked up races on marathonguide.com and discovered this event that finishes about 5 miles from my dad's house. Running Boston is kind of a yearly event for my father and I so I called him up and told him I was driving out from Colorado to run the race and try to BQ. Signed up on Thursday and drove out in Friday. Through the race I just kept thinking about why I was there when things got tough and I was able to meet the qualifying standard - so I'll be going back to Boston for another father and son Boston experience.

No. My PR is 2:52:11 from when I was 34 years old with no children. I'm 41now with a 3 and a 5 year old. I did run the fastest I've ran since my kids were born. I think if I specifically targeted this race and trained appropriately I could probably run 2:45. But like I said in the previous answer, this wasn't planned, I was actually training for Tucson in December so I wasn't even half way through my training program. But I qualified for Boston by over 13 minutes, so the course is definitely fast and I'm contemplating coming back being fully prepared to see what I'm capable of here.

Fast - maybe a bit too steep in spots, particularly if you haven't prepared with a lot of downhill running and strength training - which I didn't and I'm paying for it now! But running down the west side of the mountains is a huge plus because it keeps you out of the sun so you don't get too warm. I live in Colorado at about 6500 feet so I never noticed the elevation except for the uphill at mile three. I could do without the out and back on Wasatch Blvd - if there's a way to get rid of that it would be a plus. Overall, a fast course- but that doesn't mean "easy."

Well, I was anticipating running Tucson in December, so I was only 11 weeks in to training. I like to do a 24 week marathon build up with a lot of long runs including a decent amount of race pace work. I only got in one race pace workout and all my training was done on a flat gravel path. If I were to plan for this event I would do a lot of downhill running at a moderate to fast clip, a lot of strength work in the weight room with my legs, a lot more core work, and probably drop my weekly mileage a bit because aerobic fitness isn't as much of an issue with this course as is strengthening your legs and body to handle the downhill pounding.

Don't equate downhill and fast with "easy." This is not an easy course and it will beat you up if you're not well prepared for the downhills. Also, don't fight the downhill either. I was worried that my legs would give out on me because I wasn't completely trained - so I held back a lot and found that when I sped up and just let the course kind of "pull me along" that my legs felt better. Also, don't over dress. It will be cold at the start, but if you're wearing tights or long sleeves you're going to regret it as you move down the canyon and it warms up. And you'll really regret it on Wasatch Blvd.

Not much. I got in to my dad's house from Denver about 8PM on Friday so I basically ate dinner and went straight to bed. After the race we went to Scheels because I was wondering what the heck it was and that was cool. And we drove up to Alta and Snowbird. To be honest I didn't want to do much after the race because I was spent and could barely walk.

5/5 Stars

Woke up around 4:00 to get ready and head to the start. Bus loading was a breeze. It was terribly cold at the top of the start, we huddled together in our heat blankets but once the race began the weather was amazing!

YES! I beat my time at Ogden Half from 2014 by 2+ minutes and didn't train nearly as much as I should have!

The scenery is amazing! It was so peaceful yet full of energy!

I mostly trained down hill runs but it is hard to find a place to run mostly downhill for that long of a distance so most of my down hill runs were only about 5 miles.

train down hill and dress warm for the morning with items you can place in your bag to send down or things you are ok to drop at the aid station.

we had dinner and hung out with the girls

5/5 Stars

Early start, beautiful setting

No PR

Beautiful course

Normally train for flat races; need to train for downhill as different muscles are affected

Enjoy it and just go for it!

Spent time with friends dinning out

5/5 Stars

Bus loading was easy and organized, plenty of parking was available, Start line was a little crowded but fine, once I got my bearings, The announcer was trying to help us, Loved the music but sad it stopped before the race started. The race was gorgeous, it was fun to look at the beautiful trees, colors, river and small water falls, The course was steep, but I was prepared for it. The out and back was long, but doable, and the finish line was very well organized with lots of good choices for food, pictures, music, water, and cool sports towels. I loved the official result cards. The only negative for me on the course was I wasn't prepared for how cold it would be. My arms and hands went numb, luckily someone leant me their arm sleeve and that helped me warm up a lot.

Yes I did

Course was steep, but doable. I liked that the real tough uphill was at mile 3-4 -- it was hard, but manageable. The out and back was challenging. I loved the last two miles of the race, nice steep downhill.

I use Run faster, Run Less training. I also train on Mount Charleston course which prepared my legs for the downhill. I also run quite a few uphill courses which strengthens my uphill running.

Use Run faster Run Less, and al run on down hill and up hill courses.

Pedicures, out to dinner, visit with family

4/5 Stars

Big Cottonwood is and will always be a special canyon for me. This race day was a little different because my best friend and I decided last year at the 1/2 that we would run the full this year. We did that and it is special to us because her brother was killed in an avalanche in Brighton. In fact the spot where we have his final picture is coming down Guardsman pass.... we stopped and reflected on the fact that he indeed was with us today... helping us get through one of our biggest dreams possible.

No and No

The course is amazing and beautiful, I love it! Storm Mountain kills me every time because of the grade but totally worth it in the end.

16 weeks or good solid training and being close to the course we ran every part of it at some point before race day. I would not train the long runs in the canyon every week but I would definitely train running downhill.

Train downhill but not every run

5/5 Stars

It was amazing.

Yes, by 25 minutes... but I've only ever run a half in training, so not much to go on.

Great course. Beautiful

5/5 Stars

The scene at the top of the canyon was so surreal. Dark. Starry sky. All those runners huddled under their space blankets which were reflecting the little bit of light that was up there. It felt like a dream. (I guess I woke up when I got to mile 18.)

Did not PR but beat my BQ time by 5 minutes.

One of the most beautiful courses I have ever run (at least the first 18 miles). Also one of the hardest - your body takes a beating on the downhill.

I tried to incorporate as much downhill as possible into my training, but I'm not sure you can really prepare your body for that course unless you live in the area and can do long runs there.

I took someone's advice about getting shoes one size larger - was glad I did. I also wore cushiony shoes. It's a great race that's worth the pain, but be prepared.

Came from CO. We enjoyed the beer at Hoppers, the fish tacos at Lone Star Taqueria, the latte and cookies at Beans & Brew. Took a side trip to see the Salt Lake and the Tabernacle.

Also, we thought the staff and service at Crystal Inn were fantastic.

5/5 Stars

Everything was great. I think the race is well run and my favorite of the year.

yes. Ran in 1:27 which is 2 min faster than last year.

I like the course. The mile at the mouth of the canyon is tough after all the down hill.

Not much to say here. I run 3 times per week and increase my mileage closer to the race and try to do to down hill training. I probably needed to do more long runs though.

The events at the finish line are top notch. Nice job. The massage was nice.

5/5 Stars

I came to run the race with my son. Anytime that I can run with my family is a special day for me.
I got to run downhill with spectacular scenery,perfect weather,enthusiastic volunteers and qualified for Boston.
After the race, there was a nice medal,excellent refreshments, and an exceptional live band( a favorite song was Hallelujah).

I qualified for Boston. I did not set a PR, but that is only because I didn't complete a proper training program. I am confident that I could shatter my PR on this course.

Awesome!
The scenery coming down the mountain is spectacular.
The elevation was no problem..even though I flew in from the flatlands of Kansas only the day before.
The grade was spectacular .. I love running downhill and the flat portion at the bottom was very runnable-I was just too tired to do much on that section.

A bit lacking. I ran some half-marathons last spring, but have had no training runs over 11 miles since and no weeks over 30 miles. I generally run shorter races and have not done a lot of miles. As a result, I knew that I would run out of gas at the end, so I used the "Fade from the Front" strategy. I ran as hard as I could for as long as I could and then finished as best as I could.

Dressing.. It is cold prerace(32 degrees), but with a thermal top,running pants and thermal blanket(race supplied) I was fine. I ran in a thin long sleeve shirt,shorts, and the gloves and hat that were also race supplied.
Shoes.. I wore Hoka Cliftons.. They were perfect for this course. I usually race in Hoka Tracers, but found the extra cushioning of the Cliftons ideal for the downhill.
Course.. Take what the course gives you on the downhill and enjoy the scenery.

We visited the Salt Lake (Morman) Tabernacle... Awesome pipe organ and acoustics.
We rented a convertible to enjoy the great scenery and weather.
We went to Lumpys Bar to watch football, with a very spirited crowd watching the BYU-Utah game.
I flew in from Kansas and my son came from Washington DC for the race.