5/5 Stars

Cold then hot. Painful. Beautiful

Yes...by a minute. Not even close to a BQ...never will be. I'm sloooooow. Like to get my money's worth out o a course.

Challenging for me. Especially when you turn onto Wasatch Blvd. Those hills are tough. A welcome relief to the downhills, but that is still at altitude so, that makes it a little more challenging.

I actually went out to SLC in July and ran the Canyon from the start line to the big parking lot at the bottom of canyon. That was the biggest help of all. I learned how much more water I would need than I thought. I took a 50 ounce backpack of water and ran out at mile 15.

I also do a mix of cross training of all types of workouts. That really helped me with recovery.

I also live where there are hills so I would walk/run up them and the run back down. That is a major help, but not everyone has that available.

Buy shoes in a bigger size than your normal running shoes. This saved my toes. I have special shoes that I only wear on downhill training. Others were saying their toes and toenails were hurting after the race and mine were fine. (My feet hurt but not my toes)

Take water with you if you are a slower runner and will be on the course a long time. Every 2 miles is a long time between sips when you are slow! There is no way I would have had enough water from the water stops. With such low humidity, it is easy to dehydrate. I drank at every stop both Powerade and water and still had to have about 30 ounces of my backpack. Still got very dehydrated at the end.

Sunscreen---

Eat out at some really good places all over cottonwood heights and the other cities in the area. Drove around in the mountains. Some cool Shopping. Toured the downtown and Temple Square area of SLC, toured and shopped in Park City too.

Live in Arkansas

5/5 Stars

Freezing, then cold, then awesome, then uncomfortable, then painful, then my body very angry at me, then my will very forceful at it, then my soul emerging to lead, then winning, then elated tears.

Yes!
Previous longest run was 6.2 miles.
1 mile 11:23
5k 36:37
10k 1:13
Half (of course) 2:41
Longest run 13.48

Down hillish.

I've been learning to run on the balls of my fertile been learning to run in minimalist shoes (5fingers).

Kick butt!

I live here

5/5 Stars

Great day!
I think you need another water stop in the last 3 miles. I was quite thirsty by the end, with being more exposed in the sun.

This is my first, so I guess so. Haha

Gorgeous!

I should have trained more.

5/5 Stars

It was convenient to catch the bus at the Crystal Inn. The sunrise right before the start of the race was beautiful. The race started faster than I expected, and it was nice to have reprieve from the downhill around mile 19. I've never been more happy to see a finish line.

I PR'd by 14 minutes.

The course is fast-- not to be confused with "easy." I underestimated it, and it tore apart my calves. I could barely run the last three miles.

I felt well trained for the race, but I wasn't prepared for the grade of the downhill, and my calves paid the price. I recommend doing fast training runs on a similar downhill.

The Crystal Inn was great. They even packed us bagels and bananas. The Mylar blankets were nice, but come prepared in layers. I made the mistake of not wearing gloves, and my hands froze. I wore my hat (beanie) until mile 22 when I finally took it off.

5/5 Stars

It was a little cool in the morning, and was thankful for the emergency blanket in the marathon packet. The announcer at the start line kept us well informed of the time and when to be ready, so was prepared for the start and got off to a great beginning. It was my first marathon, so followed everyone's advice and training as close as possible, so from start to the end it was a beautiful race - especially in the canyon! The aid stations were organized well and all the volunteers were super helpful, so everything went so smooth to keep hydrated and fueled along the way. It was pleasantly surprising and relieving to have enough gas left to finish strong and even exceed my ideal finish time!

This was my first marathon and decided ahead of time I'd be happy with anything under four hours, but would ultimately like to get my age group Boston Qualifying time of 3:25. I ended up finishing at 3:21!

The course was beautiful and was the best setting for my first marathon as I love running in nature, so having most of the course in the canyon and along Wasatch Blvd along the Wasatch bench overlooking the city was the ideal scenery to enjoy the ultimate runner's high.

I trained using a program I found on the runkeeper app. For the terrain, I would do flat runs for two weeks and the third week would run up a portion of the course then back down to where I had parked. My furthest long run was 16 miles starting below the spruces, running to the top of guardsman pass, then coming down, going up to Brighton, and back to my car. Once I ran only down hill by being dropped off at the next parking spot below the spruces, running down the canyon, running the out and back on Wasatch blvd, then down to be picked up at Union Park Plaza. Training for uphill and flat seemed to be a huge advantage during the marathon because I ended up passing everyone in front of me and was never passed after getting out of the canyon while keeping almost the same minute per mile pace.

Wear super cushioned shoes, don't ditch your gloves too fast because it gets warm before the Spruces, but gets even colder than at the top for several miles in the area of the Spruces. I was fine in my thin shirt and shorts otherwise if it is a sunny normal temperature day. Head to the porta-pottie line early because the lines get long at the start and too many people didn't have time to empty their bladders, so then the first few aid stations have lines for the porta-potties too, plus the half marathon porta-potties will be on the truck headed down the canyon before you can get to them, so if you don't want to wait in line, you will be holding it till the middle of the canyon.

We moved her from the D.C. area several years ago, so are now locals that are still trying to just soak up all the amazing beauty and natural activities we have to enjoy in our own backyard!

5/5 Stars

Race day was wonderful. Everything was well organized. The support on the course was fantastic. Everyone was kind and helpful. A friend and I ran this together after training together. We had a great time.

Yes, I set a PR at this race by 17 minutes.

Beautiful scenery, wonderful area. Loved it and will run it again.

I completed a full training program for this marathon and felt strong throughout the race. I would recommend training for downhill racing instead of just following a standard schedule.

5/5 Stars

Beautiful scenery and downhill glory! Made a Faster Time than I expected and it's only my 2nd Half!

Sure did by 9 mins from my 1st Half Marathon!

Beautiful all around, loved the change of scenery as you go down the canyon. Love the twists and turns.

Consistency is Key in my book, as long as you keep running no matter how much distance you go in the end it will pay off! I did a 12 week training, got set back with some lower leg pain, but just kept running as much as I could whether I got the distance I needed that week!

Be prepared for it to be super cold before the race starts and the first half of the race is chilly!

Stayed in a hotel close to the race over night before the race and went back to relax after the race! It was Great! I'm just from Utah County too! Ha.

5/5 Stars

Coming off a hamstring injury only 4 weeks ago, I was a bit nervous about this marathon, but the course was kind and the hamstring held up. The most memorable aspect of this marathon is undoubtedly the breathtaking scenery, i.e. the course itself. From watching the sun break over the eastern ridge early in the race, to taking in the dabs of bright color splattered across the mountainside as fall foliage began to appear, to the rugged rock faces later in the race, to the sweeping views of Salt Lake City during mile 19, the course itself was the best tonic for aching legs!

Yes, but only by a minute or so. I did, however, qualify for my third Boston Marathon.

Miles 1 - 3 encompass a harsh, quick descent (don't go out too fast) on cold legs followed by a quick uphill turn into mile 4 around Brighton circle. I really felt that the race began after mile 5, when one settles into various grades of downhill running for the next 13 miles. The roughly 4 mile out - and - back was more difficult than I thought it would be, largely because I was not accustomed to transitioning from downhill running to flat - land running. Volunteers were amazing throughout the race! Thank you!

I live in the Midwest, which doesn't afford any altitude or opportunity for downhill running like one might find in mountainous terrain. I had fairly traditional marathon training. I did not find the altitude to be a factor at all, but the downhill running takes a toll on one's quads. If you have access to true downhill running, then I would definitely practice doing so over at least a 4 - 5 mile stretch, and become accustomed to transitioning to flat terrain / slight uphill terrain as the mechanics differ. This is also important to permit you to find that "downhill gear" with a high cadence and slight forward lean. Once this "clicks", you have a much easier time on prolonged descents. If you don't have access to such terrain, then I would recommend adding a significant element of strength training to prepare the quads for the punishment they will receive.

This is a well - organized, well - executed marathon that I would recommend to anyone. Don't let the altitude scare you - it's really not a factor. However, a bit of hill training will pay off on race day!

Rent a car. Although Uber definitely exists in SLC, it is not an Uber or pedestrian town!

Plan on layers for the race. What worked perfectly for me were throw - away gloves, beanie and arm warmers that I shed at various points along the course. It will be cold at the start.

5/5 Stars

After coming within 35 seconds of getting my Boston Qualifier on my first marathon 5 years ago, and fighting to get one I GOT MY BQ at Big Cottonwood!

Yes and got my BQ!

The down hill was fast, I even had to hold back as I knew that there was 2 miles of rolling hills coming up. I was very happy to see that the last mile was down hill as I was pushing for my Boston Qualifier. Made it by 2 minutes.

I used a professional trainer. I had been fighting to get my BQ for 5 years after missing it by 35 seconds on my first marathon. I had used three different coaches over the years and overtrained twice. I came close in a May marathon. I showed my coach this marathon and we worked together to train me for the down hills so that my hip joints and quads would hold up. Lots of speed work on hills to build up my hips and glutes. It worked!

Don't run too fast down hill. It is tempting, but the impact will make your joints and quads too sore for the rest of the race. I did this two years ago and ended up limping to the finish. This year I held back on the down hill (30 to 45 seconds faster than my goal pace) and my legs held up so that I could push the last miles to the finish.

Shopped at Trader Joes. Did a google search of restaurants and found two great ones. The sponsoring hotel Holiday Inn Express had a hot tub and pool that we enjoyed with the company of other runners.

5/5 Stars

It was very well organized. The school bus ride to the top was comfortable and took about an hour. The waiting area at the start line was sufficient with about 60 porta-potties. I really liked that the music wasn't overbearing. The course was excellent and the runners had at least one full lane of the road to run on was much nicer than running on the shoulder in training. The aid stations were plentiful and were staffed by cheerful and helpful volunteers. I liked the professional signage that enhanced the experience. The finish area was lively and well organized.

Yes, by about 3 minutes over my previous PR set at the St. George Marathon. I also qualified for Boston by over 12 minutes.

There were only about 3 - 4 sections where the grade was so steep that I had to slow down for safety. Aside from that gravity was my friend. The 4-mile out and back starting at mile 18.5 was where the race really started for me. The scenery was breathtaking.

I ran 22 miles of the course twice in preparation. I ran at a conservative pace with the goal being to get my legs used to the long downhill distances. This benefitted me greatly because my legs didn't cramp and were in good shape all the way through and after the race.

Run downhill at higher elevations for several weeks beforehand if possible. Speed isn't important and in fact slower running is probably better so that you don't injure yourself before the event. Keep your head over your feet and your chin down. Bring clothes that you can shed along the way because although it was 33 degrees at the top it will warm up as you descend. Don't burn all of your energy in the first 18 miles because the last 8 are much harder and you'll save some energy for them.