5/5 Stars

Race day was perfect from start to finish. Me and my running buddy Nancy cruised down the mountain, admiring the beauty and sharing fun stories. We had some difficulties on the Wasatch section and then she cut me loose on the final 5K. That final stretch was the best I've felt at the end of any of my full marathons.

I PR'd for this race. I beat last year's time by almost 22 minutes.

From start to finish, this was the best full marathon I have run. The weather at start time was near perfect. The first 18 miles was absolutely breathtaking. The Wasatch turn was difficult as expected but the cut-down in mileage from the previous year made it much more tolerable. I think the bump in temperature combined with the quarry-type area that seemed to put a lot of dust in the air dried my mouth out quite a bit. One or 2 more water stops along this portion would help alleviate this issue. I finished the final stretch with my best splits of the day. Kudos to another great race!

Summer training in Houston, TX is brutal to say the least. I was never able to break 14 miles for a single run and I thought that might hamper my results but fortunately I was wrong. Training for the downhill wasn't necessary as long as I maintained good downhill running form. Cut it loose and enjoy the view!!

Sign up for this race NOW!! It's definitely worth all the difficulties of summer training. Be mentally prepared for the Wasatch section of the race and how difficult it can be transitioning from downhill to rolling hills.

I came with a few people from my Houston-area running club (Cypress Running Club). We managed to hit many of the hot spots, including the Mormon temple, Park City, Snowbird & Silver Lake. We hit a ton of great restaurants including Penny Anne's Cafe in Draper (2x) & Rye Diner. We even managed to catch a Bowling For Soup concert at the Urban Lounge.

5/5 Stars

Great course.. all went as planned with Bus ride on time, Race start on Time...
Quads screaming at mile.....3!! Usually there is a 2 in front of that 3!
Sore for 5 days... but that pain feels so good?!

No PR but much quicker than anticipated due to running injury issues that last 5 weeks..

Fabulous Course... be prepared for those last 2 miles surrounded by cars... the Canyon makes you forget what lies ahead..

Training in Ohio is tough for a down hiller....

Run down hill, A LOT!!! If properly prepared this would be a screaming fast course!

Horse riding on Antelope Island, Blues Brews and BBQ at Snow Basin, Kayaking, Mountain Biking at Canyons/Park City and Snow Basin. XTERRA UTAH on the 19th, Ogden Harvest Moon Fest., Farr's Ice Cream..... etc..

4/5 Stars

I wrote it all out on my blog at this link...
http://lifesimplywithjulie.blogspot.com/2015/09/revel-big-cottonwood-marathon.html

No, came to get my BQ but that didn't happen.

The most beautiful course I've ever ran! The downhill did tear up my quads by the halfway mark but it was fun running down hill. With the high elevation along with the long mileage of downgrade, it ended up being harder than I though it would be. I still am glad I ran it and enjoyed the beauty. This race was very organized and had the best volunteers.

I training with my husband in Oregon. We didn't get any high elevations training and that hurt us. Not near enough downhill training but got in lots of quality miles.

If you live in lower elevations, know that his is very high elevation and you will feel it.

Loved the area, went hiking at the park by the S curve "twin peaks" area. We traveled from Oregon. This was my 9th marathon, 1st out of state marathon.

5/5 Stars

Started out dark and chilly, would have napped on the bus to the start but the guy behind wouldn't shut up (that's ok, he was nervous). Sat in the parking lot until start time, shed the space blanket, did the bag drop-off, then cruised down the hill. Saw my hubby along the side at the finish. Afterwards, cold towel around my neck (great idea), hot shower back at the hotel, then off for sight-seeing.

YES, 10 seconds better than at your Canyon City race last year! (Really have to turn on the afterburners when I do Canyon City this November!) I ran the half, so BQ was not on my radar.

Nicely downhill, without being so steep that you worry about your knees the whole distance. I like that it was downhill all the way to the finish, rather than flattening out at the end. That little bit of gravitational pull helped keep me rolling.

I've been doing triathlon training lately, so have dropped back on my running mileage. But, I get out about 3 times per week for a run. I did slack off a bit, and had trained only up to about 9 miles for this one, but thanks to the downhill, I did not hit any wall at that distance.

Be prepared for a chilly, not at all comfortable spot waiting for the start. If you are willing to risk it, don't take one of the first buses up the hill, that only increases your wait time in the dark and cold. I'm vegetarian, so our hunt for restaurants was difficult. Found really REALLY good Indian/Nepalese food at Kathmandu (3142 S. Highland). Ate good Japanese at Suehiro, right behind the finish line. Carbo loaded at Siragusa's, which was OK, but not a prize winner. These are all near the Hawthorne Suites, where we stayed, near the finish line.

Drove up to Snowbird and Alta. Lift to top of Snowbird and hiked around a bit, but as it was the day before the race, I chose to ride back down the hill. Went to movies (Mission Impossible!) the night before the race.
After the race, we went to Ogden to visit the railroad museum. Next day we went to Brighton and Solitude to look at the mountains. On the way home Monday (Los Angeles), we turned off to see Brian Head, saw some awesome rock formations on the road there, then Cedar Breaks. We have visited Zion Kolob Canyon several times, and that is a worthy side-trip as well.

5/5 Stars

It was chilly but not cold at the start of the full marathon. After the start, it was a fast run with simply amazing scenery. This was my seventh marathon and it was the most scenic one by far! The aid stations were well manned and the volunteers were extremely helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.

I PR'd by nearly 15 minutes.

The scenery was amazing. The elevation start at about 9700 feet allowed for an 18-ish mile downhill start with only one short (half mile) uphill section around Brighton Ski Resort. After the out-and-back on Wasatch Blvd, the course again turned downhill to the end. This is a great course to PR on if you've trained your legs for the downhills.

I thought I included enough downhill training, but my legs (quads) were pretty shot by the end. I guess there's no such thing as too much downhill training!

Train for long, hard downhills. During the race, just appreciate the amazing views and the first 18 miles will just vanish! Save a little energy for the out and back on Wasatch and then cruise on home!

Coming from New Jersey, the low humidity made the temperatures seem cooler than the thermometer was reading, and that made it fun to go hiking in the mountains, even in the midday.

5/5 Stars

Crossing the finish line!

Yes...6 minutes. Im not a Boston qualifier

In the canyon is AMAZING!! Seriously nothing better. Unfortunately I am not a fan of the Wasatch out and back AT ALL and that's when I lost time.

I run pretty much daily so my intense marathon training is only 4 weeks. I did probably 8 runs down in the canyon. I still could not believe how sore my legs were after the race.

Wear layers you can shed. It gets HOT!

5/5 Stars

I wish someone had warned me via the web site/registration that running downhill would cause severe blisters. I had to run 11 miles with blood soaked shoes and socks. It was excruciating the last 3 miles. I run 10 miles a day, up and down hills in Oregon, and NEVER experienced this before. Other than that, the volunteers were AMAZING, the runners and crowds were so uplifting and supportive, and it was an easy, cool, beautiful run (except for the foot pain). The last 3 miles I utterly despised. It felt like hitting a heat wall when I left the canyon.

The blisters cost me 1.5 hours off my usual time. Massively disappointed. I'll try again next year to kill my time.

Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous, except for the part in the city. I wish we could start the Half higher in the Canyon and spend less time running in the city. Loved passing a tiny waterfall, a pretty stream, and oh, those mountains were just Beautiful.

I trained for a year, running up and down hills in Oregon and learning to power walk a mile in 15 minutes. I injured my back 15 weeks before the race, and missed 12 weeks of training. Making up 12 weeks in 3 was done by intervals with a personal trainer, running twice a day, lots of weight lifting, and completely changing my diet.

The shoes and socks make all the difference. Research is so important, and never take the advise of non-runners in sports stores, when you buy socks and shoes. If I had known I needed larger shoes and different socks for running downhill, I never would have had to run 11 miles in bleeding blisters. I have socks made to cool your feet. I should have worn thicker ones. Hotter feet over blisters, oh yeah, I would have gladly made that trade!

Visited family, lost a lot of sleep, met new runners. I came from North Carolina, to Portland, to Salt Lake City, where I was born and raised.

5/5 Stars

Yes. It was my first marathon

5/5 Stars

Perfect weather, fantastic people, and excellent race logistics. This will be a race I repeat!

No, I was 6 minutes off but it was understandable as I have been sick for a few weeks. I was surprised at how good I still performed. Great course! Next year I coming after you PR!

Beautiful canyon features. Great exhibition of our Utah rocky mountains. The course is a fast downhill route that is sure to push your PR...if your legs can take it.

I usually run 3 days a week anywhere from 4-8 miles then a long run on Saturday 9 to 12 miles. My advice is to follow a plan if you are unfamiliar with training for a half or marathon. Also, take those days off. Recovery is important to stay injury free!!!

Check the forecast and dress warm for the start. Eat simple carbs and lean protein for the few days before the race. A big carbo loading dinner just the night before can actually leave you heavy. Also, don't skip the aid stations. A little Powerade or fuel (Gu, salt pill, jelly beans) with water will make a difference.

A group of us came from Wellsville (Cache Valley) and so we were excited to hit Ikea and dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse.

3/5 Stars

Beautiful weather!

Yes. I did qualify for Boston, ran 2:54:04

Severe grades in parts, pretty easy course to PR on. Out and back wasn't that bad either.

60 plus miles a week. Wouldn't do anything different. My advice would be to train downhill and run the course. Don't focus all your training on downhill though and make sure to include some rollers in preparation for Wasatch Blvd and Fort Union.

Run the course. That's really the best advice. Make sure you have lace locked your shoes to prevent heel slippage so you don't have blister and toenail issues. Bring layers. Decide at the start what to wear and what to shed.