Carsen McDaniel 2016 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 10, 2016, 6:39 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   The day was so smooth. Busses were on time, the packet has what you need to stay warm etc. I can't say enough good about what Revel has done here. The medal, the t-shirt, the packet, the expo... all great.

3. Did you PR?

   Yep!

4. How would you describe the course?

   Too steep. It truly is the definition of a double edged sword. I ran faster than I imagined. I was expecting to run about 3:15 and found myself with 30 seconds cushion on my 3:05 qualifying time with about .5 miles left... This is when I sustained a knee injury and had to walk to rest of the way.:) Still ran a 3:11 but some of those hills are DEATHLY. So steep.

5. Tell us about your training.

   I trained by doing a lot of uphill and downhill runs in neighboring canyons. Typical training otherwise... intervals and long runs. I would HIGHLY suggest running this course before hand or at least driving it and walking the steep parts.

6. What advice would you give future runners?

   It's cold at the start. Wear some layers. I then ran in a tank and was fine. The pacers are great. If you have a time you are looking for, they are indispensable. That first mile is REALLY fast though. I would take it slow and be comfortable and catch up to the pacer of your choice a few miles later.

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   Nothing really! I live here.:)

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Bryan Larsen 2016 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 10, 2016, 6:34 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   Perfect weather thanks for having it set up well and went very smooth.

3. Did you PR?

   No

4. How would you describe the course?

   Good but misleading that it thrashers the quads and calves much harder than runners realize

5. What advice would you give future runners?

   Take it slow till the out and back let the gravity do the work.

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Vanessa Kvien 2016 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 6, 2016, 11:57 p.m. 0 0

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Matthew Wilkinson 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon Published: Oct. 23, 2015, 12:53 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   Awesome! fun and prefect weather!

3. Did you PR?

   Yes!

4. How would you describe the course?

   Love the course

5. Tell us about your training.

   Great trained with Lifetime Fitness Finish Line Training with Sylvia Bedford

6. What advice would you give future runners?

   Train down hill running a few times before this race

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   3rd Year running this Race one of my favorites. I am local live in Draper

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Bette Voorhees 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon Published: Sept. 25, 2015, 9:16 a.m. 0 0

1. Describe your race day.

   Excited! My daughter, coach and trainer did an excellent job of keeping me motivated all the way down the canyon. It was exciting to see family and friends along the way. It was my first attempt at a long run!
   Thanks Jami! ( at 72 that's awesome.)

2. How would you describe the course?

   Beautiful if this is the terrestrial world I can't imagine the celestial world. I think I will stay here.
   I love running down hill so the grade was great for me.

3. Tell us about your training.

   did three to five miles during the week. It's a walk run for me most days.
   Weekend found me increasing as the weeks progressed . The longest was 11.2 a week before the run.
   My daughter kept me going. We even practiced eating along the way.

4. What advice would you give future runners?

   Start slow and keep a comfort run, don't try to out run anyone.
   Drink along the way and eat the fruit.

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1. Bette Voorhees Sept. 25, 2015, 9:17 a.m. Was great may do it agan. At 72 you don't know how your body will work. 5K's have always been a good fit for me.

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Tim Collier 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 22, 2015, 6:27 p.m. 1 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   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.

3. Did you PR?

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

4. How would you describe the course?

   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!

5. Tell us about your training.

   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!!

6. What advice would you give future runners?

   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.

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   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.

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Jim Stubbs 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 22, 2015, 11:45 a.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   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?!

3. Did you PR?

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

4. How would you describe the course?

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

5. Tell us about your training.

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

6. What advice would you give future runners?

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

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   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..

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Julie Mullins 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 19, 2015, 6:27 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   4/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

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

3. Did you PR?

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

4. How would you describe the course?

   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.

5. Tell us about your training.

   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.

6. What advice would you give future runners?

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

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   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.

Comments

1. Marie Carter Sept. 21, 2015, 4:49 p.m. Glad to know I was not the only Oregon resident in the race! I never felt it in my quads at all, only my feet. Funny how the same race can be different for everyone. There are some great hills near Tualatin and Sherwood that are comparable to Cottonwood for training. :-)

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Evelyn Brown 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon Published: Sept. 17, 2015, 3:29 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   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.

3. Did you PR?

   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.

4. How would you describe the course?

   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.

5. Tell us about your training.

   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.

6. What advice would you give future runners?

   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.

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   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.

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Edwin Churchill 2015 REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Published: Sept. 16, 2015, 7:33 p.m. 0 0

1. Overall Rating

   5/5 Stars

2. Describe your race day.

   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.

3. Did you PR?

   I PR'd by nearly 15 minutes.

4. How would you describe the course?

   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.

5. Tell us about your training.

   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!

6. What advice would you give future runners?

   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!

7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

   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.

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