4/5 Stars

Loved the humorous/motivational signs along the way. Excellent support stations.

No, I didn't train well enough.

Extreme downhill at the beginning. Beautifully breathtaking scenery. Challenging out and back at the end.

I trained down the canyon for a few runs. This was great training, but I needed to get more long runs and speed training in.

Run the canyon at least once before the race.

4/5 Stars

fun atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and surprisingly wasnt too cold up at the top

it was my first marathon so i guess so haha

straight downhill

followed a 3 months workout plan i found online. combined long run with shorter speed workouts. it was great

incorporate weight training to prepare for downhill. mile 1 and mile 13 are terrible. I hate downhill but I held back the entire first 18 miles so that by the time i got to mile 19 i was able to drop my pace 50 seconds per mile and have a really fun time running the last 7. Had I gone out faster, I just would have suffered the whole race instead of been able to enjoy the scenery for the first 19 and then enjoy really pushing myself the last 7

went to trader joes

4/5 Stars

A lot of fun. Great course.
My only criticism is there was fruit promised at 3 stations, only saw it once. There was candy promised at 2 stations, never saw any. Was planning on these for fuel and did not get it.

No

Steep grade. Beautiful scenery

I trained for the downhill. it is a must

5/5 Stars

Buses were on time, start line was so-so (no fires anymore-boo, long walk to bathrooms, no music or fanfare...as we were walking to the bag drop, we noticed hundreds of people still at the bathrooms and all over the camp, we walked to the start to try to find our pacers, and they were no where to be found, we were confused and searching, when all of the sudden we heard a horn and people were running. We were like, what? no warning? no countdown? NO PACERS? That sucked. I brushed it off and went for it anyway, but I started a little pissed off at the disorganization of the start line. That's my only complaint about the whole thing. The rest rocked. ), course was amazing and beautiful, volunteers were on spot, finish was amazing. The food was great, the towels are heaven sent, the band was an awesome touch. The race bags rocked. Loved how organized they were with the stickers on the outside and the envelope inside with the bib- that must have really taken some time. THANK YOU! I love the head band. Like, LOVE it. I love all of the cool touches you guys do to go above and beyond. Love the shirts too. Great fit. Medals= two thumbs up. Hopefully I'll be back for the full next year! But I was glad to still be able to participate with the half. And much less sore. ;) THANKS!

YES! By ten minutes

beautiful, saw a mom and baby moose walking up the side of the mountain. loved the downhill, trained well for it and loved the little bit of challenge during the last couple miles.

Ran BC canyon with a group multiple times before. Ran other canyons too. Train for downhill! Don't think that just because it is downhill that that makes it easy. Downhill is killer on your body. Especially when followed by uphill and flat, which then feels uphill.

Bring warm clothes for the start. Buy your shoes 1/2-1 size bigger than usual. Cut toenails short. Relax and enjoy the ride! If you are running the marathon, train for downhill followed by rolling hills or you will want to die- that was me last year.

5/5 Stars

The race was well organized and run. I was impressed, and I've participated in a lot of races. I loved the gorgeous sunrise at the start and beautiful scenery during the course. The Wasatch Blvd leg was difficult, but the last couple miles downhill was even more rewarding.

Yes and yes.

The only part I'd change is the last part down Fort Union, where there's traffic on either side and the runners in the middle. It's hard for the spectators and runners don't like sucking down car exhaust.

I trained well, prepared well and executed according to plan.

Plan your run and run your plan.

After . . . walked it out and enjoyed the feeling of accomplishing a difficult goal.

5/5 Stars

My goal was to finish the half in under 2 hours - I finished in 1:58, which was more than 11 minutes faster than my PR!

5/5 Stars

This was my second time running Big Cottonwood and both times have been incredibly memorable experiences. I remember getting off the bus pre-dawn and marveling at the vivid stars that were still out. And you start just as the sun is coming up over the horizon joined by 2,000 equally excited runners. The course is fantastic to run (it really is stunning) and just a great feeling as you speed down along the mountain. In the end you spill out into the town of Cottonwood Heights amongst the cheering local fans and hopefully a PR.

This race gives you a tremendous opportunity to earn a PR. I achieved a PR at Big Cottonwood in 2014 beating my best previous time by over 2 minutes. I wasn't in as good of shape this year, but I still managed to run my third fastest Half Marathon time (out of 39 halfs).

Big downhill and beautiful. It really is the prettiest course I've ever run. You can't help but take in the vista repeatedly and I distinctly remember uttering "wow" out loud on more than one occasion. The downhill grade varies from mild to fairly steep, so be prepared for a unique running experience (you will naturally go faster than usual). Even though the race starts at 7,400 ft (for the half) the elevation wasn't noticeable during the race. The first 9.5 miles are all coming down the mountain, with the final 3.5 miles run through the town of Cottonwood Heights (which while still downhill has some stretches of flat ground).

You definitely will be working your legs and quads differently than other races, so if you want to avoid really sore quads the day after, you should incorporate hill training (both up and downhill) for several weeks before the race.

The best advice I can give for runners (other than being sure to train for downhill running) is you should plan to run by "effort" as opposed to pace. The downhill will allow you to run faster than you're used to while keeping your effort level the same. Know that the final 3.5 miles run through Cottonwood Heights won't have as much downhill slope so your overall pace will probably slow down a little at the end. In regards to clothing, bring some throwaway clothes for the pre-race wait (which can be anywhere from 60 min- 2 hours). It can get cold on the hill, but you will warm up quite a bit once you start to run so don't dress too warmly. Oh and for those traveling from out of town, you might get a little "elevation" headache when you first arrive in town, so be sure to hydrate and maybe take some Tylenol.

I flew in from Los Angeles for the race. I just enjoyed the scenery and went out to dinner with some of my fellow runners. And since the race is on a football Saturday, I just found a nice sports bar afterward and had a celebratory beer.

5/5 Stars

Marriott Residence Inn was great, breakfast at 3:45, bus right out front and shuttle after race really was nice.

No, but was fastest in last two years and fastest this year by 8 minutes.

First ten miles were great, one of prettiest, nice finish area.

Never enough.

Practice downhill.

Park City after race was great. Then drove back to Denver.

5/5 Stars

Very exciting. This was my first Marathon and it was a really big deal for me. Lots of people running. I didn't know what a pacer was, but soon found some of them and thought... "That is a really great idea!". The water stations were very well organized, and the people were very helpful. The sun coming up over the mountains was beautiful, the run down the canyon felt great. I was not ready for the last 6 miles and it almost killed me, but I made it through. The finish line was a very welcome sight!

It was my first Marathon so yes. My goal was to maintain 6 miles/hour, or a 10 minute/mile and I nailed it. Going down the canyon I thought I was doing much better as I was running with the 4:00 hour marathon pacer, but when I got to Wasatch Blvd and had to start going up hill I could not keep that pace. I probably should have paced with the 4:25 pacer and conserved some energy for those last 6 miles. As it is I have a personal record I want to beat next year! :)

The first 18 miles is beautiful. I loved running down the canyon. It is also very deceptive, I didn't realize what a toll all of that downhill was taking on my legs, but I quickly became aware when I got to Wasatch Blvd and had to start walking and jogging. The last 6 miles was much more difficult than I had anticipated. The sun,the less pretty scenery, the uphill on Wasatch Blvd, and being the end of the race made it my least favorite part.

I had a great group of friends and we did really well getting our long runs in. The longest we did was 20 miles, and we did that 2 weeks before race day. We found a number of really good routes and had a blast running together. My pace during training varied greatly depending on who I was training with. 5-6 mph when running with my wife, and 6-7 when running with my brother. I was aiming for the middle though so I didn't think it would be an issue. Looking back I should have tried to keep my pace more consistent, and I could have done better on my shorter mid week runs.

Chafing hurts, the first aid stations have Vaseline if you need it. I didn't know this, but my wife asked and got some and it helped her. I had pre-greased, but could have used some re-greasing at 20 miles or so.

Also, There were some cold people at the starting line. I think they thought the thermal blankets would work better than they did. I wore some pajama bottoms, and a cotton jacket. Both went into the bag before the race, and when I started running I was fine. I kind of like the cold though.

Having family waiting for me at the end was great. We are all from Salt Lake City, so no one had to travel too far.

A couple of suggestions:
My family was confused by the text messages that were arriving about 30 minutes to an hour late. My sister-in-law said that the GPS tracking on the website seemed quite a bit more accurate. Also, I was hoping to get a massage, but they had packed up and left before I got around to looking for them.

4/5 Stars

The weather perfect. the scenery is amazing!

I did PR, by 1 minute and 1 second

THe course is very fast, down hill and a few small hills.

I did a 12 week training program that I have used before.

Trainon hills

I loved the massage table. The food was great after the race too. It would have been nice to have a little shade for afterwards, but I am not sure that is possbile to do for all the runners.