4/5 Stars

sunrise at guardsman just before the race.
warm enough to not need a jacket or long pants.
beautiful 18 or so miles in the canyon.
Brutal out and back in the heat!
Ok downhill to finish.

Starts TOO Late, needs to start earlier to avoid heat at the end of the race.
Eliminate the out and back!!!!!!

NO!!!!
Ran previous years BCM in 4:01, ran this years in 4:26. No where near BQ.

Beautiful. Canyon is steep!
The out and back on Wasatch needs to be eliminated!!!!!!

I trained less downhill than years prior. That caught up to me after running the canyon at a fairly fast pace for me. Train more downhill so your legs are ready for this course.
I would train in steeper canyons like Millcreek more, rather than Emigration all the time.

Canyon can be steep. Get some downhill training in and don't run too fast down the canyon.
Be ready for sun exposure and heat outside the canyon as there is little shade and it tends to be hot!

Came from sugarhouse. Came straight to the race and then went home!

5/5 Stars

THE BOMB!! I love the course, love the finish chute, signs along the course, the volunteers at aid station around 20ish miles all said complimentary things and called me by name because names were printed on bibs - it gave me just the boost I needed!!

There's only 1 suggestion I can make, I wish the Revel shirts were brighter. Personally, I prefer to run in neon running clothes; makes me feel safer! the color scheme of this year and last years shirt was a little bland for my taste, but other than that I seriously loved everything about this race!

I enjoyed how thorough your email communication was ore race. I loved the expo, smoothness of bus loading, ample start line porta potties, headbands and race gmday gloves

First time doing a full :)

PERFECT!!! Please don't change it at all. There isn't a better full course in the state of Utah!

I did every other long run down the canyon, and tons of training runs on the out and back + 3.7 to the finish. It helped so much to be familiar with the course!

The BEST thing about the finish chute was the ice cold towels and having chairs to sit on so I could chat with friends!!

5/5 Stars

The best half a ever run, the view is priceles I just enjoy every single mille in the woods, I will run it again next year for sure!
It will be great to run the 13.1 in the canyon and avoid the city.

5/5 Stars

I am very grateful for the good organization of this great event. I had an awesome day. The AID stations were exceptional. Thank you very much for all the volunteers that work very hard.It

It was my first half marathon. I

I enjoyed The scenery while running.I did not need my headphones to make the time more placent. I really enjoy running in this area.

I worked two times a week with my trainer. She was really good. Because of hard pain in my shins I couldn't run for two months so She trained me in the swimming pool for several weeks. I was worried that I was not running as I wanted. Once the time came she said now you can run and I did. It was amazing no more pain and running in this event was a great accomplishment for me.

Work with a trainer to avoid injuries. Ask questions to people that have had experience running. read tips from different magazines, see videos from youtube it also help, go to the running store and ask for good shoes, socks etc, etc, etc.

Take pictures, eat, have a massage,

5/5 Stars

I love this race. I did the full marathon with my sister last year and this year we did the half together. We love the course and the race is super organized

I set a pr and almost made it.

Beautiful course. The weather this year was perfect.

Practice , practice, practice. It makes the difference

I spend all weekend at snowbird at the cliff lodge. I love that place!!

5/5 Stars

The bus driver who got us up to Guardsmans pass is a superhero, there were people running down the canyon with headlamps, the roads were narrow, it was 4:30am and she still had such a positive attitude! The emergency blanket and gloves in the drop bag were amazing while waiting! I will always remember running down wasatch blvd in the heat, everyone around me walking and chanting to myself to "just keep going, don't throw up." Finding out that I had qualified for Boston is one of the best things that has happened in my life in a long time. I picked up my results card and couldn't hold back crying tears of joy.

I PR'ed and qualified for the Boston Marathon! I beat my previous record of 4hrs 0 min with a time of 3hrs 33 mins. My qualifying time for age and gender is 3hrs 35 mins.

The energy you get from the breathtaking fall scenery is comparable to the energy the spectators give you in Boston. It's a great downhill marathon. However, the wasatch blvd stretch takes some "will power" after coming down out of the canyon.

I didn't do as much downhill training as I had in previous downhill marathons and it prevented me from an overuse injury. I would advise others to do lots of eccentric muscle training. I swapped between 3 different (but similar) pairs of shoes, prevented injury as well. I recommend lighter shoes (for less weight to push uphill and lighter creates less downward momentum to fight) with appropriate stability for your foot and slightly more cushioning than you're used to.

I live in cottonwood heights, so that was easy. Use the bathroom right before you start, the downhill will get your bladder going more than usual. The porcupine grill is an awesome place to eat. Don't drop your clothes too soon, the shade can make it go from cool to hot in the canyon. I bought a new pair of shoes identical to the ones I was training in and only ran a few miles in them prior to marathon day to save the cushioning for the downhill impact.

I live in cottonwood heights. I just went home after the race and showered.

5/5 Stars

The race was well organized. So many porta-potties. I mean SO many. The course is picturesque, and lined with signs that humor you evough to take your mind off the temporary pain. All-around great event.

Yes. First half marathon - averaged 6 min 41 sec miles.

Never ran a more beautiful course.

I hardly trained for this one.

Train for downhill running. I finished with bloody and blistered toes. But worth it!

Nothing like eating a slice of pepperoni pizza at 8:30 am!

4/5 Stars

I heard people talk about how fast the course was, but I was more impressed with the beauty of the canyon.

PR by 13 min and BQ by 1 min! (3.04.02)

Remarkable scenery. The downhill is great, but some parts it is almost too much. Knowing that the last 2 miles were downhill was a huge confidence booster.

I attempted a BQ 3 months earlier and missed it. I did some cross training this time and focused on race day nutrition - salt tabs, hydration, etc. That and the downhill really helped.

Train for downhill.

There isn't much room at the start, once the lines to the potties begin, most of the sitting room is overcrowded.

Not many good spots for spectators due to the traffic re-routing. Supporters should plan on either the intersection with Wasatch Blvd or the last half mile.

Lehi!

5/5 Stars

Set a PR of 1:42! Beat my best by three minutes!

Scenic, steep downhill and fast!

I started training 8 weeks out. I do three half marathons a year so this one ends my season. This is my 11th half!

Stay at the Hilton homewood suites. They bus you from the hotel to the start of the race. Stay on the inside of the curves and plan on it being cold at the start and warming up mid race.

3/5 Stars

Great day as far as weather went! I ran the 13.1 course and then went back up the course to get my 20 miler training run in. It was a blast to get up the road and run in some if the first marathoners coming down. It's always nice as a full marathoner to have some support at the end so it was fun to be that person yesterday. That was definitely my best memeory this year!

No. As a matter of fact.....I've had a sever back problem this summer. At mile 7 in the Ut Valley marathon I had to drop out. That would of been my 19th Marathon so mentally it was hard for me to accept a DNF. There were days this summer where I actually wasn't able to even hardly walk. So imagen..... a competive runner hardly walking. After many chiropracticor and Dr visits Cottonwood was my 2nd race I was able to finish this year. I went into it knowing I needed to pull out 20 miles not just 13.1 so I can be prepared for my next marathon in October. I ended up coming in 4 min slower then last year. HOWEVER..... because I knew I NEEDED to hold back I KNOW myself well enough that had things with the race crew at the beginning gone different I would of pushed harder then I did. This is where I today am SO sad about the way things started yesterday. As I was waiting for the race to start (next to the road) I heard NOTHING in a speaker or anybody directing us that we had 5 min until the race started. So I figured, we were all standing around waiting as we did last year. But then as I stated walking up the road I look ahead and BAM......the freaking race had started. 2 MINUTES before. Needless to say I was starting back with a HUGE group of people. People not caring about tripping on each other. People just there to have a good ol time and not be competitive. Had I started WITH my elite crowd I run with in all half and full marathons I would have pushed and would have had a better time for sure. Why no national anthem? Why no big speakers so we can hear you? Why no gun shot? Yes I should be happy, I still took 2nd place in my age group. But IF I would of started out pacing with the Elite runners I mentally would of kicked in because physically IM BACK. NEXT YEAR...... I will run it. But it will be my last if your start is not more organized. And BTW what the heck with the awards this year? No money? My running partner took 2nd overall this year and last. She received $200 flowers and a bunch of stuff last year. This year. We all got cheap placement medals and the top 3 ChapStick?? Hahaha. Looks like you need to get Josh Rotensky back on your team. AF half used him because he's working for IHC and there was MAJOR improvement with them this year. (My son and husband ran AF) and that race is for charity but was still improved. There's lots of competition for races in Utah. I don't always pick a course because of how easy or hard it is. I choose also for organizations and how the elites are awarded. When you work and train hard you want it to "pay" off.

I hope my comments are useful. Please keep in mind.......we ran the day AFTER 9/11. Give us runners the privilege of seeing our national anthem before we start. We don't all go to football and basketball games. This is our sport. In OUR country.

Other minor improvement...... Which I wasn't with the start of the crowd, but please let volunteers know that some if us don't stop. We need them to reach out if it looks like we calling out for it. They are great and we'll appreciated though.

Please know I think with the couple little things I mentioned, I feel like this race and the crew are great. Love it!!!! And I only took it down 2 stars because of the start and awards. I own a salon and see a lot of people a week. This is a must run I tell everyone. Not everyone is there to win something. Lol.

Beautiful. Peaceful. Steep. Fun.

Haha. Run. Run. Run. Run. Cycle. Run. Cycle.
Drink Latte's.
Lift weights.
And do Bikram yoga at 106° with 60% humidity.

Smile.