Grand Teton Half Marathon & 5K

I ran the Grand Quad which is the Grand Teton 5K + half with the Yellowstone 5K + half as part of my goal to run a half marathon or longer in all 50 states. Let me say that out of the 50+ half marathons I have done this was the absolute most beautiful course and one of my favorites. The race starts in Wilson, Wyoming which is about a 5 to 10 minute drive from Jackson Hole and close to the entrance of Grand Teton National Park. For the trip I flew into Salt Lake City on Thursday and stayed there Thursday night and drove 4-5 hours to Jackson Hole Friday morning. There are closer airports but they have much more limited and expensive flights plus SLC is one of my favorite cities to visit. I would definitely book lodging early for this race. While this vacation was absolutely amazing it was not cheap. Jackson Hole where most of the hotels are is expensive. I as staying in Jackson for 5 nights and chose the super 8 because it was relatively cheap but it was still over $200 per night. It was fine but not as nice of a hotel as I usually stay at. It is a good option but if I did it again I might try to stay at a hotel in downtown Jackson where there is more restaurants and things to walk to (the super 8 was like a 5 min drive to downtown Jackson so not a huge deal). After I checked in my hotel I went to the expo. This time the parking lot was very spacious and it was easy to park. The expo wasn’t huge but had a few booths. For the Grand Quad you can get all your packets at the Teton expo. One minor complaint is they use the same bib for all 4 races. I understand being environmentally friendly and reducing waste but with a week between races it would be easy to lose the bib. Also I know a few 50 staters who collect bibs for each state (I personally don’t). I was also extremely close to throwing it out and forgetting to pack it when I left my hotel in Jackson. I’m sure this has happened and vacation races has a solution for it though. You also get a shirt for both Teton and Yellowstone and an additional swag item. I got a nice sweat shirt. Vacation Races are cupless and you can get a collapsible cup to take with you for the race. I did the 5K (which I will review separately) after packet pick-up. For race day morning there are a few options. Probably the easiest is to park at the race start as you can wait in your warm car. It was one of those days that was cold in the morning but got warm by the end of the race. If you are staying in Teton Village or downtown Jackson there is also shuttles that take you to the start. The start had water, coffee and cocoa available with a good amount of porta potties. There was maybe a 5ish minute wait. The start is very organized and in waves. Unlike Yosemite where there was a lot of time between waves, there was maybe 1 or 2 minutes so all runners were through the staring line by around 15 minutes. As I said before the course is absolutely gorgeous with stunning snow-capped mountain views pretty much the entire race. The only part of the race I didn’t love is the beginning is on the shoulder of the road. It is coned off but quite tight and hard to pass people. It was less of an issue during the half since everyone was running a similar pace. The next section is on a bike path. The rest is on more remote roads so traffic isn’t an issue. Pretty much the entire race has gorgeous scenery. You also pass by quite a few cows and horses. The course isn’t too difficult itself. It is mostly flat but is a point to point that is a gradual uphill so it’s not a super fast course but you could have a fast time as long as you prepare for the toughest part which is the altitude. Obviously with running Yellowstone next week I did not have the time to come early to acclimate. If you are just doing Teton I would try to arrive a week early to acclimate if you want a good race time. But don’t worry if you are not acclimated just plan to be about 20 minutes slower than usual which means 20 more minutes to soak in the scenery. There were pretty frequent aid stations about every 2 miles and closer together towards the end. They are cupless and have jugs with water and electrolyte drink. For vacation races my strategy is to bring a handheld water bottle for water and use the collapsible cup they give for electrolyte drink. I believe every aid station had gels and a few had fruits. They also had porta potties. I wasn’t having stomach issues so didn’t need to use them but the lines seemed shorter than Yosemite. The finish area is beautiful. You get your medal which is always really nice and a box full of snacks. I was pretty slow since my plan was to take it very easy this week as my foot has still been funky since Yosemite and I wanted to make sure I can get through all my half marathons this week and the one in Indiana the following week (after which I plan to rest my foot and let it heal). One major disappointment is they did not have enough Moose double medals due to supply chain issues. I wish they would have emailed us before the race. They did take our bib down and also sent an email with a link to submit your info if you didn’t get the medal so the medals can be mailed. They also sent a very nice apology and apologized for not letting us know sooner but they didn’t find out until it was too late. I do believe this is true since for Yosemite they did email before the race. It was kind of a bitter ending to what I would have otherwise consider a just about perfect race. Also there was a bit of a wait for the shuttle. It wasn’t terrible but about 20 minutes so account for that in planning. After the race I spent a few days in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park which were amazing and I saw so many animals. I saw a ton of bison, elk and antelope and even saw a good number of bears. With the exception of the issues with the challenge medals I have nothing but good things to say about this race and would highly recommend it. I doubt you will find many more scenic races. It was also an amazing vacation doing the Grand Quad. Even if you are not a 50 stater, if you are looking for the best race-cation definitely do this one. It is an expensive trip and not the easiest place to get to but I am so glad I did it once and I am considering coming back to do it again when I finish all my other running travel goals.