One of the most pristine marathons that Utah has to offer, this course starts in the Monte Cristo area and ends at Huntsville Town Park during the peak of our vibrant autumn colors. This course offers a gentle decline in elevation of 3,500 feet from start to finish. With the …
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One of the most pristine marathons that Utah has to offer, this course starts in the Monte Cristo area and ends at Huntsville Town Park during the peak of our vibrant autumn colors. This course offers a gentle decline in elevation of 3,500 feet from start to finish.
With the autumn leaves ever so vibrant, this is a gorgeous scenic course starting in the Monte Cristo area and continuing along the South Fork of the Ogden River. The route then passes by the old site of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Huntsville and finishes at Huntsville Town Park where we will have booths and vendors set up. Across from the park is the Historic Shooting Star Saloon, top five in the nation for burgers.
Utah State Route 39 and is a two-lane paved road that travels across three scenic areas within the Ogden Ranger District (Ogden Canyon, Pineview Reservoir, and Monte Cristo Road). It is an officially designated Utah State Scenic Byway. The scenic marathon run travels through the narrow river canyon, and descends for many miles alongside of the willow and cottonwood-lined river towards Huntsville. The road passes through an array of vegetation types, from sagebrush covered hills and riparian forests in the lower elevations to the cool Englemann spruce, Douglas fir and Aspen forests. The beautiful mountains and breathtaking fall colors of September and October make this marathon hard to beat. You won’t soon forget the vistas of this scenic run.
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Fun race
This was a training race for me (for the Vegas marathon), and it delivered. I wanted to see how I reacted to altitude and downhill, and although it is generally … MORE
This was a training race for me (for the Vegas marathon), and it delivered. I wanted to see how I reacted to altitude and downhill, and although it is generally a downhill race there were a few rollers that surprised me. Everyone was friendly and the race was well organized.
Mixed feelings
The time of year and location of this race are fantastic! The fall colors were absolutely beautiful in the mountains! We went hiking, biking and paddle boarding while we were … MORE
The time of year and location of this race are fantastic! The fall colors were absolutely beautiful in the mountains! We went hiking, biking and paddle boarding while we were in town for the race and had a fabulous time! The race was probably my least favorite part of the weekend. It was a mentally challenging course, though not very physically challenging. The half and the full both start in the canyon, but the last 4-5 miles go through farmland. It felt very flat after so many miles in the canyon. Also, the mile markers for the half were off starting at mile one and got worse until they were off by almost a mile near the end of the race. The 2 hour pacer came flying past me (by himself) around mile 11 trying to make it in by his goal time. A mile later he was walking it in because they had fixed the mile markers and now he was way ahead of pace. Things like that can be discouraging. The race was small enough that I never had to wait in line for a porta-potty (yay!) but it was also pretty spread out from the beginning so I was running alone the entire race (yay and nay). Overall, there were good and not so great things about this race. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either.
Beautiful scenery and lots of downhill
Stayed in Ogden and drove to Huntsville to catch the buses to the start at 645. Was pretty cold at start line waiting for the race start so bring a … MORE
Stayed in Ogden and drove to Huntsville to catch the buses to the start at 645. Was pretty cold at start line waiting for the race start so bring a throw-away shirt or mylar blanket. The first about 18 miles are significantly downhill with beautiful scenery. From there the course flattens out and might feel difficult after the downhill. I personally struggled the last 5 miles, but was still able to get a BQ. Finish line had plenty of shady places to rest and a few things to eat/drink
Best smalltown bigtime race you’ll find!
My home is located about mile 20 of this race. I love it so much every year. These mountains are glorious in the fall and you’re not going to find … MORE
My home is located about mile 20 of this race. I love it so much every year. These mountains are glorious in the fall and you’re not going to find a better distraction from the pavement pounding. I would give this race every accolades I could give it.
As a comparison… This was copied from another race review page. I didn’t have permission to copy but he says what I feel people may need to hear without my super biased native local opinion. The expo has changed. Still small but I think it’s improved and I like their meals and shorts more and more each year.
Michael Clemons’s thoughts:
As a runner from Kentucky, I was concerned about this race going in because of the high start elevation (nearly 9,000 ft) and the downhill drop (drops almost 4,000 ft). I trained through humidity, did downhill repeats, and added daily squats to my training. Let me tell you–none of that helped. The course kicked my butt, and three days later I can barely walk.
PROS:
– Amazing views. Seriously, awesome. You can’t beat the race views.
– Small enough race that you’re not jam-packed but big enough that you have others to run with.
– Easy navigation on race morning. Parking and bussing to the start line from the park by the finish line was very simple.
– Good water stops and race support. Every 2ish miles they had water and Gatorade, and the later ones had Gu and snacks. People were also friendly at the stops.
– Even though the road wasn’t closed, I never felt unsafe.
– Quick post-race results printout available, and the awards were cool too.
CONS:
– The downhill is great for running fast, but also a leg crusher. If you’re prepared for it and used to running downhill, it’s not a con. But my prep still didn’t get me ready for this intensity (you know it’s bad when the overall winners are even hobbling up to get their awards).
– Would’ve loved a post-race beer. But alas, it’s Utah.
– The T-shirt wasn’t anything special.
– The “expo” was weak. You picked up your packet at a Gold’s Gym in Ogden. They had some race merch for sale, and some vendors. But the vendors looked so lonely–I don’t think the race was big enough to warrant vendors at PPU.
Fast Scenic Marathon
If you like downhill mountain courses this is the race for you. The scenery is amazing. The first half is very steep and is easy to over do it. It … MORE
If you like downhill mountain courses this is the race for you. The scenery is amazing. The first half is very steep and is easy to over do it. It is a very organized race one of the best in the top of Utah. I would recommend this race to everyone!