Pocatello Marathon
Pocatello, ID
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Experience the Pocatello Marathon – Running The Gap! A fast, scenic course awaits you. Great late summer running weather. High percentage of field runs a Boston Qualifying time. The finish line is the same for each event: Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. The marathon start is at Hilltop Rd. … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 05):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 84 | 81 | 70 | 96 | 83 |
| L (°F) | 52 | 40 | 45 | 54 | 43 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Small town race with a lot of downhill
The first half was nice and cool, running down the canyon into town. The second half was full sun, houses on your left and a highway on your right. Not … MORE
The first half was nice and cool, running down the canyon into town. The second half was full sun, houses on your left and a highway on your right. Not a lot of crowd support. Only one porta potty at every stop- so I had to wait to use it every time unfortunately. The pounding from this race really damaged my right great toenail, and for that reason I wouldn’t recommend this race- I think something with less of a drop would be less painful overall. Being from Iowa I’m not used to the altitude so that probably had a negative impact on my performance as well. Was shooting for 3:25 ended up with 3:44, most of that due to my own GI problems. Best of luck!
A good race, I did horrible (elevation)
It is a well organized race with a beautiful course. Although the expo is small, they have a very good selection of items. I think I had altitude sickness and … MORE
It is a well organized race with a beautiful course. Although the expo is small, they have a very good selection of items. I think I had altitude sickness and a very hard time keeping the pace. The volunteers were great!!! I wish I prepare better for the high elevations.
Harder Than It Looks
The race is advertised as a great way to PR and/or BQ, but I honestly don't think that's the case. The first half is the downhill portion, cool and dark, … MORE
The race is advertised as a great way to PR and/or BQ, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. The first half is the downhill portion, cool and dark, and has more scenery, while the second half is hilly, hot, and seemed empty.
I paced this race as the 5:00 marathoner, and I’m glad I was fast for the first half. The second half rough, so I used my time to slow down and walk whenever I needed.
The end of the race was so nice! There were chips, oreos, bagels, and drinks (Ex. gatorade, milk, water, beer). There were also tables for massages from PT students, so I took advantaged of that!
Overall this was a great race! Idaho is hard to get to from the east coast, so I doubt I’ll be back to run this again.
Fantastic race
The Pocatello Marathon 2025 was absolutely incredible—beautiful course, smooth organization, and an atmosphere that truly made every runner feel celebrated. From easy packet pickup to perfectly stocked aid stations and … MORE
The Pocatello Marathon 2025 was absolutely incredible—beautiful course, smooth organization, and an atmosphere that truly made every runner feel celebrated. From easy packet pickup to perfectly stocked aid stations and amazing volunteers, everything ran flawlessly. The scenery was breathtaking, the community support was outstanding, and the finish line energy was unforgettable. This race combines small-town hospitality with big-race professionalism, and I can’t recommend it enough—I’ll definitely be back!
Beautiful Small Race
Pretty course that is challenging the second half after the downhill. Small production but well supported. Not a lot of spectators if that’s something you need. You can stay in … MORE
Pretty course that is challenging the second half after the downhill. Small production but well supported. Not a lot of spectators if that’s something you need. You can stay in Lava Hot Springs as an option. Idaho is so pretty!
good little race
good little race - beautiful scenery - flat - no expo - headquarters hotel was a dump - not much swag - bad t-shirt - loved the people and Pocatello! MORE
good little race – beautiful scenery – flat – no expo – headquarters hotel was a dump – not much swag – bad t-shirt – loved the people and Pocatello!
Sunny and straight
The good: * easy logistics from host hotel * easy, short bus ride/bus loading process * bib pick up was easy * swag is nice--high-quality long sleeve tech T, duffle … MORE
The good:
* easy logistics from host hotel
* easy, short bus ride/bus loading process
* bib pick up was easy
* swag is nice–high-quality long sleeve tech T, duffle bag, medal
* 2nd to last water stop doused me with cool water
* small race, most participants quite friendly and willing to chat
* course was quite direct point-to-point, nice downhill for 13 miles.
* wore compression shorts so quads didn’t suffer quite as much as in Revel Mt. Charleston
* Pocatello is super easy to navigate–once you’re there! I flew in to SLC, which was also easy to navigate.
* I love a Saturday race.
Less awesome:
* Back of packers are in a lot of sun/heat at end. I finished in 5:49
* I saw no one from mile 23 to 26, other than water stops–mentally very tough.
* I got terrible sleep for the two nights before the race, which affected my performance.
* Fri before holiday weekend=traffic on I-15.
Rough Day in Idaho
The Pocatello Marathon is a race that I have looked forward to running for quite some time. I have heard a ton of good things about the race and the … MORE
The Pocatello Marathon is a race that I have looked forward to running for quite some time. I have heard a ton of good things about the race and the town of Pocatello and all of the good things turned out to be true. Unfortunately, the few bad things I had heard also turned out to be true. This is a really small race, less than 200 in the full marathon. The race director and volunteers do an awesome job of putting the swag bags together, and the bag itself is really nice with a long sleeve shirt that was a good fit for me. Getting through packet pickup is a breeze and the pasta dinner was pretty good as well. They had a really interesting speaker at the pasta dinner as well which made it a fun evening the night before the race. The race itself started with a short, early morning bus ride from the host hotel to a small red barn located at about 6200′ of elevation. There were plenty of potties at the start line as well as a very interested donkey, horse, and goat who came out to see us off. The first half of the course was fantastic and watching the sun rise at around mile 4 was amazing. There were several really severe downhills in the first half that would take a heavy toll on the quads later in the race. The first half had plenty of mountain scenery to see as we sped downhill, and there were enough twists and turns to keep things plenty interesting. At about mile 14, we turned out of the mountain scenery and onto a highway with one lane coned off for us to run on. The course continued on that highway for the next 10 miles without a single turn. We were completely exposed to the sun with 3 active lanes of fairly continuous traffic from mile 14 until mile 24. The scenery also changed from the beautiful mountain trees to blacktop highway, cars, and industrial areas. The combination of sun, vehicle exhaust, and boredom combined to make the 2nd half a long slog. This was a bad day for me, and I struggled severely through the 2nd half. However, the race itself is extremely well run and the people who run it do an excellent job. I really enjoyed my time in Pocatello and greatly appreciated the effort that is put into this event. I wish the 2nd half had been as interesting as the first, but I should have put more effort into preparing for this course and it would have made my experience much different.
This is a race you don't want to miss!
Ran #PocatelloMarathon today, w some of my fave 50 Staters and #MarathonManiacs. This Race Director & his team put on an Awesome Race. Not too big, scenic, great support, nice … MORE
Ran #PocatelloMarathon today, w some of my fave 50 Staters and #MarathonManiacs. This Race Director & his team put on an Awesome Race. Not too big, scenic, great support, nice weather, unique perks – including a nice shoulder pack & bag of potatoes, great pictures package pricing w pre-pay, very nice post – race meal/Sizzlers, nice age group awards-3 deep, I can’t say enough, state 37 for me, and now one of my top 3 races.
My first BQ!
Starting in the dark, talking to the Boston runner near me, watching the sun rise over the landscape, the uphill turnaround around mile 7, holding true to pace, mile 14 … MORE
Starting in the dark, talking to the Boston runner near me, watching the sun rise over the landscape, the uphill turnaround around mile 7, holding true to pace, mile 14 the women’s winner passed me but I stayed and chatted with her until 17, the self doubt around mile 20, the hill climb as runners were walking, composing myself at mile 23 and knowing I could run ten minute miles and qualify, “BQ coming through, thank you!” the last three miles, the final sprint knowing I would qualify and the euphoria of finishing with “Thank you, Idaho!”