You, your friends, and family are invited to the Timpanogos Half! Come run the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, or Kid’s 1/2 Mile and enjoy the sights of the beautiful American Fork Canyon. This course is beautiful, fast, and fun! While running down the canyon you will experience the cool mountain …
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You, your friends, and family are invited to the Timpanogos Half! Come run the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, or Kid’s 1/2 Mile and enjoy the sights of the beautiful American Fork Canyon. This course is beautiful, fast, and fun! While running down the canyon you will experience the cool mountain air as the natural beauty of the canyon surrounds you. The Timp Half is perfect for the amateur and experienced runners.
Run for a cause: $5 from each registration will be donated towards Cancer Research
About American Fork Canyon
Martin Hansen was following mountain lion tracks when he discovered Hansen Cave in 1887. Hansen Cave along with two other caves discovered later make up Timpanogos Cave.
In upper American Fork Canyon (Dutchman Flats) lies the remnants of Forest City, a silver mining town that operated from 1871 to 1880. At it’s peak Forest City had around 2,000 inhabitants, a school, a dairy farm, a sawmill, two general stores, hotels, and a saloon. American Fork Railroad had tracks up the canyon to Tibblefork reservoir but couldn’t make it the additional four miles due to the steep terrain.
Utah hosts a huge population of Mountain Lions. They prefer being quiet and shy and are extremely good at hiding. Their soft, oversized footpads and retractable claws allow them to melt through the backcountry with hardly a whisper. Tree cover, rocky outcroppings, boulder fields, and caves make for a mountain lion’s paradise. Timpanogos hosts one of the largest mountain goat poplulations in Utah.
Mountain Goats occupy the highest alpine environments spending most of their time above 9,000 feet. They are not native to Utah and were first introduced in 1967.
American Fork Canyon is internationally renowned for some of the best sport rock climbing on the planet. It has over 250 bolted routes. Its pocket limestone is the perfect texture for rock climbing enthusiasts.
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Beautiful and fun
It is a beautiful race. You get to start at the reservoir. Before the race, they sing the national anthem. They have a moment of silence to honor those who … MORE
It is a beautiful race. You get to start at the reservoir. Before the race, they sing the national anthem. They have a moment of silence to honor those who are affected by cancer.
Scenic downhill race
Beautiful fast course. This is small to mid race (about 1300 runners in 2024). Downhill for the first 7 miles, then rolling with an overall downgrade to the end. Buses … MORE
Beautiful fast course. This is small to mid race (about 1300 runners in 2024). Downhill for the first 7 miles, then rolling with an overall downgrade to the end. Buses take you from the finish to the start. Very early start with buses before 4:45 AM for start at 6 AM, but you’ll appreciate it. It gets warm very fast once the Sun is out. Shaded most of the way, but from mile 11 to 12 is out in the open, and you can feel the heat. Excellent volunteer support. They have the best shirt design of any race I’ve been. Highly recommend it !!
Must-do for those within an hour drive
I’ve been doing several races including several half marathons so I’ve had to drop out of one or two as well from overdoing it recently. I’ve got to prioritize doing … MORE
I’ve been doing several races including several half marathons so I’ve had to drop out of one or two as well from overdoing it recently. I’ve got to prioritize doing the races that I think I’ll like the best. So glad I went to this one. If you like downhill scenic courses like me you’ll love this. The scenery is great. Maybe not the absolute best available scenery because Utah has multiple beautiful canyon runs. This one certainly has those great mountain views you’d expect and it has an especially nice stream running along the road for several miles. What sets this one apart is that the second half outside the canyon remains mostly gradual downhill and is still a pretty run. Other similar races often have you doing your last few miles on boring city streets in the sun which tends to add to your exhaustion toward the end of a race. Not this one.
In my experience there are things that can always be a little better with runs out on by any running events company. The same is true here. Bathroom lines are always long at the start. Bus lines are always long at the end of the bussing period. One review says it is cold at the start but I found it comfortable compared to other Utah canyon runs. A sweatshirt was plenty to stay warm which I wore for the first 2-3 miles and left as a donation. Runtastic does a great job especially for a local (as opposed to national) company. It is impressive. Sure, I’d love a free protein bar in my swag bag, but protein powder in the bags was a cool bonus this year. I’m tired of races always having Gu gels which doesn’t sit well for me, but I bring my own so it is fine.
As others mentioned the community support is good. They do chalk on the path too which is fun to look at and I tapped at least 3 Mario power up mushroom signs for a burst of energy. God bless those suffering from cancer.
Always love this one
Timp was moved to June this year, flip flopping with Heber Half. That meant that the start time was a little earlier and the sunrise was a little earlier (read: … MORE
Timp was moved to June this year, flip flopping with Heber Half. That meant that the start time was a little earlier and the sunrise was a little earlier (read: hotter by finish). Love this course, one of my all time favorite Runtastics with amazing scenery down from the reservoir. Because of how wet the winter was there was epic creek flow still and lush greenery. Runtastic always has great shirts (insider tip: go at least 1, if not 2 sizes bigger than you think you are, they run hella small) and cool things in the bag (tattoos, decals, stickers). Finish festival is good but again, you are parking in the dark of night, you will NEVER find your car in this huge lot if you don’t drop a pin. Nothing looks the same, it’s a symmetric park with parking in every possible direction and where the buses pick up is not where the finish line is. You will definitely regret wandering around looking for your car at the end of a quad trashing course.
Fast course, great finish line
In 16 years of running races in Utah I had never run this one until this year. For some reason it never fit in my calendar. This year I decided … MORE
In 16 years of running races in Utah I had never run this one until this year. For some reason it never fit in my calendar. This year I decided to attempt a Fall BQ to get back to Boston in 2024 and chose Timp as my first Half to get me going on that effort.
The race is very well organized. The SWAG was also pretty good. Very nice shirt, nice and big finisher’s medal and nice medals for AG awards. The finish line was also very loud, well supported and with lots of food options. They also had lots of photo opportunities for finishers and families, which was fun.
My only complaint is that it was very cold at the start and it would be nice if they had fires going, or heaters, or space blankets to help with the cold. They did have tons of port-a-potties at the start, which was nice. The race started on time and was well supported with well-stocked aid stations.
The course is mostly steep downhill and one has to be ready to take a beating on the quads. However, if one can handle the grade the reward is fast times. The course does have an out and back at mile 8 it but it only requires you to run about a quarter of a mile uphill before you go on a trail and continue on to a rolling bike path that keeps moving downhill. The course is well-measured and exactly 13.1 miles.
There was good crowd support after mile 8 and the finish line is very well attended and very fun. The race is also a fundraiser for Cancer Research and many of the activities center around that, which makes running this race even more meaningful.
I strongly recommend this race. If you are looking for a PR, great scenery, running for a cause, a well supported course or all of the above, this is the half marathon for you.
I can't get enough Timp!
This was my second year running this race, and I even though it requires getting up crazy early, I look forward to doing it again next year. The organization is … MORE
This was my second year running this race, and I even though it requires getting up crazy early, I look forward to doing it again next year. The organization is spot-on, the course is stunning, and the cause is near and dear to my heart. Be prepared to get emotional during the moment of silence at the start line, and throughout the last mile of the course, which is the memory mile. This is hands down my favorite race each year, regardless of how many I run!
Beautiful and in support of a great caus
The medal was a little gaudy for me, too big. Beautiful scenery and a paved run. The run was to support cancer research so it was a great cause. Great … MORE
The medal was a little gaudy for me, too big. Beautiful scenery and a paved run. The run was to support cancer research so it was a great cause. Great packet swag.
Phenomenal views
As a local, it's really surprising it took me 9 years to run this. Now, to be fair, if you live in SLC and you have to be on a … MORE
As a local, it’s really surprising it took me 9 years to run this. Now, to be fair, if you live in SLC and you have to be on a bus in American Fork between 4 and 5 in the morning, that’s harsh. I was a wuss and stayed in a hotel down in Lehi to make the morning drive only 15min and it was worth every penny.
The buses leave from a park (hint, drop a pin on google or you will never find your car given you are arriving in pitch dark and the finish is a way from the parking, you’ll be completely turned around to find it after) and take you up the American Fork Canyon. I had never been up there and going up in the dark kept it a surprise for the run down. At the top, be smart and realize there a couple of different pit toilets available so don’t stand in line forever at the portalets. There is a guitarist who apparently doesn’t mind early morning gigs. They have a minute of silence where you use your flashlight (from the swag bag) as a remembrance of those who have died from cancer.
The start unfortunately was a little chaotic. I do not understand people who do not understand how to queue up. You are a hazard to others and in danger yourself when you are slow or a walker and try to start with the sub 8min crowd. The first 8ish miles are in the canyon and it is staggeringly beautiful. The cliffs soar above the road, right up next to it. There is a creek running down the side of the road (we still have a LITTLE water out here…not much). In addition to portalets at aid stations, there are also pit toilets along the way at campsites or picnic sites. If you can bob and weave around the crowd and find a gap, you can run and look at the amazing rocks all around you. It was hard to maintain a tangent because the cant of the road was very exaggerated in places making it almost painful to run the best path and you’d be forced up or down the lane to find a more flat surface. There were definitely some steep downhills that you need to know how to handle (if you are a flatlander, find a hill to practice on. Fighting grades this steep will TRASH your legs. If you work WITH the hill, it will boost your split and you won’t be dying tomorrow. As you leave the canyon, you have to do a U turn and head straight back towards the canyon where there are down canyon winds, right in your face, as you are now heading up hill. That was a bit harsh…this is also when you meet up with the 10K crowd, who unfortunately were running 2-4 abreast (or walking) and did not understand yielding. You then enter the golf course and it becomes hilly. As you move through the golf course (dodging walkers with headphones), you eventually come out and jump on a bike path. They had a mist station which was nice…and then…the impact sprinklers that someone had on. This was welcome because it was getting hot and you were working hard but wow, it was a lot of water and for at least 0.1-0.2 miles so you will get thoroughly soaked. I looked like I jumped in a pool! Leaving the bike path, you’re nearly down as you round a farm and run through a neighborhood and finally come up on the park where the finish is. The sun never really broke over the mountain till nearly the end which was a welcome relief because it was only when the sun came up that the heat started kicking up.
The finish line was a little skimpy on food, only half bananas, cuties, granola bars and water. The medal was incredible (all Runtastic medals are!). The swag included a really nice shirt with a great design, a string bag and some fun stickers and tattoos.
I always love Runtastic productions and would definitely do this one again. If you do 3 Runtastics in a year, you get a trilogy award that a medallion from your medal goes on. Definitely check this one out!
You've Got To Try This!
This race was AMAZING! In all 20 + half's around the USA that I have run so far this is at the TOP! The scenery is so beautiful, the town … MORE
This race was AMAZING! In all 20 + half’s around the USA that I have run so far this is at the TOP! The scenery is so beautiful, the town is great, the downhill is good – its a gradual downhill so that the impact on your knees is not so harsh. I was concerned about the early start time but it was so worth it. I am so thankful to have run this race!
Run for the scenery!
For more details about packet pickup, race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of the race, visit https://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps. MORE
For more details about packet pickup, race shirts, finisher medals, post-race party, accommodations, places to eat, and photos of the race, visit https://www.serialrunner.com/half-marathon-race-recaps.