Gorgeous marathon settings seem to be a Utah standard, the Sand Hollow marathon is a really fun small town race that was a joy to run and delivers on scenery … MORE
Gorgeous marathon settings seem to be a Utah standard, the Sand Hollow marathon is a really fun small town race that was a joy to run and delivers on scenery and rural settings. This year the marathon course was doing the half marathon course twice, road construction closed the regular course. It starts in the old town section of Hurricane at the charming community center – a square block of a small museum, park, playground and 50s era grade school turned into a well maintained community rec building. The course heads south out of town thru quiet neighborhoods into farm land, and then turns east against dramatic buttes rising above the fields. The north view on the way back is of the mountains that lead into the southern entrance of Zion National Park, more “jaw dropping” scenery (as the race website says). I was happy to run the same route twice with surroundings like that. The roads are open but traffic was sparse even into late morning, it all worked.
The original date was early March but was pushed back to June 5 this year from Covid concerns – no snow in the background peaks in photos this year. More water stations were added, they seemed like a sufficient number to me. There is very little shade and the sun rises over the buttes early, blacktop is warm, and there was a record high the day before the race, so it was warm, 95 in town by mid morning and probably warmer out on the course. But that should not be an issue in the future when it is back in March. I was pleased with my time since heat really slows me down. The scenery and setting really did make the heat much more bearable. It was so nice to sit on the lawn in the shade of trees at the finish line and drink a couple cold bottles of water.
The swag is probably going to be my all time favorite – an image of a running Kokopelli in minimalist shoes. He is on the medal and tech shirt. Could be my next tattoo. Your race results are handed to you in what seemed like under a minute at the finish, overall results are taking longer to post but again, this is a small town race with a few people working hard to get it done, I am sure they will be there with all the past results soon. My watch had a 1,040 ft elevation gain, that all seemed to be in the mile and a half leading up to the turn around point, so 520 feet twice was not that steep or bad.
I was very glad to be one of the people running the marathon, I had been looking forward to this since November and it definitely delivered.
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Small town Utah race that holds its own
Gorgeous marathon settings seem to be a Utah standard, the Sand Hollow marathon is a really fun small town race that was a joy to run and delivers on scenery … MORE
Gorgeous marathon settings seem to be a Utah standard, the Sand Hollow marathon is a really fun small town race that was a joy to run and delivers on scenery and rural settings. This year the marathon course was doing the half marathon course twice, road construction closed the regular course. It starts in the old town section of Hurricane at the charming community center – a square block of a small museum, park, playground and 50s era grade school turned into a well maintained community rec building. The course heads south out of town thru quiet neighborhoods into farm land, and then turns east against dramatic buttes rising above the fields. The north view on the way back is of the mountains that lead into the southern entrance of Zion National Park, more “jaw dropping” scenery (as the race website says). I was happy to run the same route twice with surroundings like that. The roads are open but traffic was sparse even into late morning, it all worked.
The original date was early March but was pushed back to June 5 this year from Covid concerns – no snow in the background peaks in photos this year. More water stations were added, they seemed like a sufficient number to me. There is very little shade and the sun rises over the buttes early, blacktop is warm, and there was a record high the day before the race, so it was warm, 95 in town by mid morning and probably warmer out on the course. But that should not be an issue in the future when it is back in March. I was pleased with my time since heat really slows me down. The scenery and setting really did make the heat much more bearable. It was so nice to sit on the lawn in the shade of trees at the finish line and drink a couple cold bottles of water.
The swag is probably going to be my all time favorite – an image of a running Kokopelli in minimalist shoes. He is on the medal and tech shirt. Could be my next tattoo. Your race results are handed to you in what seemed like under a minute at the finish, overall results are taking longer to post but again, this is a small town race with a few people working hard to get it done, I am sure they will be there with all the past results soon. My watch had a 1,040 ft elevation gain, that all seemed to be in the mile and a half leading up to the turn around point, so 520 feet twice was not that steep or bad.
I was very glad to be one of the people running the marathon, I had been looking forward to this since November and it definitely delivered.
Beautiful Scenery!
This was a good race, the scenery was just beautiful, snow capped mountains in the background, I wanted to take a million photos but decided to just run. MORE
This was a good race, the scenery was just beautiful, snow capped mountains in the background, I wanted to take a million photos but decided to just run.
Fantastic small-town race
This race is small enough and the race director cares enough that I felt like I got personalized service throughout the whole race, from registration to finish line food! Months … MORE
This race is small enough and the race director cares enough that I felt like I got personalized service throughout the whole race, from registration to finish line food! Months before the race the race director sent out emails to all the runners asking whether they preferred getting a shirt, or something else like a hat. He asked for color preferences, aid station favorites, and finish line food requests! He responded personally to emails and spoke with every runner after they crossed the finish line! There were free massages and about 10 different kinds of pizza to choose from after finishing! There was tons of food, including soft drinks, M&M’s, and some of the more typical finish-line food. The halfway point aid station had a grill and they were cooking bacon and steak-bites for the runners! The course was out & back and the start/finish was at a school that was open for the runners to stay warm in and use the facilities before the race and eat in after the race. The course was so scenic I didn’t even turn on my music until the final miles. There is one very large hill in this race, but other than that the course was pretty flat.
Great little small town race
I ran this years race as my 45th state. I stayed at the new Wingate hotel. 10 minute walk from the start/finish. Packet Pickup is easy - quick in/out no … MORE
I ran this years race as my 45th state.
I stayed at the new Wingate hotel. 10 minute walk from the start/finish.
Packet Pickup is easy – quick in/out no frills. The volunteers were eager and helpful.
The race started & finished at the community center (Packet pickup location). It was an easy walk from the hotel. Looked like adequate parking was available. The start was very low key. As in – no microphone. The Mayor started the race by saying “everyone ready?… 3-2-1 go. A microphone/speaker would have been very helpful.
The course was beautiful. It was an out & back with plenty of support. There’s one significant hill at about mile 6-8. (And again on the way back.) A bit lonely at the end (only 85 marathoners), but nice views of the mountains and of Sand Hollow state park.
The finish was pretty much like the start. Super low key and quick. I did get a cool printout of my time almost immediately. Only 1st in age groups got awards (I was 3rd). That’s typical for smaller races though. Food was sufficient at the end.
One negative: The website was a bit lacking. Lots of emails were sent out with information. The site doesn’t have the time listed and information is kind of scattered. An update would be ideal.
Other than that I really enjoyed this race. I would do it again for sure.