Utah valley marathon I am writing this review because there are a few things I wish I had known going into this Marathon and hopefully I can save someone the … MORE
Utah valley marathon
I am writing this review because there are a few things I wish I had known going into this Marathon and hopefully I can save someone the discomforts I encountered. Firstly it is a gorgeous course, with absolutely stunning views, the natural beauty and awe inspiring vistas just don’t stop.
It starts early, and that took a lot out of me, I got the bus about 3:30 am, but the busses were not school busses like in basically every other marathon I have run including Boston, they were comfortable and the ride was smooth and not overcrowded or cramped, which is a major plus at that early hour.
It was possible to find a place to stay within walking distance of the busses, so it made getting to the bus very easy, which is a first for me, with so many marathons having long uncomfortable chaotic bus rides that this was really the exception.
Here is the one thing I wish I had been better prepared for. The temperature said it would be in the low 50s for the start, so I dressed in warm layers, but when we arrived at the start it felt freezing, you could see everyone’s breath. I have never got to a start so early and they did provide reflective blankets, but because it is dark and there are tall snow covered mountains all around a valley, the freezing air felt like it was drifting down off the icy peaks and collecting in that ice box.
I was upset to see a lot of people go into porta-potties and not come out. There were fires but the smoke was really thick and there were lots of people curled up on the ground in their reflective blankets shivering. It was way colder than any of the weather apps said it would be, and the grass of the field where we were waiting was icy wet. I was wearing some thrift store track pants, a flannel shirt, a large t-shirt over my running gear, and I wrapped myself in a Mylar blanket and I was still very cold.
I would highly recommend that anyone doing this race wear their extra warm thrift store clothes and thick gloves and bring something waterproof to sit on.
I shivered for an hour and a half, and because I had a full view of the porta-potties I was able to see that about half of them had people in them who had arrived early and did not come out until the bag drop off, shortly before the race start, even when there were lines to get into the porta-potties there were people camping out in them, which explains why there were such long slow moving lines.
I happened to bring an N95 mask which really helped because even though I did not sit close to a fire the smoke was everywhere and it was nice to have some way to protect my lungs from breathing in smoke before running a marathon.
The next thing to be aware of is that although the elevation plot makes this look like an all downhill course, IT IS NOT. I had driven the course the day before and I already knew they there were some hills. The first six miles rolls down through farmlands with stunning views and some turns, I find that sharp turns throw me off so it was nice to know that the few turns in the early miles are the only ones on this course.
After mile seven there are about three hills, and I am telling you that you better be ready for those hills because you are running at elevation and I saw a lot of people who were not ready for them.
I was expecting those hills to be hard, and I backed off on my pace and conserved energy, I let the pace group I was running with go off ahead and I ran based on feel and heart rate, the hills lasted for about a mile and half to two miles after which there is some of the most magnificent downhill running I have ever experienced, where I caught up with my pace group and except for the pacer they did not look like they were in good shape.
Because it is a canyon it was cool and shady which really helps, and the vistas are spectacular, words can’t do it justice.
There are a few more uphills between miles ten and twelve which is where I left the 3 hour pace group behind and ran my own race from then on.
I had heard a lot of talk that the last six miles is tough so I really focused on maintaining an even effort. I had a strict nutrition plan which helped me time exactly when to take my gels and I think that really helped.
After mile fourteen the course veered off the main road, down a wide bike path, don’t forget to look up to your left at the waterfall, OMG it is some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever run through. At that point a few of the people I ran with were expressing that their quads were shot from the preceding downhill extravaganza, thankfully I had included some long fast downhills in my training so my main challenge was just feeling fatigued from the lack of sleep during my travel to the Utah and from not having slept much the night before. I had trained to run on tired legs so I was ready for how that felt, and as the bike path narrowed and flatted out I maintained my pace. There were cyclists on that path who did not know that there was a marathon and several seemed annoyed that the runners were not expecting to have to share the narrowing bike path with bikes.
I have not mentioned the hydration stations. I have a pet peeve when water stations at races use children to hand out the water, and I would say that about half of the folks handing out fluids on this course were children, thankfully they had been well supervised, they were well spaced apart, and some knew how to hold cups and some were even wearing gloves.
The only stomach issues I had were right after I had some of the blue Powerade, I usually have no problem with the sports drink, but I had not trained with Powerade, and I was carrying all the race nutrition I needed, so after that I just went for the water, and I was fine. The water stations announced what drink they were handing out and so it was easy to avoid the Powerade after that.
Aside from the folks that the drink stations there was no one cheering on the course until the last five or so miles when I got into the town of Provo.
I am glad I had anticipated the last six miles being tough, because they are a test of even the best training. At that point I was out of the canyon and although the bike path is shady, and cool as it runs along a very scenic river with lots of greenery, the course then merges back onto the road around mile twenty and then I was in full sun, so get ready for that shift, it really feels harder running in the direct sun versus the shade of the mountain valley.
My partner was there for me cheering enthusiastically at around mile 22 and I noticed that I was grimacing and it really helped to have that blast of love and encouragement, I owe my strong finish to that wave of positivity and support my partner gave me.
There is a gradual uphill around mile 24 which tough because I was trying to pick up the pace, and finish fast, but once that hill flattened off, I regained my faster pace, the course was flat and it was great to have increasing numbers of cheers from along the road.
Beware, this part of the race really took some folks out, I saw fast runners who were walking and bathed in sweat. It also makes it harder that I had caught up with the half marathoners many of whom were oblivious that there was a marathon behind them and they were walking shoulder to shoulder blocking the way.
I wish the organizers of the half had told folks to stay left, I brushed shoulders with a half marathoner who was part of a group as I passed them and they apologized for not leaving enough space for me to pass.
I find it gutting to encounter people walking in front of me and having to put mental and physical energy into weaving around them during the toughest miles when I really need to focus, it is a massive stress and if I had not trained to finish fast on all my long runs I might have stopped and walked, because it just felt like there was no awareness of the mental toll it takes on marathoners to see so many half marathoners and 10k people who are socializing in groups, while I was sucking up the pain, pushing harder and transcend all the messages from my body that were telling me that I had nothing left.
I really liked that the finish was visible from quite far away and, unlike in some other marathons it is not around a corner or hidden behind a bend. In the last half mile there was some positive energy from spectators and I was able to finish strong and negative split with a time of 2:55.
They had given us zip ties to close our drop-bags and when I picked up my bag in the finish area, I was unable to remove the zip tie, so I asked if anyone at the bag drop could cut the zip tie so I could get into my drop bag, but none of the folks at the bag pickup had any scissors or any way to cut the zip tie. They sent me to the information booth, but they also did not have any scissors. I waited for a while and limped around asking different vendors if they could help me get into my drop bag. In the end it took 20 minutes of asking around and I went back into the finish shoot and found someone at the medical tent with scissors to cut the zip tie so I could get into my bag which had the comfortable sandals that my feet were crying out for.
I came first in my division so I went to the awards ceremony. I was disappointed that that awards were just these generic metal medals with arbitrary different colors and larger sizes depending on what place you got but they did not identify what place you got on them or even what race you ran, other than “UTAH VALLEY marathon – half – 5k” they had different color and size medals for first, second, third place etc. but none of the medals had meaningful information on them. I really liked the look of the finisher medals that all finishers get, at least they are race specific, my first place medal is huge but it is so generic that it is worthless, I would much rather have had a print out that at least showed what I had accomplished. It was a hard race, I ran it feeling tired and fatigued, but I was lucky to have trained well and have an amazing coach. The natural beauty really was outstanding and for that alone I would recommend this marathon. I think you miss out on a lot of it when you run the half, but for the first four or five miles of the half the scenery is amazing.
The two main things I would be prepared for are: even if the weather at the start area says it will be warm, those mountains are like a fridge, so dress extra warm and bring something waterproof to sit on or your clothes will be soaked through by the damp grass, and bring a mask to protect your lungs from the smokey fires. Prepare for the hills, and conserve energy, especially the hills that start around mile 7, do not underestimate them. Don’t camp out in a porta-potty, dress warm and respect that the porta-potties are for everyone, don’t be selfish! Don’t use the zip ties to close your drop bag, bring a strong rubber band or a pice of string that you can untie. Enjoy the views!
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Long review: All the advice I wish I had
Utah valley marathon I am writing this review because there are a few things I wish I had known going into this Marathon and hopefully I can save someone the … MORE
Utah valley marathon
I am writing this review because there are a few things I wish I had known going into this Marathon and hopefully I can save someone the discomforts I encountered. Firstly it is a gorgeous course, with absolutely stunning views, the natural beauty and awe inspiring vistas just don’t stop. It starts early, and that took a lot out of me, I got the bus about 3:30 am, but the busses were not school busses like in basically every other marathon I have run including Boston, they were comfortable and the ride was smooth and not overcrowded or cramped, which is a major plus at that early hour.
It was possible to find a place to stay within walking distance of the busses, so it made getting to the bus very easy, which is a first for me, with so many marathons having long uncomfortable chaotic bus rides that this was really the exception. Here is the one thing I wish I had been better prepared for. The temperature said it would be in the low 50s for the start, so I dressed in warm layers, but when we arrived at the start it felt freezing, you could see everyone’s breath. I have never got to a start so early and they did provide reflective blankets, but because it is dark and there are tall snow covered mountains all around a valley, the freezing air felt like it was drifting down off the icy peaks and collecting in that ice box.
I was upset to see a lot of people go into porta-potties and not come out. There were fires but the smoke was really thick and there were lots of people curled up on the ground in their reflective blankets shivering. It was way colder than any of the weather apps said it would be, and the grass of the field where we were waiting was icy wet. I was wearing some thrift store track pants, a flannel shirt, a large t-shirt over my running gear, and I wrapped myself in a Mylar blanket and I was still very cold.
I would highly recommend that anyone doing this race wear their extra warm thrift store clothes and thick gloves and bring something waterproof to sit on.
I shivered for an hour and a half, and because I had a full view of the porta-potties I was able to see that about half of them had people in them who had arrived early and did not come out until the bag drop off, shortly before the race start, even when there were lines to get into the porta-potties there were people camping out in them, which explains why there were such long slow moving lines.
I happened to bring an N95 mask which really helped because even though I did not sit close to a fire the smoke was everywhere and it was nice to have some way to protect my lungs from breathing in smoke before running a marathon.
The next thing to be aware of is that although the elevation plot makes this look like an all downhill course, IT IS NOT. I had driven the course the day before and I already knew they there were some hills. The first six miles rolls down through farmlands with stunning views and some turns, I find that sharp turns throw me off so it was nice to know that the few turns in the early miles are the only ones on this course.
After mile seven there are about three hills, and I am telling you that you better be ready for those hills because you are running at elevation and I saw a lot of people who were not ready for them.
I was expecting those hills to be hard, and I backed off on my pace and conserved energy, I let the pace group I was running with go off ahead and I ran based on feel and heart rate, the hills lasted for about a mile and half to two miles after which there is some of the most magnificent downhill running I have ever experienced, where I caught up with my pace group and except for the pacer they did not look like they were in good shape. Because it is a canyon it was cool and shady which really helps, and the vistas are spectacular, words can’t do it justice.
There are a few more uphills between miles ten and twelve which is where I left the 3 hour pace group behind and ran my own race from then on.
I had heard a lot of talk that the last six miles is tough so I really focused on maintaining an even effort. I had a strict nutrition plan which helped me time exactly when to take my gels and I think that really helped. After mile fourteen the course veered off the main road, down a wide bike path, don’t forget to look up to your left at the waterfall, OMG it is some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever run through. At that point a few of the people I ran with were expressing that their quads were shot from the preceding downhill extravaganza, thankfully I had included some long fast downhills in my training so my main challenge was just feeling fatigued from the lack of sleep during my travel to the Utah and from not having slept much the night before. I had trained to run on tired legs so I was ready for how that felt, and as the bike path narrowed and flatted out I maintained my pace. There were cyclists on that path who did not know that there was a marathon and several seemed annoyed that the runners were not expecting to have to share the narrowing bike path with bikes. I have not mentioned the hydration stations. I have a pet peeve when water stations at races use children to hand out the water, and I would say that about half of the folks handing out fluids on this course were children, thankfully they had been well supervised, they were well spaced apart, and some knew how to hold cups and some were even wearing gloves.
The only stomach issues I had were right after I had some of the blue Powerade, I usually have no problem with the sports drink, but I had not trained with Powerade, and I was carrying all the race nutrition I needed, so after that I just went for the water, and I was fine. The water stations announced what drink they were handing out and so it was easy to avoid the Powerade after that.
Aside from the folks that the drink stations there was no one cheering on the course until the last five or so miles when I got into the town of Provo. I am glad I had anticipated the last six miles being tough, because they are a test of even the best training. At that point I was out of the canyon and although the bike path is shady, and cool as it runs along a very scenic river with lots of greenery, the course then merges back onto the road around mile twenty and then I was in full sun, so get ready for that shift, it really feels harder running in the direct sun versus the shade of the mountain valley. My partner was there for me cheering enthusiastically at around mile 22 and I noticed that I was grimacing and it really helped to have that blast of love and encouragement, I owe my strong finish to that wave of positivity and support my partner gave me. There is a gradual uphill around mile 24 which tough because I was trying to pick up the pace, and finish fast, but once that hill flattened off, I regained my faster pace, the course was flat and it was great to have increasing numbers of cheers from along the road. Beware, this part of the race really took some folks out, I saw fast runners who were walking and bathed in sweat. It also makes it harder that I had caught up with the half marathoners many of whom were oblivious that there was a marathon behind them and they were walking shoulder to shoulder blocking the way. I wish the organizers of the half had told folks to stay left, I brushed shoulders with a half marathoner who was part of a group as I passed them and they apologized for not leaving enough space for me to pass. I find it gutting to encounter people walking in front of me and having to put mental and physical energy into weaving around them during the toughest miles when I really need to focus, it is a massive stress and if I had not trained to finish fast on all my long runs I might have stopped and walked, because it just felt like there was no awareness of the mental toll it takes on marathoners to see so many half marathoners and 10k people who are socializing in groups, while I was sucking up the pain, pushing harder and transcend all the messages from my body that were telling me that I had nothing left. I really liked that the finish was visible from quite far away and, unlike in some other marathons it is not around a corner or hidden behind a bend. In the last half mile there was some positive energy from spectators and I was able to finish strong and negative split with a time of 2:55. They had given us zip ties to close our drop-bags and when I picked up my bag in the finish area, I was unable to remove the zip tie, so I asked if anyone at the bag drop could cut the zip tie so I could get into my drop bag, but none of the folks at the bag pickup had any scissors or any way to cut the zip tie. They sent me to the information booth, but they also did not have any scissors. I waited for a while and limped around asking different vendors if they could help me get into my drop bag. In the end it took 20 minutes of asking around and I went back into the finish shoot and found someone at the medical tent with scissors to cut the zip tie so I could get into my bag which had the comfortable sandals that my feet were crying out for.
I came first in my division so I went to the awards ceremony. I was disappointed that that awards were just these generic metal medals with arbitrary different colors and larger sizes depending on what place you got but they did not identify what place you got on them or even what race you ran, other than “UTAH VALLEY marathon – half – 5k” they had different color and size medals for first, second, third place etc. but none of the medals had meaningful information on them. I really liked the look of the finisher medals that all finishers get, at least they are race specific, my first place medal is huge but it is so generic that it is worthless, I would much rather have had a print out that at least showed what I had accomplished. It was a hard race, I ran it feeling tired and fatigued, but I was lucky to have trained well and have an amazing coach. The natural beauty really was outstanding and for that alone I would recommend this marathon. I think you miss out on a lot of it when you run the half, but for the first four or five miles of the half the scenery is amazing. The two main things I would be prepared for are: even if the weather at the start area says it will be warm, those mountains are like a fridge, so dress extra warm and bring something waterproof to sit on or your clothes will be soaked through by the damp grass, and bring a mask to protect your lungs from the smokey fires. Prepare for the hills, and conserve energy, especially the hills that start around mile 7, do not underestimate them. Don’t camp out in a porta-potty, dress warm and respect that the porta-potties are for everyone, don’t be selfish! Don’t use the zip ties to close your drop bag, bring a strong rubber band or a pice of string that you can untie. Enjoy the views!
Best race ever
Best course ever. Scenery through the canyon is amazing. Horses, waterfalls and more. Fast course and easy on the body. Very well organized and managed. Definitely a course I would … MORE
Best course ever. Scenery through the canyon is amazing. Horses, waterfalls and more. Fast course and easy on the body. Very well organized and managed. Definitely a course I would do again and again.
Perfect sloped downhill course
Beautiful fast downhill course. Not quad trash steel, but perfect downhill slope. Incredibly beautiful course along the Provo River. Great communication from race pre race, we’ll organized fun expo. Great … MORE
Beautiful fast downhill course. Not quad trash steel, but perfect downhill slope. Incredibly beautiful course along the Provo River. Great communication from race pre race, we’ll organized fun expo. Great start area aid stations and the best finish area of any race. One of the best run races there is
Beautiful race
This is the most beautiful race in the state of Utah! The race follows a canyon down into Provo, Utah. I love this race, because you follow the river, there … MORE
This is the most beautiful race in the state of Utah! The race follows a canyon down into Provo, Utah. I love this race, because you follow the river, there are some welcomed flat spots and a welcoming finish area.
Was great!!!
Most beautiful scenery ever! The weather has always been perfect. Can’t wait to be a part of this again. The runners and volunteers are so nice. It’s a wonderful race! … MORE
Most beautiful scenery ever! The weather has always been perfect. Can’t wait to be a part of this again. The runners and volunteers are so nice. It’s a wonderful race!
Downhill course
It was not fast for me, but that’s on me. It is probably 90% downhill. There are a couple of long, slow ups about the 8-10 mile section. Scenery is … MORE
It was not fast for me, but that’s on me. It is probably 90% downhill. There are a couple of long, slow ups about the 8-10 mile section. Scenery is nice for the first 20 as you run down the canyon and along the river. The last 6 is in town. Aid stations were about every two miles and were fine. Little spectator support as you are out in the country for the majority of the race. Biggest hassle is being bussed to the start from 3-4am. It is a long cold wait for the 6am start. Probably no other way to do it given the course. Overall, a good race. Worth doing.
Great scenery, poor execution
Let’s start with the good: Great scenic route, mostly downhill, and the weather was good. The town has a cool vibe too. No start corrals, which concerned me at first, … MORE
Let’s start with the good: Great scenic route, mostly downhill, and the weather was good. The town has a cool vibe too.
No start corrals, which concerned me at first, but that actually worked out. Everyone stacked up at the start line according to their expected speed.
Now the bad:
Transportation is only by bus. You arrive early in the department store parking lot and then just sit on the bus for 30 minutes, in the dark, in the heat, wondering why you’re not moving. No announcements, nothing.
They mix distances and that’s where things really get chaotic. I’m running the half marathon and once we get towards the flats, maybe Mile 9ish? I see a horde of people flowing into the road. Our pace? About 6:30/min. The incoming herd? About 9:30/mile.
Aside from trying to avoid collision, the next several miles was full on bobbing and weaving.
Why do small town organizers do this? Seriously, no lane separation using cones for the first half mile ?? No way to start to other slower racers a little later to match pacing??
Bag drop off / pickup…was terrible. It’s not possible to mess up bag pickup, you say. Utah valley says “hold my beer”
There you are, spent from 13 miles and barely able to walk for fear of calves cramping. And you go to the bag pickup area. “Where is my bag?” you ask. The volunteer cheerfully smiles and points to the PILE of bags on the lawn. Piles separated by ranges of numbers. No offer to help search. And the piles aren’t organized in any type of ascending order.
So there you are, bending over, dehydrated , and inspecting every single bags’ ticket to find yours. Of course you had to use the supplied blue bag, so good luck finding a standout in the crowd. After 10 minutes I still couldn’t find mine but did locate a few poorly placed bags and tossed them to the volunteers. “You might want to drop this in the correct pile” . So participant #4195, you’ll never know the time I saved you.
And there I stood, wondering if my bag was also strewn in another pile. 15 minutes later I found my bag. You’ve got to be kidding me.
The medal was weak. Why? They all say Utah Marathon, regardless of distance. But you didn’t run the Full, you say…you ran the half. no they’re all the same medal. What’s the point of that?
Nice people. They mean well. But are not equipped for a seamless experience.
Great Race!! (not all downhill)
I have participated in this race 2x. Once half marathon and once the full distance. This is a fantastic course. The scenery from the start is amazing and the race … MORE
I have participated in this race 2x. Once half marathon and once the full distance. This is a fantastic course. The scenery from the start is amazing and the race is impeccably organized. One thing that freaked me out on my first marathon was the shuttle to the start. I mentally freaked out a bit knowing how far I had to run by driving it first!
The aid stations are great. Fully stocked with tons of volunteers. I love that they had orange slices and a popsicle at near the bottom. Tons of great food at the bottom to help with recovery. I forgot to have some ibuprofen at the bottom and was able to get some from the aid station.
this Race is not all downhill. There is a large elevation drop but there are some hills that will challenge you on the course. Mile 7.4 to 9.2 is either flat or uphill as is mile 15.9 to 16.4. Don’t cheat on your hill work as you prep for this race because you will definitely run uphill for small sections.
Overall this race is great and reasonably priced. Would absolutely do it again!
Scenic Race
Great course, mostly downhill, with a couple of tough climbs. Great support with a tough excessive day with heat. I do recommend as an option for Utah if you are … MORE
Great course, mostly downhill, with a couple of tough climbs. Great support with a tough excessive day with heat. I do recommend as an option for Utah if you are a 50 stater.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WELL RUN ARATHON!!!!!
Having been road racing since 1991 I've been to my share of the good, the bad and the ugly races. Utah Valley Marathon is among the best, and is one … MORE
Having been road racing since 1991 I’ve been to my share of the good, the bad and the ugly races. Utah Valley Marathon is among the best, and is one of my very favorite races. The expo is well organized and smooth. The race shirt is my just plain awesome. The busing to the start was well organized and very smooth. The course is very fast ( if you in your training practice/train on some downhill runs ) and the course is an incredibly scenic race . I love being able to see the Church spire near the finish from a few miles away. The finish was very well supported with plenty of support for those who need a little TLC ( which I’ve seen many other races lack the help for those in crisis). They had plenty of food and a great finish area for the finishers to relish the moment with each other before going to their friends and families. The medals are always great. They had a great live band and vibe at the finish. As tired as I was, I stayed with my family and friends for a few hours after finishing just enjoying the whole atmosphere/experience. Definitely a race I most highly recommend.
Favorite Race all Year
Of the many races I do during the year, the Utah Valley Marathon is my favorite. I have done this race 11 times and will do it again this year. … MORE
Of the many races I do during the year, the Utah Valley Marathon is my favorite. I have done this race 11 times and will do it again this year. Any marathon is challenging, but the beautiful scenery and downhill course make this race a joy to do. The course is always well staffed with many aid stations and friendly people. The finish area is well stocked to help with the race recovery. A great race for all runners.
Super fun race! Love the course.
The course is amazing. I love the scenery while running. The course is well managed. I love the food at the end. Plenty of volunteers at eight stations. The course … MORE
The course is amazing. I love the scenery while running. The course is well managed. I love the food at the end. Plenty of volunteers at eight stations. The course is super awesome downhill I got my PR.
Elevation got me again
Although many would not consider this course difficult due to its downhill nature, if you are not from the area and live at sea level, the altitude will impact your … MORE
Although many would not consider this course difficult due to its downhill nature, if you are not from the area and live at sea level, the altitude will impact your performance. Yes it was also unprecedented heat,but that did not seem bad as the majority was in the shade for me or it seemed that way. Yes my legs were tired but I felt panicky every time I would exert myself so I walked the last 1/5th. The race was organized, expo was nice (nice to finally attend one post covid), and the water stops were appropriate. The views were beautiful. Many complained about the late start, but I didn’t notice. The busing to the start was very organized and they had plenty of port a potties!!💩 if you are a post race party lover type, beware there is not a drop of alcohol to be found, which would be expected to where the race was.
Overall this is a great race, just not that great for me
Great Race and not a downhill
-- Buses are there from 3.15 to 4.15 - get a good sleep and rest before as you cant sleep before race day. - watch out on temperature as that … MORE
— Buses are there from 3.15 to 4.15
– get a good sleep and rest before as you cant sleep before race day.
– watch out on temperature as that will be changer for your race pace and plans.
Started late on a hot day
The weather is out of the race director's control, but starting on time IS. I did what I needed to do by getting on BUS 2 to the start (putting … MORE
The weather is out of the race director’s control, but starting on time IS.
I did what I needed to do by getting on BUS 2 to the start (putting me there at 4:15). Somehow at 5:50 I was not lined up. I listen to and follow directions. There was poor communication to the people standing around in the field at the top of the mountain about how to (and when) to line up. There was a lot of communication about the drop bags (on a hot day, is this necessary?). Knowing how hot it was going to be, and knowing I am a back of the packer, I was frustrated with the fact that we started 20 minutes late. It seemed much more chaotic than other point to point races I have done (OBX, Missoula, Revel Mt Charleston, and Pocatello)–all of which started on time.
The late start came firmly to mind at mile 22.something when we started to enter town. I looked over and saw one of those bank message boards with the time and temperature. 11:08. 92 degrees. Sob. If we had started on time, I would have been there 20 minutes earlier. It would have made a difference–I really only fell apart for about 1-2 miles.
The good news:
* The swag is nice.
* The course was beautiful (equal to Missoula, Mt Charleston) and straight. There were (too) brief parts with shade (tunnel, canyon wall, trees) even at the last 10K.
* The water stops at mile 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and so on were so regular that it really helped mentally somehow. They were all well stocked–important on a hot day. At the end they were giving out handfuls of ice–which I accepted. There was a frozen popsicle at 23. Two misting arches. Bonus residents misting runners, handing out ice cubes.
* The downhill was nice (didn’t feel as crushing as Mt. Charleston–maybe I did a better job pacing?), and my Garmin says 520 feet of gain (not a big deal for me, but I’m from a rolling hills environment).
* The Marriott host hotel was very convenient, as was the convention center for packet pickup.
*Good size race–it felt like a pre-pandemic race! Fun once I got started to mile 22ish. T
Another complaint:
The finish line area was too, too crowded, and corralled in with metal gates. I happened to finish when the kids 1K was finishing. There were TONS of kids/toddlers moving erratically, moms with strollers trying to keep the family together between me (finishing the right chute) and the water table (on the left). It was frustrating. I did get a Jamba Juice cup (frozen and yummy), and was forced around to the moon bounce area before I could maneuver out to cross the course to head back the Marriott host hotel.
Not for a back of the packer
The course has a 6 hr time limit and I thought I would be cutting it close. Halfway thru the race, I began to have back issues and decided to … MORE
The course has a 6 hr time limit and I thought I would be cutting it close. Halfway thru the race, I began to have back issues and decided to walk. My hometown race, Route66 in Tulsa, holds the finish line open until the last person crosses, regardless of time limit. I crossed my fingers and hoped Utah Valley would do that for me. At no point, did any volunteer or safety official tell me that the timing mat would be pulled. I did finish the entire course in over 7.30 hrs. It was over 90 for the final 5 miles. I am proud of myself for not quitting. They gave me my marathon medal and the additional medal for doing both races but no official results. Fortunately the 50 state marathon club allows you to count 2 races like this if you have your bib and finisher medal. Utah is a beautiful state but there are prettier marathon races than this one. Their medals and tech shirt are really nice.
Small Downhill Race, Get Your PR Here
I really really enjoyed this race, it had a lot of unique things that I had not experienced in a race before and of course setting a new half marathon … MORE
I really really enjoyed this race, it had a lot of unique things that I had not experienced in a race before and of course setting a new half marathon PR after more than 4 years since I had set my previous PR leaves you with really good feelings in regards to a race.
I flew in to Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon, got picked up by my cousin at the airport and drove straight to Provo so I could pick up my packet at the EXPO. Plan on at least 45 minutes to an hour to Provo from the airport.
EXPO: The expo was quite small and so was the parking lot associated with it, although parking was free. Packet pick up was quick and easy and had several freebies in the bag. Overall nothing special about the expo other than a few booths but it is a small race so it is about what you would expect.
T-Shirts/SWAG: The T shirt for this race is a little unique, it had bright red sleeves and a black shirt. The Utah Valley logo on the front and giant “Pain You Enjoy” letters on the back. I actually like the shirt in the sense that it stands out from the rest of my race shirts but i definitely heard some complaints that people didn’t care for it. The race medal was really nice, it is a large spinner medal so the outside of the medal is a solid ring with a disc in the middle that can spin. Another unique addition to my collection, the only negative would be that it doesn’t have anywhere to have my name and PR time engraved but I still really like it. Another thing they do that I liked is that the race bib isn’t simply a rectangle. The top of the bib is jagged and has a mountainous design, I have done a few other races that did something unique like this but little touches like this are things that I love about a race.
PARKING/ACCESS: This is a point to point course so you park near the finish and take a bus up to the start in the mountains. Parking was at a shopping mall and more than abundant. The buses were easy to find and had plenty of room although I got there pretty early so there wasn’t much of a line yet. Once on the bus you drive up a highway into the mountains where they drop you off at the start area. There were plenty of outhouses at the start, especially if you kept walking towards the start line from the drop off area and didn’t just stop at the first one you found. One thing to know though is that even during the summer it gets very cold up there at 4:30 am, waiting for the 6am start time. They do however have camp fire barrels set up along the start area to keep warm which I really welcomed. They had a big truck right by the start line to check your bag which really just meant have your bag labeled and throw it in the back of a UPS truck but that did allow you to keep your warm up clothes on until only 10-15 minutes before the race. As for getting back to your car after the race the finish and the parking lot are over a mile apart and while you could walk it they do have buses to get you there which were easy to use.
Course/Aid Stations/Elevation: Aid stations were spaced every 2 miles or so throughout the course and were well stocked with water and electrolytes. Because you are running through a canyon there isn’t much crowd support during the majority of the course until you get near Provo/the finish but you don’t really mind it. The canyon portion of the course is very pretty, there are waterfalls and nice views and while you are running the sun is rising so it only adds to the beauty. As for the elevation I found this to be the easiest elevation race I have ever run. It was almost entirely a very very gentle downhill with only 2 minor uphills. The great part about the downhills was that the gradient was so slight that it helped you keep running fast while never feeling like you were pounding your knees trying to slow yourself down as you would if you were running down a steeper hill. The only reason I didn’t rate this as a 1 star elevation difficulty is that all downhill running can be very hard on your quads. I’m sure the people in the full marathon felt it, I didn’t have any issues during my race but during the next 1-3 days I thought it was weird that my quads were really sore until I realized that the elevation is what did it. I’m sure some people started to feel it during the race which could at least add a little difficulty. This race is made for you to PR and I managed to finish in 1:29:56 for a PR, finally breaking 1:30.
Race Management: I really enjoyed the execution of this race. Busing to the start was smooth, fires and plenty of bathrooms at the start was great. They have a beautiful downtown finish location by the courthouse after you pass by BYU (the edge of campus so unless you know its there you wouldn’t assume it was a university you were passing). They have several other nice touches like a PR gong which you can ring, you tube videos of the finish so that you can see how you finished, and FREE pictures. They had finish time printouts which you could get to show your results.They also had lots of free food at the finish including Popsicles and cinnabon. The bag pickup area is a little concerning because they just lay everyone’s bags out and you just grab yours with no real security but it didn’t seem to be an issue.
I do want so give one final shout out to the race management for going above and beyond for me. For the first time in my life I placed in my age group at a race but I didn’t realize that they gave awards out all the way to 5th in your age group instead of 3rd so after my wife finished we went home. I later realized that if I had waited around for 15 more minutes I would have received by age group award but by that time I had already flown home to Washington state, after several emails I was able to get a hold of the race director who I offered to send money to in order to ship me my plaque. They said they would figure something out and then shipped it to me for free. I know it only cost them a few dollars but it did take their time and it was just a really nice gesture on their part which I appreciate. I have my eye on this race for future years when I might try to get my full marathon BQ here.
Destination Utah
This race has a sunrise start in the mountains, meaning a super-early arrival at the boarding zone for the shuttles. Plan accordingly for the cold morning, but realize it will … MORE
This race has a sunrise start in the mountains, meaning a super-early arrival at the boarding zone for the shuttles. Plan accordingly for the cold morning, but realize it will be hot at the end of the race down in the valley (there was about a 45 degree difference). I was glad a booth at the expo gave away space blankets which I had brought with me to the waiting area. There were campfire pits where the runners could huddle around to stay warm.
The scenery is something else. The first 20 miles are all coming down the mountain, and the final 10K is through the urban sprawl around BYU. Aid stations were set up every couple miles, pretty much at every other mile marker, so it was easy to know when to expect water. The course is pretty much all downhill, so I elected to restrain my pace. I wasn’t able to ring the BQ or PR gong at the end, but I did complete my first a negative split marathon. If you do qualify for Boston, the race gives you another t-shirt celebrating this achievement. In the week leading up to the race, I sustained a strain on my knee. I feel fortunate I was able to complete this event without being 100%. After the race, the massage tents were worth the wait!
Beautiful Downhill Race + Cool Weather
The race starts early in the morning. Be prepared for cold weather because the start is higher in elevation than the finish. The course is mostly downhill with a few … MORE
The race starts early in the morning. Be prepared for cold weather because the start is higher in elevation than the finish. The course is mostly downhill with a few moderate climbs. The medal was nice and they included a light jacket for their 10th anniversary. Aid stations every 2 miles a big plus.
Utah valley marathon is the best
I have run the Utah valley marathon seven times and have my personal best (2:58) on the course. The race is well organized, and the swag is better than most. … MORE
I have run the Utah valley marathon seven times and have my personal best (2:58) on the course. The race is well organized, and the swag is better than most. I will be coming back to this race again and again.