There will not be a Yellowstone event in 2019. This race will be in its ‘off-year’ as we have introduced a new rotating race schedule. The next time the event will be held in West Yellowstone will be in June 2020. However, good things come to those who wait! —- …
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There will not be a Yellowstone event in 2019. This race will be in its ‘off-year’ as we have introduced a new rotating race schedule. The next time the event will be held in West Yellowstone will be in June 2020. However, good things come to those who wait!
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The Yellowstone Half Marathon will start and end at the Old Airport on the west edge of West Yellowstone. There is a ton of parking there and it is easy walking distance from many hotels on the south side of town. The race takes place on a dirt road and trail in Gallatin National Forest immediately southwest of West Yellowstone, MT. The course starts flat but has a major and a minor hill that you need to train for. The best part of the course is that you will be less than a mile from the west park entrance. That is 32 miles from Old Faithful and 24 miles from the Grand Prismatic Spring.
This event is produced by Vacation Races and is part of the National Park Half Marathon Series. Along with the Half Marathon, there is a 5K on Friday night after the expo.
If you find yourself up for a bigger challenge, consider signing up for one of our double or triple events.
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Well Worth It a Second Time!
I'd run this race every year if I could! Vacation Races does a great job with communication, organization, and choosing locations that are breathtakingly beautiful. The campground expo was fun … MORE
I’d run this race every year if I could! Vacation Races does a great job with communication, organization, and choosing locations that are breathtakingly beautiful. The campground expo was fun and the NPS Centennial medal was really cool – a nice addition to my medal collection.
Simply wonderful!
My first half marathon and wonderful in every way! So well-organized, helpful staff (before, during and after the race), amazing scenery, great swag - loved everything about this race. MORE
My first half marathon and wonderful in every way! So well-organized, helpful staff (before, during and after the race), amazing scenery, great swag – loved everything about this race.
Fast, just be ready for the mosquitoes!
We did this the week after the Grand Teton Half, and the elevation was more of a factor. the race starts at almost 6,700 ft. you also really have to … MORE
We did this the week after the Grand Teton Half, and the elevation was more of a factor. the race starts at almost 6,700 ft. you also really have to be ready for mosquitoes, at the 7:00 PM start time, they were legion and voracious! That being said, Vacation Races does a wonderful job, and provided multiple tables of off spray for those who didn’t prepare. The race starts off on city streets, and the first kilometer is the fastest. it transitions into a trail with dirt and gravel with some single track, but still dead flat. The altitude got to me, and I walked the aid station and 2 more times to catch my breath! I was able to hold on to 1st in age group, mostly by starting out at a 20 min pace. (3:57 leadoff Km)
All Trail
This race offers a challenge medal if you do the 5k and the 1/2 the next day. The 5k is all trail so be prepared for narrow lanes and trail … MORE
This race offers a challenge medal if you do the 5k and the 1/2 the next day. The 5k is all trail so be prepared for narrow lanes and trail conditions. I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who has never run on trail before. This is held in the evening so be sure to put some bug spray on!
TRAIL AND HILLS!
Great race put on by Vacation Races. This race offers a few different challenges so be sure to check them out and get the most bling possible! This race is … MORE
Great race put on by Vacation Races. This race offers a few different challenges so be sure to check them out and get the most bling possible! This race is also a no cup race. So there are no cups provided at the water stations. Be prepared. There are also lots of hills and the majority of this race is trail. I would recommend training for this course. It has a generous 4 hour limit.
Tough trial race
You will not PR in this race. This is a true trail race with one significant hill and a very rocky course. On the other hand, it was very scenic … MORE
You will not PR in this race. This is a true trail race with one significant hill and a very rocky course. On the other hand, it was very scenic and well organized. The swag was very nice and it was very easy to get a “Bison Double” medal by running the 5K the night before.
Running with the Buffalo
First and foremost, I would HIGHLY recommend trail shoes for all participants. The terrain is rocky, uneven, and unforgiving. Also, hill training is a must! There is a 2 mile … MORE
First and foremost, I would HIGHLY recommend trail shoes for all participants. The terrain is rocky, uneven, and unforgiving. Also, hill training is a must! There is a 2 mile stretch starting at mile 5 that is not for the faint of heart. And another steretch around mile 9. But it is completely worth it!! It is an experience unlike any other. They do a fantastic job with the organization of the race. These races are “cup-less” and they offer refillable pouches to all participants. However, I’d recommend bringing your own hydration system to simply matters. You can’t put a price tag on the memories you’ll make while you’re surrounded by the wonders of Yellowstone National Park.
Fun 5K
This was a very flat fun course to do the night before the Half Marathon. It was very wet and rainy however Vacation Races kept it fun as we got … MORE
This was a very flat fun course to do the night before the Half Marathon. It was very wet and rainy however Vacation Races kept it fun as we got poured on at the starting line. Only sad thing was our metals were not at the finish line, however they are sending them and gave us a coupon for $50 off a race, I call that good customer service. Overall a must do if your doing the half marathon.
A Must Do Tougher Course
Going into this race it looked like it would be a piece of cake to run. It looked flat from the elevation chart and in a big loop; I figured … MORE
Going into this race it looked like it would be a piece of cake to run. It looked flat from the elevation chart and in a big loop; I figured I would get my best half marathon time. This is not the case, the elevation was a killer, half of the race is trail running and the uphill seemed like forever. Between the altitude and the hills a lot of runners were walking up some of the hills. It had also raining all night and you had to dodge puddles during the whole course (literally sometimes going off the trial onto the hill). The course goes though town and than off in dense forest, once you get to around 8 miles you run along a river and it really is beautiful and you feel like you are running though Yellowstone Park. The volunteers on the race course and race staff were amazing with plenty of water and restroom stations. My favorite part of the race is 12 miles of this race is out in the back country and besides the runners you are the only ones out there. This turned out to be a really fun race in the end. Make sure to plan this race with the Tetons Half which is the weekend before
Rough
This was my second Half Marsthon with Vacation Races. I ran the Rocky Mountain half last year and had an incredible experience. At no fault to Vacation Races, the weather … MORE
This was my second Half Marsthon with Vacation Races. I ran the Rocky Mountain half last year and had an incredible experience.
At no fault to Vacation Races, the weather was terrible. A group of my friends participated in the Bison Double. We had a child in our group who ran her first 5k.
It was raining and cold when we ran. The weather is unpredictable at Yellowstone. We were in shorts the day before! The scenery was beautiful. Although it is not in the park and mostly all you see is trees, I still appreciated the forest and trails.
When we finished, we were looking for our medals. Mostly, we wanted the 9 year old with us to have hers. She worked so hard and we kept pushing her through by saying, the medal is waiting on you at the end. We talked to someone with the race who told us they were lost on a truck, trying to get here and hopefully would be there in the morning. We were ok with that. Apparently, an email was sent out prior to the race, but we had no service while in the area.
The next morning, the weather conditions were slightly better. I’m pretty good with running in the cold.
The half marathon was legit trails and pretty tough. It is very hard to pass people for several miles. There just isn’t any good way to do so without breaking an ankle. I also hurt in areas that I’ve never hurt, due to the twisting and jumping of rocks. I knew this going into the race.
My finish time was the slowest I’ve ever run. I didn’t let that get me down though, as our entire group added 15 minutes to their finish times as well.
We still did not have our 5k medals or our Bison Double medals. Again, let down a little. I never heard an announcement, but from the mouths of other runners we were told there was an issue with the order. Two completely different stories, but ok.
A few days later, I had an email from the race saying we would be credited $100 for future races bc of the mishap and a promise to ship our medals. That does help and I will run with this series again.
My only problem is the lack of communication. I have yet to hear the status of our medals and it’s been two weeks. I check Facebook daily and the visitors have asked, but have yet to get an answer. It’s a pretty big blow for both the Race Series and the runners when their is so much emphasis on “swag”.
My other input is the merchandise. I found multiple things I wanted and searched for 15 minutes for a medium size. When I picked the hat option on my Bison Double swag, at the time it had displayed the brown hat with all the national parks. This isn’t the hat I got, so I asked if I could switch to a shirt and was told I could tomorrow. I understand after my friend didn’t get the size she needed for her Bison Double shirt. They were out of merchandise sizes by the time we arrived at 2:30 pm.
Overall, I still love the idea of this series and will do it again. I’m only offering my own experience and what I hope is seen as constructive criticism.
Great trail half marathon
Be ready for the course. This is a true trail run and 6600 ft. of elevation is no joke. I had to work really hard to run pretty slow. Decide … MORE
Be ready for the course. This is a true trail run and 6600 ft. of elevation is no joke. I had to work really hard to run pretty slow. Decide before you start if you are running to compete/PR or just to finish and enjoy scenery. Highly recommend this race. So much fun
Great excuse to visit Yellowstone
I have done several of the Vacation Race series and this was the best of them. The half marathon is a large loop and so there is no reliance on … MORE
I have done several of the Vacation Race series and this was the best of them. The half marathon is a large loop and so there is no reliance on shuttles (which seems to be a HUGE downfall for this series). This half is all trail, some minor hills, beautiful wooded area with the trail running beside the river at times. Easy and well organized packet pick up and start line. The only negative was some very grumpy and rude volunteers. The expo had a handful of vendors with some give aways. ( managed to win stuff from 2 or 3 vendors! There is a photo package that you can purchase before the race but that was not worth the money. Very few pictures were taken. The finish line picture is free and was the only good picture. The best thing about this race is that it got me to finally visit this beautiful part of our country. I spent a week hiking Yellowstone – fabulous. Medals for this series are very nice – if you do the challenges then the combo medals are amazing.
Be prepared for a trail race
I participated as part of the Caldera Challenge event, so I also ran the 5K. The courses for both the 5K and the half were beautiful. I did, however, find … MORE
I participated as part of the Caldera Challenge event, so I also ran the 5K. The courses for both the 5K and the half were beautiful. I did, however, find them challenging as they seemed to me to be pretty technical trails. I am not used to running trails, though, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I was most impressed with the volunteers who worked waaaay out in the middle of nowhere to support the runners in this race. As always, Vacation Races put on an amazing event. I have run several of their races and they never let me down. I particularly appreciate the organization of the event!
Great Race Series!!
I love these guys. Ran 2 of their races last year. Yellowstone was tough!!! It is a trail race!!!!! Steep up and steep down. Gorgeous scenery if you can take … MORE
I love these guys. Ran 2 of their races last year. Yellowstone was tough!!! It is a trail race!!!!! Steep up and steep down. Gorgeous scenery if you can take your eyes off the course long enough to look around. Smores at the finish line are a bonus 🙂 Great bling too! Looking forward to doing The Everglades next.
Amazingly beautiful trail run!
This was my first trail running race so I was pretty nervous. Vacation Races did a great job organizing and helping everyone feel comfortable by providing bear and trail safety … MORE
This was my first trail running race so I was pretty nervous. Vacation Races did a great job organizing and helping everyone feel comfortable by providing bear and trail safety information at the expo. The morning was pretty cold so VR made sure there was a drop container 3 miles into the half. We were warmed up by then and it was great not to have to carry the extra gear. One example as to why I love VR. They are always well organized and runner friendly first. The swag bag was great and medals huge but their sweatshirt designs were out of this world. Coolest race gear ever! I signed up for the next years grizzly race (Yellowstone and Grand Teton) but had conflict and they completely refunded my Yellowstone fee. Top notch race director and staff! I would love to run in all the VR national park races!
Great race
I thought the race was great. My only suggestion is to do a better job on the course description. I felt the course was a lot more difficult that the … MORE
I thought the race was great. My only suggestion is to do a better job on the course description. I felt the course was a lot more difficult that the description indicated.
Vacation Race in a beautiful place!
Yellowstone is a spectacular National Park. This is a trail race, but not too technical. Scenery along the route is beautiful. Depending on the weather, you may have to splash … MORE
Yellowstone is a spectacular National Park. This is a trail race, but not too technical. Scenery along the route is beautiful. Depending on the weather, you may have to splash through a bit of mud. The race is well organized. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Volunteering earns you a 50% discount for a future race.
Great time great location!
Raced with my son one of the best races we've ever been to had a ball looking around town and going to the park would recommend this for anyone that … MORE
Raced with my son one of the best races we’ve ever been to had a ball looking around town and going to the park would recommend this for anyone that wants to run with their family and turned into a family vacation
Great time great location!
This was a great race to participate in great first trail run I've never run Trails before. love to the footing love the scenery! If you've never been run trail … MORE
This was a great race to participate in great first trail run I’ve never run Trails before. love to the footing love the scenery! If you’ve never been run trail run best race to start on. I did this one as part of my training for a 32 mile ultra and will be attending it again in 2017. My family came with me and did the 5k the day before. All in all you can’t find a prettier run for the family.
My favorite course so far!
Vacation Races does an awesome job of running their races from registration to the finish. This is a beautiful course with an awesome and difficult climb. They are always helpful … MORE
Vacation Races does an awesome job of running their races from registration to the finish. This is a beautiful course with an awesome and difficult climb. They are always helpful and personable. Enjoy volunteering in the expo booths and meeting fellow racers.