Lindsay Fillerup's Staging Area

The volunteers were the best part of this race- they were amazing! In the later miles when my legs were starting to get sore I stopped to get some icy hot and the volunteer rubbed in into my calf for me. It was so kind and it felt so good! It really helped me run pain free for a few more miles. They offered to spray us with sunscreen, they gave out baggies of ice, and at one point some people were standing by the road misting runners with hand-squeeze water bottles! The support was the best I’ve ever experienced. The little communities that were out cheering us on were really fabulous too! The aid station and cheer section at Veyo was one of the best. This was helpful since they were at the bottom of the biggest and longest (mile-long) hill on the course. We went back to Veyo for pies after the race. They were awesome!
For a “downhill” course, there were a lot of uphill sections, flats and then steep downhills. I’d call it more of a hilly course, lots of up and down.
The medal at the end is made from local rock, so each one is unique. That’s cool. The shirt is ugly, but race shirts usually are. The bus at 3 am to wait around for a race that starts at 7 am isn’t awesome either. So, overall, I can’t say I was a fan of this race. It was fine, but not my favorite. It would be a good excuse to vacation in southern Utah, if you’re looking for a race to do in Utah.

I ran the 50k which includes the loop the half marathoners run plus an additional 20 mile loop. The 50 milers run the same course with the addition of 4 extra, smaller loops. The half marathon loop was more difficult than the 20 mile loop with several steep climbs (there’s only 1 steep climb on the 20 mile loop) followed by steep descents. I took poles on that loop and was glad I did!
The course is very scenic (the race website does a good job of representing the race). It is typical Utah desert redrock and includes a slot canyon or two.
The race does a good job with their aid stations and the volunteers are fantastic!
I highly recommend the race website. They do a great job describing the course and there are even YouTube videos of parts of the course.
I enjoyed the race and will definitely consider running it again.

The Goblin Valley Ultra (50k) is about half road and half dirt, which in my opinion, makes for a nice transition from the world of road marathons into the world of trail running ultras. You could easily wear your road shoes for this one if it’s your first ultra or first trail race.
This was a great year for the Goblin, temps were cool (but not cold), sunny (but not hot), and it had rained a few days prior to the race so the sandy sections were packed instead of loose. The course is fairly hilly, but not at all technical. The hills are spaced out as well, so you don’t kill yourself with constant climbing or descending. All in all, a nicely designed course.
The race starts just before sunrise, and takes you to beautiful scenic overlooks. There is a photographer on the course who knows just where to be for those really great back drops. The course finishes by running through the famous Goblins. If you have never been to Goblin Valley in Utah, I highly recommend it! It is unreal! It is a true natural playground! It is open to the public which means you can bring your family and they can play and explore while you run and then you can finish together!
Race production is smooth. You pick up your packet the morning of the race. You can park near the start/finish. All the information you need is on their website. I didn’t feel like there was anything lacking or misrepresented. Aid stations consisted of fruit, water, sports drink, pretzels, M&M’s, and Swedish Fish and tended to be about every 5 miles or so (I didn’t pay too much attention to the exact spacing). The shirts and finisher’s medals are nice.
There is also a marathon and a half marathon run on the same day. If you are looking for a unique Utah race for your 50 states, I would HIGHLY recommend this one. You won’t find another race like this any where else! The marathon starts an hour later than the 50k and is run on both dirt and road, but can easily be run in road shoes. I do recommend carrying your own hydration between aid stations, but even a small water bottle would be sufficient. The half marathon is completely on road except for the last half mile to mile through the goblins.

The course starts out on an uphill and includes at least 2 mile-long significant climbs in the first 10 miles. There’s also a 2-mile (or so) out and back section (which I think is fun because I love cheering on runner’s around me) that was on a gravel road- the only flat on the entire course. The final 16 miles are all downhill (of varying degrees of steepness). It was the toughest course I’ve ever run and all the marathoners I spoke with agreed.
However, the race organizers do a great job with this race! The shirts are gender-specific and a very attractive cut! They are cotton (because what marathoner needs yet another tech shirt?) so I wear it around and always get compliments (I own several of their race shirts- all soft and attractive). The medals are well designed and heavy! They have great age group medals as well that compliment the finisher’s medal. Other perks include free massages at the finish, free race photos (on course and after), instant results, and above average finish line food (pizza, creamies, popscicles, cookies, chocolate milk and the standard bananas and oranges). Each race put on by this race company has it’s own theme to it (this one is the maple leaf). The shirt and the medals and everything else from the start to the finish line carry the theme throughout the race.
It is a very scenic course. We started before sunrise and as the sun was starting to color the sky we were running along a ridge and about 20 runners took out their phones to take a picture of the runners silhouetted in front of the sunrise. The race starts at the top of Payson Canyon so you have to take the race bus to the start. The busses for the marathoners were the really nice chartered busses, while the half marathoners rode school busses. 😀 We only had to wait about 30 minutes at the top of the canyon for the race to start- just enough time to use the porta-potties and make last minute adjustments and check your gear bag. I was impressed at the timing of it! Usually when a race starts at the top of a canyon you might have to wait up to 2 hours for the race to start!
I’d recommend any race put on by Runtastic (the race company). If you choose to do this one, train on hills! As brutal as it was, it was my marathon PR thanks in large part to all the downhill, but I have never felt so beat up by a race either. 😉

Fantastic runner support! Plenty of Porta-potties!!! (You know how important that is, and it is so rare.) I never had to wait in line for a porta-potty before the race, during the race or after the race. The aid stations were frequent and well-stocked (Chocolate and Salted Carmel GU! and Berry). Fantastic course, hilly, but not too challenging with beautiful and unique neighborhoods, a canyon full of trees in full bloom, all the classic SLC sites like the capitol building, the University, the temple, downtown, etc. Public transportation was a piece of cake- it dropped you off right at the start and you could pick it up right at the finish and it was free all day. Never had to wait more than 5 mins for a light rail train. Such a smooth and impressively run race, I’ve already signed up to run it again next year!

This is a low-key race in Southern Utah near the end of winter. It’s the perfect time to get away from the cold, lingering winter and run in shorts in the sunshine! The 10k is run in town, but it is still surrounded by the iconic red rock cliffs of Southern Utah.

This is the funnest race I have ever run!
Everyone dresses up, the aid stations include halloween candy, you run through a haunted house style tunnel, the decorations are so fun and hilarious (skeletons holding inspirational signs), and you finish by running through a giant jack-o-lantern! After the race, there’s donut-on-a-string (game), pizza, massages (free), photographers (the photos are all free- during and after), and the medals are my favorite! Last year, it was a skeleton in running shoes and shorts in a coffin that you could open and close, this year it was a werewolf in a crate that opens and closes. Even if I can’t run this race, I volunteer for it because it is so much fun!

Utah spring weather is notoriously unpredictable and Ogden frequently has bad weather years (torrential rain or unseasonably high temps) but this year was not one of those years! It was perfect race weather! The scenery was beautiful and included running down two canyons, around a lake, spring flowers, and two waterfalls. The aid stations had different themes (the volunteers choose their theme, decorations, costumes, signs and music) and each one was so fun! Each one made me laugh! I really enjoyed the “motivational”/ funny signs that lined the long hill at mile 14.

Goblin Valley is a beautiful and unique red rock state park in Southern Utah. The race starts and ends in the park and also covers some road outside the park with stunning scenery everywhere you look. The road portion of the race was moderately difficult with a few big hills. The most challenging aspect of the race was the final mile off road through the “hoodoos” that the park is famous for. This included steep ups and downs and route finding. The route finding would not be as difficult had runner’s brain not already kicked in. I found it difficult at the end of a challenging race to run around the hoodoos looking for the next pumpkin (the race is held in late October) or orange cone marking the route. That said, I have already signed up for this year’s Goblin Valley 50k. The pictures turned out fantastic (one of my only framed race photos) and the shirt and medal are some of my favorites. It’s a small, friendly race that did a great job catering to the runners. Plenty of porta-pots and a shade canopy and camp chairs at the finish line for runners to collapse into or relax while they wait for their friends to come in.

This race is sponsored by Nestle and they are an amazing sponsor! Most race sponsors get their name on the shirt or give away popsicles at the finish and that’s all you ever hear from them. These guys host the packet pick up right at their factory in town. When you show up they hand you a bag (this is besides the shirt and race bib packet full of coupons) and they start filling it with freebies- candy, chocolate milk, hats, etc. It seems to be whatever they have surplus of that year and they really load you down with it! I’ve seen a mother walk out with her kids struggling to carry all the stuff they gave her!
The race starts at 7:30 while it’s still cool out and runs through a nice neighborhood. It’s mostly flat with one big uphill and downhill in the middle. You finish by running around the high school track. In the field in the middle of the track is the after-party. The music is playing, fruit, water, and popsicles are being handed out and people are setting out their blankets and lawn/camp chairs.
Once people have had enough time to finish (maybe an hour after the start?) the party really starts. Someone in charge gets on the microphone and gets the crowd really excited and then the race team starts throwing frisbees into the crowd. Boxes and boxes of different colored frisbees with the race logo on it. Also taped to random frisbees are bills in random amounts $1, $5, or even $20. They’ll announce overall and age group winners interspersed with random giveaway winners. They give away things like yoga mats, bicycles, cash, gift cards to businesses around town, luggage sets, etc. and every year it culminates with something huge like an all-expenses paid trip to Disneyland. This is just a 5k, but it has the best post-race party and prizes that I’ve ever heard of! The entry fee is $9 and every year we win something worth more than the price of admission! (Honestly, I’ve seen people in cowboy boots or house slippers show up and just walk it because of the giveaways after.)
It’s a well-run, small town race that’s a great start to summer and the festivities the town puts on that week as part of their town celebration, Art City Days.