This is hands down my favorite marathon. I've run every Ogden from the first and it just keeps getting better. The course is the most leg friendly I have ever run. There aren't a lot of people cheering but my favorite 'fans' are the horses that run along their fence lines with you as you run through the beautiful rural farmland. The only criticism I have is for the T shirts. Every year the design is about as bland as you can imagine. I've offered to design them myself! You'll love this course, though - and the whole race is very well organized.

This was the BEST marathon ever!! The running gods must have been smiling on me or something. The weather was perfect, the scenery was gorgeous, and the course was excellent. On the trails they marked the uneven path with fluorescent paint, very nice!! I too bombed at Salt Lake City Marathon the month before, so I was a bit worried about this race.

I will DEFINITELY be back next year, no matter how far I have to travel!! Loved it!! Keep up the great work, Todd and co.!!

I ran this marathon because I bombed in the Salt Lake Marathon the month before. I couldn't believe the difference. The course was beautiful from start to finish. I didn't realize how dreary parts of the Salt Lake were until I ran this. The decent through Ogden Canyon was right were I needed it to help pull me along. I was a bit afraid for my knees but had no problems whatsoever. The finish was a beautiful park (not a parking lot). I have run Top of Utah, Grandma's, and Salt Lake and would have to say this was my favorite course of the four. My only complaint was the lack of information in the race packet. They didn't include times for the bus or a map. I would definitely recommend this marathon!

Loved it from start to finish! Will run this one every year. The community support was awesome and what a beautiful, spiritual, fast-paced course. The elk along the course added to the beauty. The only suggestion is that the 'host' hotels should have more info regarding the race with maps of the race, amenities for the runners, etc... Overall, was FANTASTIC and I will bring friends next year to experience the awesomeness of this marathon.

The scenery was great and the gentle downhill course made for a great run. Organized well; plenty of liquid and goodies at the well placed stations. Small but supportive crowd.

This was my first race at any altitude much above sea level.... I paid the price. Other than having to slow down due to the altitude, everything about this race was first-class in my opinion. The organization was topnotch with nary a hitch to be seen... at least none that I encountered. The weather was superb... upper 40's at the start, upper 60s near the finish.

The course itself was gorgeous, the most scenic that I have ever run, making the miles click by quite rapidly in spite of having to slow a bit due to not being acclimated. I would love to come back and do this one again. I think giving myself time to acclimate would make this is a PR course. Be sure to train for the declines though.

Although this is basically a 'rural' marathon, I was surprised with the crowd support along the way.
The post-race party was very nice as well, with lots of food, live band, fun festive atmosphere.

I can't think of any changes I would suggest.... I will likely go back and run this one again!

Best marathon I have run. The organization was first-class, with great aid stations. The volunteers were wonderful. The course is perfect - a little downhill, but not too much. Spectacular scenery during the entire run. I will be running this marathon every year.

I think this was a great course for the marathon. Although I am from Ireland and did not have the best of days with the heat, altitude and descents, I am sure it is a marathon to do a P.B on. The only little problem is the is there need to be more supporters on the course and towards the finish.

-Robert Flannery
Dingle, Ireland

This was my 2nd time running Ogden, and I've thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. Here's the rundown from my perspective:

Bad experiences: Some of the organization is still lacking. Having to write my number myself with a Sharpie on my clothing bag makes me kind of nervous. Had to grab my own water from one aid station near the end of the race; volunteers were just standing there looking at me. Two of us were well on our way towards a wrong turn before the volunteers 'woke up' and waved us in the right direction. And on that note, some course markings seemed to be lacking. Other than those few instances (which I think is actually from lack of training), the volunteers were wonderful, friendly, and encouraging, so hope I don't come off too harsh.

Good experiences: Love the course. Eight miles of gentle descent, followed by nine miles of rolling, followed by nine more miles of descent lead to a psychologically and physically easy course without excessive battering. Scenery is beautiful. LOVE the shaded paved park trail coming into Ogden, worlds better than running on streets. Drummers at finish were great too.

I think this course compliments the Top of Utah course well, and I would encourage Ogden/TOU as a spring/fall marathon double.

A note on the relay: A lot of people seem to not like the relay runners, but I think it actually adds to the race. I ended up running behind or with a lot of relay runners, and they definitely helped me when there were no marathoners around.

Competition in 2005 was much better than in previous years, probably b/c they give $$$ now.

If you want a great spring marathon with a sweet course, and don't care much about crowd support or some of the other amenities of a large urban marathon, run Ogden!

This is a really scenic course and everything was well organized from the buses to the aid stations and traffic control. The volunteers were super, and though there weren't many spectators, they were encouraging. Altitude is a factor - the start is at 5400'. I normally train at 2800' and the thin air plus the ascent at mile 14 kicked my butt... or maybe I just need to train harder. Anyway it was a great event and they had a good band at the finish. The course wasn't crowded with runners. Yes, there is a marathon relay, and you will get passed by some of those runners -- but you will also pass some of them, which is a pretty good mental boost! Give this race a shot if you like good weather, great scenery, good race organization and an un-crowded course.