It was very different to hear gospel music at the start line - not my first choice to get pumped up. Glad to have my own music! I liked the wind at my back, and the course; I just didn't like finishing on brick roads. That was not good for the ankles, and the funnel effect: I couldn't sprint to finish. Also, too many runners for the 1/2 marathon. The whole mess with the shirts and the colors... terrible!! At least on the bile-colored shirts you can see the sponsors' logos on the back, and the lack of gender-sizing left me with a huge men's size, or a fat boy's size. I can't run in either size! Lame medal!

As an outsider, I don't understand all the negative comments. I appreciated the gospel choir (it is SLC after all), I thought it was a good idea to have the major present at the start (city support of the race can' be bad I would think), and the course picked took advantage of the elevation. The only undesirable element I found was the wind, but I don't ee how that's Devine's fault. Utah is a beautiful state and I'm sure the other marathons the state hosts are wonderful&but this one wasn't nearly as bad as others made it out to be. Don't be put off the negative comments...run it and judge it for yourself.

Bad shirt, medal, crowd, pre/post-race music, on-course music, post-race food.... What else is there??

This was my second marathon. My first was the Marine Marathon in DC. In the SLC Marathon, the food and refreshments were all gone by the time I came in at 4:25:09. The medals were small and Devine made sure its name was all over the ribbon. This race is more about the 5K, 1/2 marathon, and bike tour than the marathon. I traveled from Arkansas for a not-so-good race. I would not do it again. I was very disappointed in Devine Racing. Do yourself a favor: Don't run this one.

Despite the periodic dusty wind surges, the weather was great; and the course changed directions enough that runners got breaks from these pesky gusts.

Good:
1 The spectators. There was a lot of support throughout the whole course. It was awesome that many of the residents of the neighborhoods were out cheering on the runners.

2. The relief stations. There were ample water stops with friendly volunteers. Minor detail, but the paper cups that were handed out are much easier to drink out of while running than Styrofoam or plastic. The Gu and fruit slices handed out during the run were also a major plus. The timing clocks at all of the miles were a great advantage, too.

3. Ease of transportation. Of all the marathons Ive run, this marathon was by far the easiest to get to and fro. The location of hotels, pre/post-race events, registration, start line and finish line were all either within walking distance or assessable via light rail. Not only was it convenient for the actual runners, but it also provided ease for the traveling companions. My entourage was able to travel with me to the start line to see me off - and simply use the light rail to catch me back at the finish line, and that is a superb advantage.

Bad: I wouldn't make as much of an issue about the bad aspects of the run if it weren't for the fact that the announcer made a verbal pledge that you couldn't find a better marathon than the SLC Marathon. Well if this marathon were to get a perfect 10 in my book, the following would have to be rectified:

1. The host hotel. I stayed in one of the two host hotels. I can't speak for both of them obviously, but I was disappointed to learn that the dirty hotel I was staying in did not offer continental breakfast and the overpriced restaurant was closed that early in the morning. Ultimately it was my fault for not inquiring about this beforehand; but in all my past hotel stays during marathons, I've been provided some kind of food at the lodging establishment (and they've had fewer stars). Bottom-line, for this hotel to have "host-status," it wasn't up to par. And because transportation to the start line was via light rail, a runner could stay at any downtown hotel and have ease of travel. I just think the marathon organizers could find a better place or coordinate something with the host hotel to provide more amenities aside from a very small room discount.

2. Pre- and post-race food. There should have been more than just water at the start line! Some of us were there two hours prior to the start time; and because of the lack of food at the host hotel (see above comment) I'm thankful I packed an energy bar! I realize runners aren't going to (and shouldn't) overindulge prior to a race, some fruit slices would have been nice. I also took issue with the finish-line food. I know you can't please everyone's whims; but I'm curious to know how many runners who just ran 26.2 miles in the wee hours of the morning really want to finish it off with a nice juicy pork hot dog. Maybe I'm in the minority; but I'd rather see a variety of fruits, yogurt, bagels, muffins - which there was none of! (There were bananas, but that was the ONLY kind of fruit.)

3. Medals. They appeared somewhat cheap; and I'm hearing from other runners that many are in agreement.

4. Pace groups. Since the marathon website offered information about training, and training runs, etc., I was disappointed to see that there weren't pace groups.

I've run this race for the last four years and have seen a steady decline in the organization and participation. The medals continue to get smaller each year and now they don't even attempt to call everyone's name when crossing the finish line. My suggestion is to wait a month and run Ogden instead. The smaller Utah races, organized by the cities (Ogden, St. George, Logan and Park City), do a much better job than the Salt Lake Marathon, which is managed by professional organization - Devine Racing. Go figure!

I ran this marathon in 2004 and it was great. My expectations for the 2008 marathon were similar, but it now seems that more focus has been placed on all the other events (5K, Half, Bike Tour) to the detriment of the marathon. It is still a quality race with a good route and well stocked aid stations, but not quite like the first time I ran it.

I have run this marathon 3 times, starting in 2004 with the inaugural run. What happened this year? No one ran the marathon like in past years. Maybe it's because they added the half-marathon, but if I recall correctly, the marathon numbers in the past were larger than the 1200 folks that finished the race this year. What's going on? I was baffled when we lost all the other runners at Sugarhouse Park. Hopefully it will be better next year. And I second the previous comments about Rocky Anderson; Mr. Devine, it's a marathon! Not politics! And the gospel music was great but not for a pre-race pump-me-up! It was a good run, and I had a great time. Thanks to all of the people cheering.

Worst pre-race music ever! I also noticed that you downsized the medal. Anything to make a buck, eh?

I ran the SLC marathon in 2006 and the half in 2008. The course was great, and the weather was much better this year than in 2006. April is a MUCH better month than June for this race.

My one complaint is that I was told at the finish that I had registered late, and because of that my medal and shirt would be mailed to me a month later. That sucks! Who wants a medal a month after the race???

I registered on the first to last day, so I don't see how that's "late." If there are certain number of slots available, shouldn't they order that many medals?