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May 5, 2024

Mid Mountain Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.7

Organization 4.8

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 18 [displaying comments 11 to 18]

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E. S. from Salt Lake City, Utah (9/10/2007) "Never Happier to See a Finish Line" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Mid Mountain Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Granted it is beautiful, with spectacular scenery and views. I've runs this race 3 times, and it never gets any easier. I don't even think the winner breaks 3 hours. The first approx. 16 to 17 miles are kind of rollers on single track trail, generally very pleasant. Things start getting serious about mile 16 or so, as soon as you start the climb up to Red Pine Lodge. There is a lot of climbing until about mile 21.5; then it drops steeply downhill. I was pretty spent by the time I got to 21.5, so I couldn't really take advantage of the decline. If you have anything left, you probably could. The post-race set-up is great at this event: pizza, beer, bagels, fruit, music, etc. The winners get apple pies that looked pretty yummy. Everybody else gets a nice shirt and a medallion.
J. P. from Salt Lake City, Utah (9/9/2007) "The Toughest Race You'll Ever Love" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First things first. About the course: 1. The Trail. The terrain was quite rough. If your idea of trail running is a level surface covered with wood chips or crushed gravel, this is not what you're looking for. Think rocks, tree roots, hairpin turns, etc. And when they say "single track," they mean it. The trail was around 2-3 feet wide for about 90% of the course. All that said, I did the large majority of my training on concrete or asphalt and I didn't find the trail so challenging that it detracted from my enjoyment of the race. 2. The Hills. The race website refers to the course as "almost level." I think they forgot to add "relative to other trail runs, such as the Pikes Peak Marathon." Granted, you can't expect to find a perfectly flat, 26-mile trail through the mountains around Park City, but runners should realize that there are 2 long gradual climbs (one from about mile 2-4 and the other from about mile 18-20) and a good drop for the last 6 miles. The remainder of the course is best described as gently rolling. 3. The Elevation. I live in Salt Lake City (~4500 ft.) and the elevation didn't bother me too much, but of course it could be harder on a runner coming from closer to sea level. All together, the rough terrain, hills, and elevation make for a very challenging race. I finished in 4:30 and would have expected to finish a road marathon in about 3:40. The overall winner ran a 3:13. So I would not recommend this race for a first-time marathoner, someone out for a fast time, or someone who's never tried trail running. HOWEVER, for a veteran marathoner looking for something different from the typical "tour-of-the-city" course found in most other races, this is a welcome change. The beautiful scenery (best enjoyed while eating all the great snacks the volunteers lug up to the rest stops), great organization, post-race pizza and live music, and beautiful T-shirt and medal make this a fantastic and very memorable experience. One last bit of advice - if you decide to do this race, leave some added time to get to the start. The roads and parking were not particularly well marked (this was the only thing that could be better organized).
F. H. from Salt Lake City, Utah (9/13/2006) "I have a new respect for trail runners" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 There were many positive things about this marathon, most of which was the scenery, and the race organization, which was done very well. A smaller marathon offers a lot of nice amenities. The race started at 8:00, which was nice, and it offered the nicest bathrooms of any marathon at the start. The little orientation we received before the start was very helpful for a first-time trail runner. But I guess I'm what you would call a "non-trail runner." I've done 20 marathons since 2003, but they've all been on pavement. So I decided to give this one a try. Fortunately I did finish, about an hour later then I planned. I emerged with bruised toes, bruised feet, a twice-badly-twisted ankle, and feet that are still sore. I also swallowed a bee, which was quite scary, but was able to cough it back up. So my purpose in adding comments to this race is to applaud all you trail runners. I expected a nice smooth trail, and that wasn't what you find in Utah. I stumbled over rocks and roots because my running style doesn't have a high enough step to work for trail running. I probably tripped and stumbled 20 to 30 times during the race, and actually fell twice. But all of my experience was due to lack of preparation and experience with what trail running is. I have nothing but positive things to say about the race organization. Support during the race was very well done, there was even an ambulance crew to tape up my twisted ankle at mile 15. The only thing I would have hoped for was more Gatorade, as some of the stops only had water. I can see all of the hours of work that the Mountain Trails Foundation has done to make this trail possible, and want to recognize your efforts. Unfortunately, however, I think I'll stick with running on asphalt.
Your Pal Roland from Cache Valley Utah (9/13/2006) "Happy Trails to You..." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 My first time running this marathon, and I must say, it was tougher than expected. Part of that could have been the result of "The Attack of the Killer Park City Hornet," but then, I only received three stings to the right calf, so nothing serious. I suspect it was due more to the constant ups and downs of the trail. No major climbs, but plenty of just plain "rolling along" running. Although I spent much of my time looking for roots, rocks, and stumps to trip over, my occasional glances up and out revealed a beautiful course with clusters of red maples contrasted among green quakies and dark green fir. The trail was in dang good shape most of the way, excluding a bit of construction near The Canyons. Organization was superb. Finish-line pizza, a cool looking navy blue T, and live music. Doesn't get any better.
H. S. from Salt Lake City, Utah (9/11/2006) "Best Trail Marathon in Utah" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Mid Mountain Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This course is beautiful with the fall colors, scenic vistas, and wooded single-track trails. The scenery will slow you down as much as the hills. This is possibly one of the best trail runs in the country. It is not an easy marathon - quite the opposite, in fact. I would not recommend this as a first marathon. It's a good training run for St. George. I ran the MMM as the third leg of the Park City Triple Trail Challenge, which includes The Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, Park City Marathon, and the MMM. All the runs are 2 weeks apart; the MMM is the hardest leg, and the Park City Marathon is the easiest. The profile of the course is deceptive, as it basically features rolling hills at about 8000 feet elevation for the first 20 miles, and then it drops steeply the last 5 or 6 miles. There are some significant uphill sections around the Red Pine Lodge, around mile 17 or so. There are also some tricky/rocky portions of trail where some runners got injured. You definitely want to have good shoes for this trail and keep your wits about you. The volunteers were great. I think they had about 6 or 7 aid stations. It was amazing they got the aid stations back on the trail so far. As you would expect, there are not very many spectators, but there are a few. It is a very well organized event. I think they said they had 175 people registered. You got a nice long-sleeve t-shirt and a finisher's medal for finishing. There were about 40 of us that finished the Triple Trail Challenge. Those that finished the TTC got a very cool embroidered running jacket by Brooks. The jacket is one of the nicest bits of race schwag I have ever gotten. They had pizza, beer, Gatorade and live music at the finish. It was really nice to hang out at the plaza for a while after the race, have a beer, eat some pizza, listen to the music and watch the finishers come in. I'll do this race again.
E. S. from Salt Lake City (4/27/2006) "Fantastic Mountain Scenery" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Course runs from Deer Valley Ski Resort to The Canyons Resort. It is almost all single-track trail or dirt road. It is definitely not flat. The course is pretty challenging, but the scenery and views are spectacular. There are virtually no spectators; you are far back in the mountain trails. There were about 120 people in the 2005 race, and there were some long stretches where I didn't see a soul. The finishers got a medal and a nice long-sleeve t-shirt. There was some live music with pizza and beer at the finish; that was a nice touch. You should consider carrying your own snacks and water if you run this, as aid stations are pretty far apart. You'll also want some good shoes, for the trail is pretty rough in spots. Overall one of the best marathons I have run - a great trail run.
E. S. from Salt Lake City, Utah (4/24/2006) "Spectacular Autumn Trail Run" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The Mid Mountain in Park City is part of an extensive trail network and is a great place to run. Though the course is generally downhill, it is not an easy course. This is a tough course. Maybe 100 runners started the race. The runners were pretty spreadout by mile 10 or so; I was totally alone for long distances. Almost the entire run is on single-track trail or ski area dirt maintenance roads. It is very scenic. It was generally well marked, but I did question whether I was going the right way at a few points, out alone on the trail. You may want pack some of your own snacks and water because the aid stations are pretty few and far between. At some of the aid stations it was like they had packed in as much water as they could carry in by mountain bike or ATV. It was like, how did you guys get that stuff up here on the mountain? They had live music, pizza, beer, and popsicles at the finish - I liked that. Pretty nice long-sleeve shirt and an impressive medal was also handed out to the finishers.
J. D. from Salt Lake City, UT (3/3/2006) "a must!" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mid Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My son ran it with about 65 starters. All at 8,000 feet, unreal scenery, ends at the Canyons Ski resort. The organizers make every effort possible to make runners feel welcome. Moose sightings add some flavor. True trail running, but fairly flat.

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