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Apr 28, 2024

Utah Valley Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Utah Valley Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 64 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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G. I. from Waco, TX (6/12/2012) "Wonderfully organized beautiful race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My husband and I ran this race for our anniversary and had a fabulous time visiting Utah and running the race. Thanks to the comments from previous years, I brought an old sleeping bag with us to the start so we took the earliest bus and then relaxed in a field, near a fire, under the stars as we watched the sun rise and anticipated our race. The organization of getting all those folks to the start was incredible. From the packet pick up, to the bus loading, the bag check, to the aide stations - it was clockwork - with happy knowledgeable volunteers excited to share their beautiful canyon. The course is breathtaking and should have been fast you will see from comparing the average finish times over the years that Mother Nature was not with us in 2012. A strong south wind took any advantage the downhill grade gave and the warm temperatures may have kept PRs at bay. Oh well&more time to enjoy the waterfalls and wildlife. This finishers medal was really cool, the tech shirt was great quality and fit. They had a really neat timing system with touch screen computers and little receipt printers that gave you a summary of your time within minutes of finishing. These finish time printouts also provided proof to pick up a really nice long sleeve Boston qualifier tech shirt. There were photographers along the way to capture the beauty and excitement and the photos were online very soon after the race. This is a 5 star race!
L. S. from Delaware (6/12/2012) "Difficult but beautiful." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Marriott did a fine job given they are under major renovation and the packet pick-up was simple and quick.Volunteers on the course were great but given the heat more water stops in the later miles would be great. The bus trip to the start was easy and on time and there were a sufficient amount of potties. Bag check was easy, just throw it in the truck. My issue was the course and many people had the same complaint. The advertising for the course slants it to an easy Boston qualifier, that is not the case unless you are used to mountains and altitude. While it is downhill there is so much uphill that flatlanders will find it very difficult. My husband said it was harder than Boston which he has run twice. It is however a beautiful course, one of the prettiest I have run. As long as you are not trying to BQ, this is a great race. Police support for traffic was excellent and everyone was very nice. It was tough to find water at the finish line, it should be on both sides after the medals. I couldn't find it through the volunteers giving out the medals and it was very hot. I found chocolate milk, fruit, popsicles but nothing else. Pizza would be great. There was a vendor area but I didn't go that far, maybe I missed stuff? Aid tent was great. The medal is nice but a long sleeve shirt would have been nice rather than the short sleeve.I am a 50 stater so I won't return but it is a very nice marathon. By all means, make a dinner reservation at Communal, 1 block from the finish. Liked it so much I ate there two nights. Fit for foodies with fresh local meats and vegetables.
D. S. from Minneapolis, Minnesota (3/23/2012) "Beautiful Course!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is one of the most beautiful marathon courses I've ran (and I've ran 22 marathons). Being from Minnesota, I was concerned about the elevation but it did not seem to be a factor for me, although I heard some people from Arizona complaining about it during the first few miles. This course had many more uphills than I would have thought, but it was nice to change things up with some uphills and downhills. For those that are looking for a lot of crowd support along the course, this race may not be for you. I really liked being able to see the finish line for the last couple miles...this way there was no being fooled by 'helpful' spectators or volunteers telling you the finish is 'just around that corner.' The organization was great, from the expo, through the race, all the way to the finish. One area for improvement would be the shuttle buses prior to the race. So many bus drivers got lost on the way to the start (which actually ended up working out a little since it gave us more time in the warmth of the bus). The organizers did their best to try to keep us warm with bonfires in the starting area, but I didn't want to smell bonfire for the next several hours so I avoided the warmth of the fires. Finishers medals were nice and the t-shirts were ok. The t-shirts were sized a little funny though, there was a huge difference between the small and medium. I am trying to do as many states as I can so I won't be back to run this one again...but I would definitely recommend it!
P. W. from Mississippi (2/15/2012) "Amazing Beautiful Course!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Love the course ! I traveled from Mississippi to run this race in my 50 state quest. This was Marathon 51 and one of my favorites ever! The course was amazing and a true joy to run. I initially had one complaint - no photographers! Ugh, a beautiful course and I ended up with only one picture of me running, and it was a half a mile from finish line - in front of a bank. BUT, I got a nice update from the race director who was extremely disappointed with their photo service and has changed to another service. So, I guess my one complaint has been addressed. I do plan to return and run this race again with my wife and daughter. Its gorgeous. (Note: For 50 state runners, this race is usually on a Saturday. The Bear Lake Idaho marathon is on Friday, and Wyoming has a marathon in June on a Sunday. If you time it right, you can run three states in three days, all within a few hours drive.)
M. H. from Asheville, NC (1/18/2012) "Great race w/an awful start" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the actual race very much but I have some problems with the 'details'. For starters I chose this race as my birthday race but couldn't find a single thing pertaining to the race with the date on it. I know this is a minor detail but I run a lot of races & like to make collages or boards with the memorabilia so this missed detail was pretty annoying. My major complaint has to do with the hours leading up to the start. Yes, it's a long (26 mile) drive on a winding road but the busses that we were encouraged (forced) to take dropped us off soooooo early. It was dark (to be expected) & very cold (less expected) with only fire rings in the road for light & warmth. No where to sit, see or stay warm. After a while, no where to breathe since the wood fuel ran out about an hour too early folks were just grabbing anything (boxes w/tape on them, plants ripped out of the ground) that might burn. Standing on pavement in the cold for 2hrs breathing toxic fumes was not the best start to an endurance race. A simple fix? Advise runners to bring WARM clothes & something to sit/lay on for hours. Or at the start, or expo, hand out the foil blankets that other races give you when you finish. Once we got going it was wonderful!
B. B. from Texas (8/22/2011) "Great race" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 An almost perfect marathon. I won't repeat the course description, except to agree it is mostly gorgeous. Every detail was taken care of from start to finish. I'll add: wonderful RD and volunteers, small expo in host hotel with good rates and buses 1 block away, and 2 blocks from finish, with some good Italian and other restaurants within walking distance. Special shout out to the KT tape guy who taped my ankle and to Margies(?) Italian on the corner of Main Street, perfect size in field and separate start for half so it's just marathoners (rare these days) flat last 10K, wonderful finishing area in middle of street and 2 parks on either side. Kudos for the giant ice bath in the whirlpool jacuzzi, I'd never seen that before, and the instant times, and the BQ l.s. shirts upon proof of BQ time (a first for that too). lots of food, etc. etc. All round, a wonderful marathon that I'd highly recommend and run again if I weren't the 50 states.
T. B. from Saudi Arabia (7/1/2011) "Great location and Solid Organization" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 In the last couple years I have run Barcelona, Vienna and Milan. The race organization was just a good if not better as these big city races. Great variety of water, sports drinks, fruit and GU at the stops. Loved the stops at mile 25,24 & 23 as I tend to get a bit dehydrated at the end. You substitute great scenery for city crowds for the first 20 miles of the race but it was a nice change of pace. I trained in the Middle East but altitude not much of a factor since I recorded a Marathon PB. This is probably the best small Marathon going and an excellent Boston Qualifier.
D. C. from Idaho (6/15/2011) "A Marthon That Has Hit Its Stride" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Utah Valley Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my third year to run the Utah Valley Marathon. Each year they continue to find ways to iron out any problems and add things to make it better. The scenery was terrific this year, thanks to more rain than usual this spring, making everything very green. The lush green color was offset by the ample snow still covering the large mountains. The waterfalls in the canyon are plentiful and attractive. The scenery makes for a very pleasant run. One downside of the course is that there is quite a bit of traffic in the canyon which is noisy. Runners have their own sectioned-off lane with lots of room, but I don't care at all for the fast, noisy traffic several feet away froom me. Perhaps they could have us run on the Provo River Trailway through part of the canyon that would get us off the road and into a more pleasant environment. No complaints at all about the organization. Everything went just as it should. The volunteers were outstanding and deserve a major pat on the back. The race organizers deserve praise for the way they've developed this race.
T. P. from Provo, UT (6/14/2011) "Beautiful and well organized." (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a great experience with this marathon. This is my 3rd marathon, however I have run several half marathons and have traveled across the country with running companions who have run other marathons. The organization of this race was nearly flawless. I live in Provo and realized I'd forgotten how spectacular Provo Canyon is. There are enough hills to make it challenging but it is still a fairly fast course. I only have two suggestions to make this race better. I loved the new ending location but I suggest the post-race area for runners be moved to the grass so runners have a chance to sit down while they eat and re-group. Finally, I HATE unisex shirts. This is an annoying new trend in races and I hope Utah Valley will reconsider this choice for future races.
R. E. from Provo, Utah (6/14/2011) "Beautiful, Fast and ORGANIZED!" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Utah Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and I loved every mile of it! Sure, I have only run one marathon, but the couple of half marathons I have run were not nearly as organized and gorgeous as this one. Expo: The expo was great! For a smaller race, there were great speakers like Bill Pierce, co-author of 'Run Less, Run Faster,' lots of vendors and short lines for the bib/packet pickup. The start: It was a little chilly, but there were lots of fires to keep us warm. Porto potties, water, powerade and first-aid stuff were well-stocked. The gun went off exactly on time, and very quickly (no speeches, anthems, etc., not that those are terrible things). Scenery and Grade: The run itself was breathtaking because of the scenery. The first 7 miles heading out of Wallsburg were mostly downhill or flat. As soon as we hit the highway, there was a bit of a climb near Deer Creak and then some rolling hills throughout the rest of the canyon, but still mostly downhill. I personally liked the rolling hills since they gave different muscles a break. Aid Stations: There were aid stations at every other mile after mile 3, and then one at the concluding miles. The volunteers were friendly, helpful and energetic! The porto potty situation that seemed to plague previous years was definitely not a problem this year. The porto potty lines at miles 3 and 5 were a little long just because it was early on in the race, but other than that, there were no lines, and there were 3-5 porto potties at each aid station. GU Gels (my fave), water, powerade, and later oranges, otter pops and bananas a-plenty! Spectators: There weren't a whole lot of spectators throughout the canyon, but the scenery made up for it (some people have mentioned this already). There was a great turn out at the finish line. Other perks: The sprayers at the ending miles were PERFECT! Lots of food at the finish line, there seemed to be enough space for everyone. I honestly don't know about parking since I live about 4 blocks from the start, and I just walked home, but I didn't hear any other runners complain about parking. Overall, I think this is a great marathon for first-timers and just a wonderful race in general, especially for a price of $65. Thank you so much UVM!!

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