Great event for a first-time marathon.... Beautiful course down the canyon and the aid stations were well staffed. Easy to stay hydrated and the fresh fruit was really appreciated at the later stations. Great finisher's medal. Wonderful experience.... Would recommed this race to anyone.

This course is absolutely beautiful and the race is really well-organized. If you think you need a lot of crowd support run something like Chicago or a Rock-n-Roll race, but if you want to enjoy a small race with great scenery this is it!

The pre-race meal was really good and they even kept it open a little later than scheduled. My friend and I flew in the night before the race and barely made it to Logan in time to eat. They still let us in and we were the last two people to be served. One of the race staff even found us afterward to make sure we got to eat. The hospitality was great.

I'm from Chicago and was concerned about the altitude but it didn't seem to affect me at all. The descent wasn't as steep as I expected, but it did take a toll on my quads and knees.

Although the first 14 miles are sans spectators, the support was outstanding. I was concerned about the downhill part of the race and how it would affect my quads, but it was generally a mild descent, so I was back running 2 days later. The support of the community was superb. It was walker-friendly, which is good for back-of-the-pack runners. The party in the park at the finish was fantastic. Plus, a really cool medal. This was #21 and definitely one of the best.

With just under 2000 runners, this is a good marathon for both the beginner and experienced. The course is as advertised except there are more upgrades the first 14 miles than you might expect. That's a plus as far as I'm concerned.
Packet pick-up; transportation to the starting line; and warming tents and water and port-a-potties at the start were seamless. Attention to detail: it was dark when we got off the buses, but the port-a-potties were lighted! This is not always true at bigger marathons.
Port-a-potties, water stations, and medical aid stations on the course were well organized, and the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful.
Crowds are sparse until the finish line, but they are loud and encouraging.
Race officials sideline bandits but let children finish with their parents.
Finish area, including bag pick-up was well-organized.
Two eating recommendations for Logan: 1) Hamiltons Steak and Seafood on North Main at edge of town-well prepared food, large quantity, reasonable price; 2) Eddies Drive-In in Smithfield about 4 miles past Hamiltons-50's style joint with old-fashioned hamburgers, pork, house-made potato salad, ribs, etc. Eddie is on premises and does the cooking.
Logan is a nice, clean city with lots of accommodations and eating establishments. There is also a small Museum of Anthropology on the Utah State University campus.

What a spectacular event this was! The Top of Utah was the first Marathon I had run... the first 15 miles were incredible.. all downhill and the last 11.2 were flat.. the only thing I would have loved more was to have a few more spectators.. but the race itself was quite a winner... most Marathons cost at least $70 and this Marathon was well worth my $45... I would recommend this Marathon to anyone!

I just did the 2005 event 9/17. I'm unsure how they put on such a class act for such a great price. Register early and it's really inexpensive! It includes your bus shuttle ride, REAL Gatorade(not some bizarro sports drink), energy gels 2X, and great recovery area afterwards. Do the pasta party, too-yummy and I won a tennis raquet. I came all the way from Atlanta and was not disapointed. Spectacular course, nice runners to meet, and a nice finish time. Sure, my hip flexors are a bit tight after all the downhill but it is completely worth it!

TOU experience was fantastic!

I can't say enough good about the course, organization, volunteers and spectators! The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, the volunteers were pleaseant and helpful and the crowd was enthusiastic.

I took 15 minutes off my previous PR and easily qualified for Boston. The downhill course was not too taxing on the quads and the light sprinkle of rain kept the temperature cool.

The crowd was allowed on the course about mid way through the race just when the support was most needed. I got high fives from many spectators and enthusiastic cheers.

I will be back again next year!

Great Race. Scenic course. High altitude. Not too many (but nice) spectators. This is a medium size marathon with a small expo held in a nice but small Utah community with a downtown that seems to be 'stuck in the 50's'. Other than a possible 'long' course the race was great. First 1/2 is gradual downhill in a spectacular canyon. Second 1/2 is flat through rural/small towns.

WOW! What an experience! Great first marathon-despite the adversity. I knew that race day could throw a couple of surprises but, come on, this was ridiculous.

It started the night before the race. Surprise #1 - my hydration pack sprung a leak while I was prepping for my night sleep. I shrugged that off and went to bed at 9:00PM. Surprise #2 - the fire alarm went off in our lodge at 10:30PM! False alarm apparantly. 5:30AM, race morning boarding the busses, surprise #3 - the left screw and lens fell out of my glasses. I jimmy rigged my glasses with a twistie tie. Last but not least, the kicker, surprise #4 - 30 minutes prior to race start my mp3/pedometer broke. No tunes, no on demand pace information. CRAP! After playing around with it for 15 minutes I gave up and wondered how I was going to do this. I guess it was time for me to be tested.

The guns went off. I started running. I ran slow down the canyon. The halfway mark came and I wasn't feeling fatigued. The couse was downhill, but not too steep. Absolutely beautiful scenery. I had read about how punishing the canyon was in earlier comments. Not so. Just don't start too fast. Later in the race I saw too many people hanging on by a thread who started way to fast.

Aid stations and helpers were everywhere throughout the race. The last 1/2 things got tough. The small uphills on the course felt steeper than the course outline suggests. I guess that happens at the tail end of a marathon. I had heard about 'the wall' but never hit it during training. I didn't hit it on race day either. Just some moderate leg pain & minor muscle spasms during miles 22-25.

The best part was the .2 mile finish stretch. After the difficult miles 21-26 you turn left down the last corridor and there were hundreds of people cheering you on. Talk about an emotional experience! They even had an announcer who announced every runner by name on the PA system as they ran toward the finish line. I lost it and started bawling like a kid. I couldn't believe it. I did it! What an amazing run.

Great marathon, great organization, great experience! It's amazing what one can do in the face of unexpected events. It was a great first marathon despite the adversity.

I have run this marathon every year since the famous blizzard a few years back. I'm a poor college student who can sacrfice only so much food to run these marathons each year. The high tab for a number on my chest was too much and I had to sit out this year. Please don't make a relatively cheap sport into something exclusive for the elite yuppie upperclass.