A great race with beautiful scenery, excellent organization, and friendly race staff. A top-notch race, complete with great goodies from the finisher's long-sleeve Dri-Fit shirt, cool medal, and an even cooler 5th place age-group "moose" trophy mailed to my home a few weeks later. Thanks so much!!

This race was organized well, however the expo was set in a place so cramped that we couldn't wait to leave. I was hoping to pick up things there that are hard to find elsewhere, such as throw away clothes, etc. There were two tables and one hanging rack. You can do better. Find a building that has more room. One more thing: the food at the end of the race comprised more of the oranges and bananas from the course, and chocolate cookies that melted together in the bowl. I was starving, and heard other people expressing the same feelings. I say, do the race - it's beautiful but cold. Don't expect anything else and do your own research on bus schedules and such. You'll do fine.

This was my second TOU. Excellent organization and volunteers. The weather was a little cold but that's better than a little hot. The mild incline at the end seemed to go on forever.

This was my third marathon in as many months. It was very well organized for a mid-sized marathon. I think it's almost getting too popular. The route was a relatively gentle descent down a winding canyon for 14 miles. The remainder of the race wound through a rural/suburban setting with a few minor uphill stretches. It finally ended by zigzagging through the streets of Logan to the finish line.

PRO's:
* Transportation was reliable, both from area hotels and buses up the canyon to the starting line.
* Seemed like an adequate number of port-o-potties at both the start and along the course (I didn't see as many runners creating their own as at other races).
* Scenery in the canyon was nice with some snow-capped peaks and autumn leaves on the mountains.
* Although it was cold at the top (25 degrees), it proved to be ideal conditions for the rest of the race. Finishing temp. was about 50 degrees.
* Fans, although not numerous, were enthusiastic.
* Water and Gatorade stops were great with occasional GU stops.
* Fun finisher's medal and a nice long-sleeved shirt

CON's:
* For mid-size marathon, could use more entertainment or things to do at starting point while waiting in the cold.
* Less winding near the end of the course. Organizers could choose a more direct route to the finish line.
* Need larger, more spread out area at finish line. There was barely room to move after the race!
* A few more food/drink choices at the finish line.

All in all, the PROs far outweighed the CONs and it was an enjoyable race. TOU seems like it's turning into one of the most popular Utah marathons. I plan on going back.

The first half of this marathon is the best I have ever seen. The beauty of the Cache Valley is breathtaking. The second half involved a fair bit of snaking around through Logan neighborhoods, but the spectators, including lots of kids, dogs, horses and even mules, were uniformly supportive and friendly. The organization was excellent. This wasn't the canned enthusiasm you see at many larger "rock 'n roll" style runs. The genuineness of the fans and organizers combined with the sheer beauty of the scenery make this run among the very best in the country. Don't miss it!

This was my very first marathon and I thought it was great. The course was so pretty the entire way, and there was everything you could possibly need at the aid stations. All of the spectators, as well as all of the other runners that I met, were so friendly and encouraging. This is definitely a great marathon for a first-timer! Just make sure you do a lot of downhill training!

What a well orgainized race!!! Don't miss it if you want to do a marathon in this state. The buses pick you up at your hotel and take you to the Merlin Olsen park, then load you up and take you up the canyon to the start line. From this point, it only gets better. The course is fantastic, and the scenery is awesome. So beautiful!!! Lots of liquids and snacks at the H2O stops. This is a plus for the slower people, since in many marathons, there is nothing left except H2O.

We came from WV for this race, and it was well worth the trip. We are members of the 50 State Club and suggest you add this one to your list. Hope to return next year with a friend of ours. And the trophies, WOW!!! We were both blessed with one. All the workers were so friendly and your state was well represented.

This is a fast course and a small enough field, so you can run your own pace almost from the start. There are a lot of turns, so remember to run tangents or you'll run 27 miles instead of 26.2. Aid stations are plentiful. Weather was ideal for me: High 20s at the start quickly warming to 40s throughout although 4- and 5-hour runners might have ended with some low 50s. No wind. No spectators for the first 14 miles, but do you really need them there anyway? Medal looks good; area is gorgeous; packet pick-up, pasta dinner and prize giveaway were super. (One small suggestion to race organizers: Put a sign in the finish area telling runners where to go to get their clothes bags, not just signs reminding us to pick them up.) This is a super race, one of my two favorites (along with Huntsville, Ala.) of the eight I've run.

The canyon is simply beautiful with the fall colors. First 14 miles are fast, with a gradual descent. The rest of course is essentially flat. I had concerns about altitude, but the thinner air was barely noticeable; I flew in the day before from MN. Well organized. Great pasta dinner. Very small expo. Relatively few spectators. No reason to worry about cool temps, as they had clothing drops every mile. I'd go back just for the mountains and scenery - you can't leave the canyon without being impressed by its beauty! It's a different experience from the big races but very powerful and memorable!

Very nice, small marathon. Some pros and cons:

+ Warm tent at start.
+ On-time start.
+ Heaters at the finish area (it was a cold day).
+ Beautiful course, trees in bright fall colors.
+ Friendly spectators (once you leave the canyon).
+ Well-marked course, not hard to follow.
+ Each runner's name and home town announced at finish line.
+ Porta-johns every mile.

- Crowded, inefficient packet pick-up.
- The weather's anybody's guess; could be hot, could be freezing.
- Mile markers right at the aid stations, easy to miss because you're reaching for Gatorade.
- Crowded finish area.
- Goofy-looking shirt and medal; don't know why others here have raved about the medal - it's a big, dorky cartoon moose head. Looks like an amusement park trinket, not an award for an athletic event.
- About an inch of Gatorade in the cup at some aid stations. Duh.

Be aware: The course is more challenging than its overall descent would suggest. The gentle downhill portion is over the first 18 miles; the last 8 are flat or uphill, with many turns that slow your pace and create an extra mental challenge (you're close to the finish, but still have miles of course to cover). You could PR here, but it's not nearly as fast as St. George.