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May 4, 2024

Top of Utah Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Top of Utah Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.8

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 136 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 14 > ]

M. R. from Ogden, Utah (10/2/2011) "Rain, hail and lightening" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Top of Utah Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful course. Great organization. Lots of spectators at 2nd half. I have run this race 5 times. For me, a welcome part of the race is that I can pick up my race packet on race day morning. I didn't have to make an unnecessary trip as other Utah marathons force me to do.
Mark Fisher from Louisville, CO (9/26/2011) "AWESOME - MUST DO IN UTAH" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Highly recommended!! Normally I'm not a fan of 'point-to-point' courses but this is the exception. Must do it!! Pros: + First 14 downhill and scenic + Very well organized - lots of aid stations - well stocked and staffed + enthuasistic volunteers + nice that the half-marathoners were on a separate date - kept the number of participants down and make a better experience for the marathoners (sorry 1/2ers) + great shirt + great food after race - did a great job of making sure only the runners got to the food - yum chocolate milk too Items that could be changed: - took bus from hotel to finish area (where buses took you to the top); however, buses leaving from the finish after the race were tough to find and there was really no signage or help to know when and if the next bus would show up - wish the expo would be open earlier than 5pm on Friday
S. D. from Ogden, Utah (9/19/2011) "Amazing rural race!" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run the TOU half marathon twice before, and loved the course so much that I decided to do the full this year. This is a PERFECT course... gradual downhill for the first 16 miles, then flattening out with a few rollers for the last 10 miles. There is GREAT volunteer support. This year, there was wind, rain, and even hail... and the volunteers were still there with smiles on their faces! The one possible downside is the fact that there are no spectators for the first half of the race because the canyon is closed, but the spectators really come out in full force for the last 10 or so miles. Amazing fall scenery, great race shirt, perfect fast course, and a fabulous medal. Don't miss this race!
J. S. from Castle Rock, Colorado (6/21/2011) "My favorite race so far!!!!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love my shirt!! I wear it to all of my fall/winter races! My husband can always easily find me! Don't change the bright colors! I'll be back this year to run it again! I loved the course, the volunteers and the Medal!
J. D. from Grand Junction, CO (5/13/2011) "Great Race, Horrible Shirt" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 pros: 1) excellent course 2) great support, lots of volunteers 3) plenty of aid stations and JJohns 4) chip-inside-bib 5) ALL YOU CAN EAT TREATS & DRINKS in the finishers section at the end. 6) lots of trophy awards 3-deep in every category. Cons: (director wrote me back apologizing saying he'll work on fixing these for next yr) 1) UGLY shirt. Not only long sleeve but florescent yellow. Give us something we can be proud to wear in public!! 2) I was in the middle of the pack and yet they had already ran out of the promised GU at the two GU aid stations. Luckily I had my own for backup. 3) The cool new promoted feature of 'System-will-auto-text-your-fav-5-when-you-cross-13-22-and-finish-line' did not work. At least it did not work for mile 13 & 22. My fav 5 only got text for my finish line. I confirmed there were problems with the vendor's system and that it did not work as planned. Bummer. 4) Ugly medal that 'has to have a moose on it somewhere for tradition'. Fine, but at least make it a cool looking moose on the mountainside in the background and not a huge Bullwinkle in running shoes which represents finishers as cartoon goofballs. Overall = great race, great people, treated like king & queens. Definitely recommend to all destination marathoners & I'll do it again someday.
Chad Palmer from Alamosa, Colorado,USA (1/6/2011) "Best Experience Ever!" (about: 2002) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Top of Utah Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved running this marathon. I ran it three times. It was also my first. I ran it when I was 10 years-old, and loved it so much that I came back for two more years. This course was scenic, the race was well organized, the fans were great, and it was well worth it.
K. L. from Syracuse, Utah (10/7/2010) "Great race" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, though I have done other organized races in the past. I have to say that the organization of this is top notch. So well done, from the expo, to the registration, to the end - it was great. A minor con to it was the end of the course. It seemed to wind around a lot through residential areas, and just seemed monotonous. The first half can't be beat as you are able to fly down the beautiful canyon with the mountains and fall colors. I loved the heated tents at the top. The aid stations were well placed; however, for slower runners like me, most of the GU and fruit was gone by the time I got there, and same with the end of the race - the Fat Boy sandwiches were gone by they as well. I was disappointed in how expensive the pictures were that we were emailed about a few days later - $50 for a single 8x10? Have a spectator take some good shots for you. I would definitely do this again. The only things I would personally do differently is book a hotel earlier and do some hill training; the downhill killed my quads and knees. Otherwise, great event and race. Great memory for my first, and hopefully not last marathon!
S. A. from Idaho (10/4/2010) "Great Race Course and Organization" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Course: The first half is running marathons at its absolute very best during the fall. There are views and the sounds of a beautiful canyon, stream, small lake and mountains. After 14 miles, you exit the canyon and run another 4 miles on straight roads through a peaceful setting with shade trees. The next 8 miles have an amazing number of twists and turns through residential areas, downtown and the finish at the park. Although the turns are many, they are all painted and well marked. They were also staffed with at least one volunteer. Volunteers: Committed, enthusiastic and helpful. Could not do it without them. A huge "thank you" for getting up early on a cold morning and making this race possible. Organization: Attention to many, many details made the organization of this marathon far above the norm. They truly understand and are sensitive to what participants need. Suggestions (NOT criticisms): 1) The warming tent was extremely helpful before the start, but too small for all runners to really be able to enter. Consider making it a little bit larger. 2) It would be nice if there was any way to take a few of the turns out of the course between miles 18-25 and still be allowed to have this race on a Saturday morning. Nevertheless, I loved the course overall and the finish at the park where there were lots of shade trees and room to recover. 3) Even though we successfully tested the system exactly as we were instructed prior to the race, my family did not get the advertised text messages from miles 13 and 20 - only a text message when I finished (which they saw). 4) Different T-shirt color next year. Get rid of the neon yellow and neon orange from the past. I saw many people at the packet pickup/expo holding up the shirt and laughing at it, while making comments about the neon yellow. I haven't worn it yet and probably won't. 5) Finisher medal. Well designed, no advertising and very much appreciated. 6) Thank you for the extra aid stations for the final miles. Very well thought out with runners in mind, and I am very grateful. This is a "five-star marathon" without any hesitation. It should be sold out in the future. A huge "thank you" to all who made this marathon possible.
D. I. from Gainvesville, FL (9/28/2010) "Beautiful scenery... and LOTS of porta-potties!" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A very well done and well organized marathon! The first part of the race runs through a canyon, and it is beautiful! Afterward, the race wanders through Logan and maybe another little town. The race was well marked and well supported. There were porta-potties at every mile so I never saw a line waiting for a porta-potty! The volunteers and the police were very helpful and supportive. There were ample hotels near the finish. I would recommend this race!
B. R. from Southern California (9/25/2010) "Put This Marathon On Your To-Do List" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Top of Utah Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Often times one negative will outweigh the many positives of any marathon... but the thing is, there is not a single negative to report! From early online registration to the post-race recovery area, it was all good. Early online registration was reasonably priced and the registration process was very simple. If you are used to shelling out at least$100, registration for this marathon was a welcome relief. The marathon expo and pre-race pasta party were at the Marriot Springhill Suites hotel where I stayed, so I did not have to drive all over town to get from event to event. And by the way, there was no price gouging at the hotel. I paid $105 per night for a very nice room. The expo was medium-sized and did not swarm with runners. There was enough space in the room to successfully maneuver from booth to booth. Most of the vendors were smaller, local types, and there were even some interesting and unusual products available. If you are used to seeing the same vendors selling the same products, this was a refreshing change from the norm. Picking up our race numbers and long-sleeved t-shirts was very simple. The lines moved quickly and the volunteers were very friendly and helpful. The timing chip was embedded in the race number so there was nothing to attach to our running shoes. The long-sleeved t-shirt was a bright yellow. This was the first time that I had ever attended a pre-race pasta party and I am glad that I did. The price was reasonable and the food was good. There were two different types of pasta and a two different types of sauces available. Neither of the sauces were overly spicy or seasoned. Salad, bread, drinks and goodies were also available. There was a spin-the-wheel-for-a-prize game, in which all participants were allowed one spin, and everyone was a winner. The prizes were quite nice... not lame, as some might expect. On the morning of the race, there was a bus that stopped at several hotels in town to transport the runners to the finish line. Since the race was a point-to-point, there was bus transportation from the finish line to the starting line. The drive to the starting line took about 40 minutes. The bus dropped us off in front of the porta-potties, which were numerous and available. An hour before the start, the temperature was about 40 degrees. A heated tent area was available for the runners to stay warm. About 10 minutes before the start, the runners began to line up in the starting area. Drop bags were available and a bus transported the bags to the finish line where they would be waiting for us later. For the most part, runners lined up according to the honor system and there were no walkers, baby stroller pushers or Team-In-Training participants where they did not belong. Unlike so many other events, there was no half-marathon... this was strictly a marathon. There were about 2,000 runners lined up and the race began on time. The course was beautiful. It was so refreshing to be running on a closed road down a canyon with nothing but nature and other runners. Overall, the course would drop about 1,000 feet from start to finish, but the downhill was very gradual and I cannot recall any steep downhills. The morning air was crisp, clean and cool as we ran on a windy road next to a stream. For the first 20 miles or so, there were water/sports drink stations every two miles. After that, they were at each mile. In addition, there were porta-potties at each station. Finally, for at least the first 10 miles or so, there were drop-boxes in case runners wanted to toss in gloves or sweatshirts as they warmed up during the marathon and no longer needed the clothing. The boxes were clearly marked so that runners could retrieve their discarded clothing at the finish line. The aid stations were well-staffed and organized. After about 14 miles, the course turned off into a rural area and the roads were no longer closed. Spectators became commonplace and they cheered loudly. As we came closer to the city, there were more spectators and the cheering got louder. Traffic was controlled quite well, and even though we were running through various small towns, one did not feel as if they were running in an urban marathon. Throughout the marathon, there was a small-town feeling. As we made a final turn onto the straightaway, spectators lined the course and the cheering was intense. An announcer called our names and home towns as we approached the finish line. After crossing the finish line, we were awarded a nice finisher's medal and our picture was taken. We then moved into the recovery area where water, sports drinks and goodies were made available. In this age of for-profit marathons where large fields and high entry fees are the norm, the Top of Utah Marathon was a refreshing, rewarding event. It is certainly an event that each marathoner should experience at least once.

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