Negitives:

1. Lack of Porta Potties. As luck would have it, this was one of only 3 of my 15 marathons completed where I had serious GI issues- starting about mile 5. At each aid station I was told there would be porta potties in 2 more miles. Finally at mile 12.5 there was a construction site with 1 porta pottie and had to wait in line 20 minuted to use it, only to find out that the half start was only a half mile further with ample facilities. Oh well, I got my slowest time ever but just took it easy and tried to enjoy the rest of the course.

2. The bag pick up at the end. Our clothing bags were just out in the open on the edge of the street with no apparent supervision and anyone could come off the street and grab a bag. My cell phone and wallet was in my bag and I found the lack of security there completely unacceptable.

Positives:

1. A very scenic course.

2. Really cool tech tee-shirt.

I live in Littleton, CO so I am pretty accustomed to hills and definitely the altitude. This course is advertised as 'downhill' and 'fast' and I beg to differ.

This was my 2nd marathon; my first was the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (which is another net downhill BQ course). Milwaukee was hands-down MUCH better than UVM.

While there is quite a bit of downhill, the uphill comes in long stretches (from mile 7.5-9.5 is a long stretch to keep a pace with a grade).

I don't like how the course is advertised as 'pretty much all down hill'. It's not. If you look at the scale on the altitude graph it goes up by 500ft (when usually graphs go up by about 50ft). If you take it and actually stretch it vertically, you would see the altitude changes are much more drastic than it appears.

While the course was definitely pretty, I would take a run in Denver over this in a heart-beat.

Even with my disappointment in the course, the organization was phenomenal. The aide stations were plentiful and the volunteers were exceptional. I really liked how there was a banner at mile 19 that said 'conquer the wall'- that was a very cute touch.

I guess I wouldn't have been as upset with the uphills if I had known to prepare for them more. Obviously, living in Denver I have plenty of hills around me, but after looking at reviews and the course profile, I stuck to mostly flat training and even downhill training to get the right muscles in shape. I could have read the chart better, however this was the first time I've seen that happen.

If you are a serious runner and trying to BQ there are much better/faster courses that offer just as nice scenery. I HIGHLY recommend doing the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. It is just as small with the same organization (or better if possible), with more spectators and a MUCH faster course.

Here is the info on the 'portable bathrooms' straight from the events email.' Portable bathrooms will be located at the start, finish, and every two miles along the full and half-marathon course (beginning at mile 3 for the marathon)'. There were only portable bathrooms at the start and half point. Please don't charge premium $$ for a sub par event.

I am a Marathon Maniac and ran this marathon because it was a reunion for our group- I had a wonderful visit to Utah and spent a few days sightseeing, and highly recommend the marathon as a part of a vacation- However, I was disappointed with the actual race-

What was tough for me:

-altitude challenging for someone like me who lives at sea level

-running on a concrete highway (rumble strips and all) with a 30+mph headwind with car emissions emanating next to me was not fun

-start area has lots of bonfires to keep us warm but there was no way to avoid the smoke and it was tough to inhale so much smoke before the race (plus the terrain was grass and mud)

-it was tough for me to get my bag to the baggage truck due its placement; they had to get a 2nd truck b/c the first one filled to capacity

-most of the food/beverages gone by the time I finished (just under 6 hours)

On the bright side:

-treated the Marathon Maniacs like kings and queens; thank you!!!

-gorgeous scenery!

-Marriott staff did the best they could during the renovation to help direct us and help us

-nice expo

-helpful pre-race information

I wish I could say I loved this marathon- I *did* love the Maniacs reunion though!! I'm doing the 50 states so won't run another marathon in Utah but if I did I think I'd look at other ones.

The course is totally stunning. Mountains, waterfalls, streams and rivers, lakes, snow on the mountain, lots of downhill, some significant uphill.

The organization is flawless and the volunteers at the aid stations are terrific.

There are quite a few spectators in the last six miles but not many good spectating spots before that.

My only suggestion for improvement would be to completely shut down traffic by the runners during the section down Provo Canyon. Even though the running lane is sectioned off very well, it's a bit distracting to have cars on the same road.

Great event, great course! I'll be back again.

Well organized event and beautiful course.
Fantastic volunteers from start to finish.
Few if any spectators along the marathon route. However, the large crowd alongside the finishing chute had great energy and were very supportive.
Well worth the drive from Seattle!

Otter pops at mile 23.

Cold, sweet and so great.

Nothing else needs to be said: great marathon.

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!

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.

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!