This was my second marathon. I moved from IN (very flat area at sea level) 4 months prior to this marathon. I was lucky to train on the same course or same hills this marathon was set up on.
Points to consider:
- it is a very fast marathon for the first 14 miles (they changed the course for 2013, so it's going to be 17 miles in the canyon for 2013).
- if you don't train downhill and uphill, you will suffer a lot after.
- The 2012 had considerable elevation gain. If you're not from Utah or a mountain area or don't train on hills, you will have a big surprise. What I considered hills in IN are a joke in UT.
- This was a VERY well organized marathon for being inaugural and not only. It has a great potential for becoming a great long term marathon.The organizers are very social media involved and also engaged with the runners, actively trying to improve the runner's experience. As far as I know, this marathon is organized by other runners. So runners that understand what runners need! That is very important. I've ran big marathons and was not as impressed as this one.
- There is no expo. I don't care about the expo, so that was fine by me.
- This is not a big city marathon. The canyon is closed so the first 14/17 miles are ran in solitude with the nature. I personally LOVED this. It was a bliss for me. I ran Chicago right after and I felt claustrophobic while running with other 45K runners and people shouting for the entire length of the race. If you need support and engagement with the spectators, you might want to reconsider this marathon
- The canyon is absolutely gorgeous during fall. One of the most beautiful views and runs I've ever had (I also trained the entire summer in this canyon and I still did not get tired of the views).
- This marathon starts at 6-6.30. It is dark up on the mountain at that time. You have to be on the bus at 5 am the latest. It is a bit of a hurdle, you can't just drive up the canyon on your own. If you're not used to this sort of start up, well...
- The finish line lacked a little in food and goodies, but I expect the organization to take the runners comments seriously into account and I am sure this will improve.
- I personally PR'ed by 26 minutes on this marathon and qualified for Boston. It is , once again, A FAST marathon. But it is very different than your typical big city marathon...
I loved it and will run it again for as long as I will live in SLC and not get injured.

This was the most organized, beautiful Half Marathon I have ever run. It was my favorite race last year and I am already registered for this year!

Awesome course! I was worried about the down hill but it really wasn't all that bad. I went ahead and registered for 2013 just as soon as I could. I can't wait to do it again. Oh, support people were awesome too. I was hurt but they took care of me, they helped me finish!

The big cottonwood 1/2 marathon was amazing. I have ran 3 other halfs, and this was by far my favorite. Running down the canyon was breathtaking. I felt so amazing, strong and free. Ths is one race I will run every year.

Even though this course is hard on your body, it is a beauty to run and fast! I set a PR by 6 minutes. The race was well organized and started right on time. I loved the medals at the end. I would definitely run this race again!

I ran the 1/2 marathon and had an unbelievable experience! The course was beautiful with the turning of fall leaves surrounding us. The aid stations were one of the best I've had the experience of dealing with.

Very nice addition to Wasstch Front Marathons. Very pleasing course, superb organization.

The course is one of the more beautiful courses I have run. I did not find it to be a fast course and would recommend pointing to beauty rather than speed. The spectators were good in terms of numbers and enthusiasm for a race of this size, particularly given that the first 14 miles was in a canyon that was basically off limits to spectators. The packet pickup was one of the best I have seen. It was easy in and easy out.

There was basically no expo which is fine by me. There was a runners shop in the same strip mall as packet pickup for those who wanted to shop. The shirt was short sleeve and said it was for the Big Cottonwood Marathon and half. In the runners bag were also a set of gloves that came in handy on race morning. There was nothing else in the bag that I found useful. I did note that the website said there would be packet pickup Friday and Saturday but when the runners guide came out I found that there was no Saturday pickup. There seemed to be some confusion as the buses departed the finish line to take you to the start line.

Runners were having to get off the bus and help direct traffic. Despite that they got the folks to the start line soon enough for an on time start. For this I applaud them. I have been in several races where they delayed the start because runners were waiting for porta-potties. I say if the runners are there, they should start on time. The originally published start time was 6:00 until about a week or two out at which time they changed it to 6:30. They gave a number of reasons, all of which they should have known before they set the start time. I am OK with 6:30 but I am not OK with changing the start time. The aid stations were sufficient in terms of availability of goods, number of volunteers, and frequency of aid stations.

I did note that the gels, fruit etc., were not at the aid stations specified; everything was there, just not at the station specified in runners guide. The runners guide raved about all the excellent food available at the finish line. Nothing could have been further from the truth. They had cups of water and some type of cherry baked good and that was it. The sandwiches that were promised were apparently long gone. OK, I finished in just under 5 hours but in my mind food should not be just for people who are fast runners. The finishers medal was OK, but also said Big Cottonwood Marathon and Half.

Overall this race has some potential but the organization left much to be desired. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say these were just first year hiccups.

Though it's listed as a very fast course due to elevation drop, it's just too steep. 14 miles down Big Cottonwood Canyon beats up the legs. Then you leave the canyon and climb. 15-19 is a net uphill. Then you head on a steep down again which I found hard to run. By the end of the race, I couldn't make my legs go. I have run more than 30 marathons. Not a rookie or new to the sport. And while a gentle downhill is a big help for a faster time, there are courses that can go too far, creating the opposite issue and this race is one of them. I ran my slowest time ever due to my legs being toast. I trained on downhills. But unless you can run down a steep, steep grade week after week it won't matter. And if even if you do that, i am not sure it would help.

Positives -
Really well organized, cool shirts, great custom medals, good food and massages at the end. Parking close to bus pick up made it easy to leave at the end.

Negatives - just a few. The last half of the race is more difficult than it seems on paper...maybe that was just my fault. Hardly any fans because the first half is canyon and there were less than 300 runners. During the last half you run through city streets and there were a few intersections that were had nobody guiding traffic - kinda scary.

However, like they advertised this course is really fast especially the first 14 miles and it was super beautiful as well. If you like downhill and don't care about having a lot of fans or other runners around you at the end of the race, this marathon would be perfect for you! I will certainly run this race again.