I chose this race for the course, but I was most impressed with the organization. From the heated pre-race waiting tent to the design of the course to minimize uphills, this medium-sized race was organized as well as any of the large mega-races. I highly recommend this race to others. The course is scenic, fast and (at least in 2012) the weather is cool.

I just ran this marathon and it was a wonderful experience.

The organization was especially impeccable. At the start line, they had set up 2 huge heated tents with very strong burners which allowed the runner to relax and stay warm until just before the race. I was even able to completely lay down, close my eyes and relax close to the burner until I heard the gun. What I also loved is the fact that they had no loud music or stupid speaker trying to be funny at 5am at the starting line. You could stay relaxed to focus on your race, in the tent, in the dark (loved that it was not lit) until the very last second.

Bravo organizers this is my very best marathon pre-race staging experience.

The course was beautiful, running down the canyons with no cars ( cars not allowed at the time of the marathon). The temperature and weather were perfect, all the turns were well indicated with staff at all the strategic points, Seating provided for cheering at the finish line. Well, what else can you ask in a marathon?

Of course, this is not a big city marathon, so don't expect big crowds. But the experience you get is outstanding. Beautiful country side canyon road, the air is pure, very fast course (I PR'ed and BQ'ed).
Nice!! I have run 9 marathons and this is my favorite so far.

The volunteers and race organizers put on a top-notch event. Pack pick-up was easy and the pasta dinner delicious and good value. We stayed at the Springhill Suites, where the pasta dinner and packet pick up also occured which made everything easy. The start at the top of the canyon at sunrise was gorgeous, and the 14 mile run down through the canyon gave me a lot of opportunity to look around and enjoy the scenery. After that, the course winds through suburbs and downtown Logan which isn't as interesting, but the mountains are always in the background. There aren't a lot of spectators and they weren't particularly loud or encouraging. I loved being able to soak my feet in ice-cold water at the finish! Everyone was friendly and helpful, and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting this part of the country.

The Top Of Utah Marathon was my 20th marathon (in 20 different states) on my way towards completing a marathon in all 50 states.

The race was quite enjoyable. As noted by others, the first 14 miles or so were all downhill, and the remainder was flat. I was hoping that the downhill aspect would give me a new PR, but I couldn't do it. Maybe the downhills shredded my quads too much, or maybe living at sea level made the mile-high altitude too much for me. Nonetheless, the scenery was beautiful, especially during the first half down thru the canyon. There's nothing like that in New Jersey!

There were almost no spectators in the first half (non-runners weren't allowed to enter the narrow canyon road), but there were a number of spectators in town, and they were all quite friendly. The streets certainly weren't jampacked like you'd see in a big city race, but that's to be expected for a small town.

And the race was very well organized. The town of Logan wasn't the most thrilling place to spend a weekend, but maybe I just think that because I'm an East Coast city slicker.

Overall, I really enjoyed the race, and I was happy to run this one to check Utah off my list.

I am 16 and just did the 2011 Marathon It was my first martahon. It was a blast, although a bit wet. I would recommend this course to others, and hope to race it next year.

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.

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

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!

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!

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.