Run With the Horses Marathon

This is a small town race with 40-50 marathoners. The course begins in a park at the Green River where J.W. Powell began his expedition to explore the Grand Canyon. The course is out and back. The first and last two miles are on pavement through town and the remaining miles are on a dirt road through Wild Horse Canyon. The road ascends for the first few miles then levels off with long rollers. The second half is much easier. There are dozens of wild horses on the route. In 2021 many of them were close to and crossing the road. What a joy. There is aid including food every 2 miles. The volunteers were friendly and the race director was very accommodating including staying beyond 7 hours to give everyone a finish time. The start and finish are at the town's small annual festival with car show, shrimp boil, music and food booths. The medal and shirt have horses on them and horses on a ribbon were awarded 3 deep for 10 year age groups. Salt Lake City airport is 2:30 drive. Plenty of hotel and restaurants in town or in Rock Springs 15 miles away. Sights to enjoy are Flaming Gorge, Yellowstone, Tetons and Fossil Butte. The race is put on by the Chamber of Commerce and there was a real goody bag with everything one could need to know about visiting Wyoming. No spectators just you and the wide open spaces and some friendly horses. There are plenty of porta pots on the course to avoid critters (rhymes with rake) off the dirt road. This was my second time doing the event. There is a half, 10k and 5k for your posse to enjoy.

I absolutely loved the Run with the Horses Marathon, the course is challenging but once you make it atop you will be amazed with stunning views of the canyons, see wild horses and enjoy rolling hills. The race is well organized and the volunteers go above and beyond for the participants. You will not be disappointed.

About 150 runners were in this year's event, so about 50 each for the half, full, and 10k. In other words, this is an intimate race in which you can chat with almost everyone in your event. Green River is a small town, and it hosts a festival on the same weekend, so there are events for after the run. The course is, as everyone has stated, tough. You start at very high elevation and run uphill for an elevation gain of 400 meters (1,200 feet), before turning around and coming back. I did the half, but my understanding is the full doesn't go much higher, since the course plateaus. If you want to do this one, being ready for the serious uphill work and elevation would be a good idea. Other than that, if you would like a small-town race with great medals and a scenic course, this is a sold option.