Nov 18, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Utah Valley Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Utah Valley Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 64 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
|
Fergus Hodgson from Fort Collins, Colorado
(6/8/2023)
"Gorgeous, Mostly Downhill Course" (about: 2023)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is one of the prettiest courses I have ever run, and the recent course adjustment fits right into that with a portion through a wooded area. The size of about 1,000 runners (in just the full) is also nice. It lacks the insane crowds of the big-city races, but it still has the chemistry of enough people around you. There is no crowd support for the first two-thirds of the race, since you are running through a park area at 67 a.m. with limited access. However, the support at the end is excellent. The 2023 race was well organized. However, I had two concerns. (1) The half-marathon runners really got in the way in the last seven or so miles. I wish people would run without headphones, since the people with headphones do not hear even loud calls to make room. (2) The race did not permit placing in two categories, and this created confusion at the awards ceremony. For example, a 41-year-old lady came second overall but was precluded from an overall placing since she was a master. Why she cannot place in both, I do not understand. This was particularly sensitive because there was prize money for those placings. The same went for other events such as Clydesdale and master's. The bottom line is that this is a picturesque marathon with a relatively fast course, if you are okay with altitude. If getting to Provo were not so difficult, I would likely do this every year. | |
|
John Bozung from Orem, Utah
(6/6/2021)
"One of my FAVORITE Utah Marathons" (about: 2021)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Just finished my 500th Marathon yesterday June 5th 2021 And I am one of about 10 runners who is Legacy runner at this race having done it all 14 years now. The race is one of the best and most well organized race's in Utah. Hyrum Oaks the race director has done an incredible job over the years developing this race into one of Top rated events around. This year taking it up another notch in every aspect of the Race. From the pre-race expo and dinner. To the start line experience, the aid stations and the finish Line. The scenic beauty of this race is incredible. This is one for your bucket list! | |
|
L. S. from Utah
(10/9/2020)
"Amazing Race" (about: 2020)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this race year after year and it only gets better. I love that they give Boston Qualifier Shirts. They have done Jackets and Shorts. Who does that? The views of the Canyons and the mountains are FREAKING AMAZING! One of my favorite parts is with like 2 miles left the do an Otter Pop that is amazing. At the finish, there is a Creamie Ice Cream and many other goodies. I also like to get a massage at the end. My kids love that they shut down downtown and they have inflatables for them to play. I have run many races and this is by far my favorite! | |
|
S. B. from Utah
(8/14/2018)
"Shirts Always Suck" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Consistently has the ugliest most ill fitting shirts of any marathon out there. Spend less on the medal and get better shirts. Never had a shirt that fit and boy are they hideous. Look at TOU, St George, Ogden for some awesome shirts you can wear on casual Friday's. | |
|
J. J. from Riverton, UT
(6/20/2018)
"Great, fast, scenic Marathon" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 3rd UVM and the race keeps getting better every year. The start area has plenty of port-a-potties and has a very nice area to warm up by fire pits while you wait for the start. The race started on time and the aid stations were well stocked. The course is downhill but it is hilly. The combination of the hills and the severe downhill in the first 21 miles of the course makes the last flat 5 miles very painful. My legs were trashed by the time I got to mile 21. The course is still fast but your body will pay for that speed. You also have to be ready and in shape for the hills. I loved the finish line area, the huge medal, the food and the Boston Qualifier shirt that you get at the end (if you BQ'ed, they check). The PR Gong is also a fun addition to the finish line. You definitely get a lot for your registration price. My only complaint, all 3 years I have run it, is that the participant shirt is very ugly. For some reason they can't get the shirt right. A funny thing (not a complaint) is that in all 3 UVMs that I have run the bus driver to the start has gotten lost EVERY time. It's hilarious because it's not hard to get to the start line. I really love this race and as someone who has run many marathons I highly recommend it. | |
|
D. A. from Illinois
(9/8/2016)
"A unique experience" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Utah Valley Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a very fast, downhill course, especially at the start. The first mile was my fastest and it felt like a jog. There are some tough hills on miles 8, 9 and 17 though. There was also a strong headwind around miles 16-18. The downhill tapers off the last 6 miles as you come out of the canyon, but you are still dropping 40-60ft per mile. I didn't have any problems with my quads, although I wasn't running as hard after stepping on a roofing nail at mile 17. I'm not sure if it was the altitude having any effect on me, but I did feel a bit off during the race. There aren't a whole lot of spectators on the course outside of the last few miles. There was a lot of traffic in that section, which lead to breathing a lot of car exhaust. There was also a number of bicyclists trying to take advantage of the closed roads. I was more than willing to play chicken with them to force them off our course. Apart from the race shirts not arriving on time, the organization was pretty good. The med staff was great and luckily I got there before the flood of runners with heat exhaustion. | |
|
J. S. from St Paul MN
(9/6/2016)
"Crazy Downhill, Beautiful Course" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Utah Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very fast course but also downhill for the vast majority. The views in the valley are breathe taking. Enjoy campfires at the start as the sun rises over the mountains. Lots of support once you enter Provo. | |
|
D. C. from Utah
(7/28/2016)
"Problem Fixed!" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had previously written a review of this race that expressed a concern about bicycles on the marathon course. The race director contacted me, thanked me for alerting him to the issue and said this was occurring without their knowledge. He explained that bikes are not allowed on the course and said they would take steps to get bikes off the course going forward. Kudos to the race director for responding so quickly to my concerns. Given this, I can enthusiastically recommend this race as one of the best! | |
|
D. C. from Utah
(7/24/2016)
"Great race that needs to fix a MAJOR danger" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Utah Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I've run this race every year since its start (except its second year when I had a broken ankle) and it has always been one of my favorites. The course is fantastic with lots of incredible scenery and with enough downhill to give you a fast time if that's what you are after. However, there are also some big uphills so don't be surprised when you have to go chugging up those. Crowds are small but that's OK with me. I enjoy the serenity of a rural setting with views of mountains, trees, pastures with horses, barns, waterfalls, and a lot more incredible eye candy. However, one aspect of this race needs to be fixed before I will run it again. For some insane reasons, the race allows bicyclists to share the course with runners. Given the steep downhills, this means that you have cyclists roaring past you from behind doing 30-40 MPH. I was nearly run down and hit several times this year. It's only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or even killed. Most marathons I've run (and I've done a bunch around the U.S.) don't allow bikes on the course during the race this marathon needs to follow this practice and protect its runners. If this problem is fixed, I'll be back. If not, I'll find another run where my life is not endangered. | |
|
M. K. from Salt Lake City, UT
(6/18/2016)
"Beautiful, Late Spring Marathon" (about: 2016)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Utah Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Ahhh, yes, the Utah Valley Marathon. This was my 3rd marathon and my 1st in Utah; most the marathons around Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis counties start at the top of a canyon and bomb down it for most of the course before a flat finish, and this one is no different. Obviously this makes for a very strong chance that you could PR, but there are a few things one should know about this race. The course is amazing and beautiful. You start in high farm country (around 6,300 feet!) with rolling hills/mountains surrounding you for the first 8 miles or so before you really start your decent in earnest. Around the time you are leaving the farm country, you pass by a reservoir which also marks the first hills of the course. After these moderate rollers pass, it is major downhill for the next 8 or so miles. Here you are in the canyon and surrounded by mountains on all sides. The views are gorgeous, with Mt. Timp capturing most of your attention. Watch for Bridal Veil Falls on your left a little after 16.5. At just around this part of the race, the course hits another moderate uphill for a mile or so, this was probably one of the harder parts of the race as not only was there the hill, but there were really strong winds coming up the canyon. I'm not sure if that is typical (Salt Lake and Utah counties can get pretty windy), but just be aware that it definitely can happen. The final 6 miles are all flat (maybe slight downhill) headed towards Provo. For the 2016 race, the weather was great here as it was cloudy and around 65 with some sprinkling showers in the area; but I could imagine that during another year, this part would be very hot just the day before it was sunny with a high of 97!! Some things things that were not so great about the Utah Valley Marathon: 1) The medal...it is fine, but seems generic. It is large and nicely made, but there's nothing really unique about it. Also, half the medal bears the title sponsor's name (meh...). 2) Organization - I'm mixed on this one. I'm mainly deducting points here because of the fiasco with the race shirts. Basically, the shirts were delayed in their shipping and therefore were not available at the expo nor on race day. Not really the marathon's fault, but maybe some extra time should have been built in when ordering the shirts, not really sure. 3) Value - The race is expensive! I suppose if you signed up early enough this wouldn't really be as much of a con, but when I signed up, the registration was about $105! 4) Crowd support - If you are the type of person that needs/wants crowds cheering you on the whole time, you might want to look else where. This isn't me, so I really enjoyed the quietness of the first 20 miles. Crowds pick up once out of the canyon for the last 6 miles. 5) Water station mix up - The race website stated water stations every 2 miles starting at mile 3; but then the race guide the runners were given at the expo stated water stations every 2 miles starting at mile 3 and then a water station every mile from 21 until the finish. The website was the correct source of information which caused me a bit of trouble in the final miles as I was expecting to have water/gatorade every mile at the end. Some things that were really good about the Utah Valley Marathon: 1) Organization - Like I said, I'm mixed on this one. Other than the shirt instance, the race was extremely well organized. There were plenty of buses to take runners to the start; great parking (I arrived about 30 minutes before the last bus left and got a spot in a lot right next to where the buses were picking up). 2) The course - Cannot be stated enough how beautiful it is! 3) Start area facilities - Great start area to wait at. Plenty of port-a-potties. Lots of fire pits (most with fires going). Water and gatorade at the start area too. Now if I could only figure out why they wanted us up there so early (waited 1.5 hours in a cow pasture not as bad as it sounds). Overall, this is a great race and should definitely be one on your list of marathons, especially if you are in the area. If you are a 50 stater that is looking to cross Utah off your list, this is probably one of the best options! Tips: My impression of the busing situation seemed to reveal that you should probably shoot for getting on one of the last buses. Like I said before, there were plenty of buses when I arrived at the bus loading area about 30 minutes before the last bus was scheduled, and the buses were not leaving until they were mostly full. If I were to do it again, I would take a late bus so that I could sleep in more and not spend as much time waiting at the start area. Be prepared for uphills around mile 8-9 and again around 16. Also, be aware how much running downhill will kill your quads as you still have to run 6 miles on flat ground at the end. Be prepared for the potential of heat especially during the last 6 miles (not an issue for 2016, but other years it could be). |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
