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Jun 2, 2024

Little Grand Canyon Runner Comments

Back to Little Grand Canyon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 3.8

Spectators 2.9

Number of comments: 18 [displaying comments 11 to 18]

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D. C. from Salt Lake City, UT (10/5/2008) "Nice course, bad organization." (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Poor organization. Late start. Lost bus driver.
J. F. from San Jose (9/30/2008) "Needs a lot of work..." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race was absolutely beautiful but the organization needs a little help. The race started a 1/2-hour late due to the buses not showing up on time. We placed our sweat bags on the ground right next to the start line and a sheriff's deputy placed them in the back of his patrol car to take them to the finish line. The race itself was really nice; I have no major complaints. Some of the aid stations did not hand you the fluids, but that was a minor glitch. When I crossed the finish line, I went to the get my sweats and my bag was not there. I went to the finish line and the said that they had taken them to the meeting area (you had to meet at a park and then were driven to the start line). Therefore, I hopped on the bus. An hour and a half later (the bus driver got lost... again) I went to look to for my bag. It wasn't there. I talked to one of the three race directors and he attempted to find out what was going on. Apparently the sheriff's deputy forgot that he had the bags in his car and never left them at the finish line. I had to wait another three hours for him to make it back to the meeting area where about five other people were waiting on him. I finished the race at 10:30 and was not on the road home until almost 3:00. The organizers were extremely helpful and I could tell that they were concerned about what happened. I do appreciate that. Not one of the race organizers had ever run a marathon, and thus I don't think they were aware of what can go wrong.... Again, the course is beautiful and I think that they will get this worked out.
B. K. from Ontario, Canada (9/23/2008) "Little Grand Canyon, this is it!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The southwestern USA is my favorite vacation destination, and usually I combine it with a marathon. This time I made an excellent choice. The marathon course was very remote, and as beautiful as one can imagine, especially the final eight miles along the Little Grand Canyon. It was really an unforgettable experience. Young volunteers along the course did an excellent job. They were supportive and enthusiastic. Thank you! The finish line was located next to the Swinging Bridge. There was a great selection of drinks, fruits and food, followed by a Hawaii-style luau dish at the closing ceremony. I do believe that this marathon will become a leading and very popular event in Utah. I may offer just a few suggestions for improvement: - bring more portable WC's at the start, - show clear sign of the half-way point. Congratulations; this debut marathon was a great success.
James Winfield from Park City, Utah (9/16/2008) "Beautiful Utah Desert Canyon Run!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 From the fantastic start into a sunrise to the rapid finish in red rock country (with dinosaur history abounding), this run is a top marathon run!!! Peaceful, cool, flat (99%) with plenty of solitude and lots of the desert life that we yearn for in the city. There were sagebrush smells, wildlife tracks, cool air, and shade for the last five miles. The spectators and volunteers were great! Fantastic post-race meals!
b. j. from Ogden, UT (9/15/2008) "Great marathon, amazing scenery" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This year was the first that Mammoth Marathons put on the Little Grand Canyon Marathon, and I am completely impressed with the great job they did with this event. The buses left a little late, but this was the beginning and basically the end of any problems worth mentioning. While I have enjoyed all of the other marathons I have run, this was the only one where I actually wished that I could have had a second chance at the course, just to walk it and check out the scenery. The course takes runners through desert landscapes of flat plains, some rolling hills and layered brown and red sandstone cliffs. Throughout the run I saw deer, jackrabbits, prairie dogs (?), and other desert wildlife. As the sun came up on the red rock cliffs, the mountains turned to warm oranges and reds, and the temperature never seemed to get above 80. The course was mainly flat, with only a few hills between 2 and 5, almost all of it on dirt roads, which are friendlier on the knees. The only obstacles were a few cattle guards with large gaps between the gratings, but the directors thoughtfully put down some planks for runners to cross on. The race volunteers were friendly and seemed to like being there - I think they were from College of Eastern Utah, and the tables were well stocked with GU and PowerAde. Luckily, the race was capped at only a few hundred, so getting around the stations and the course was easy. There were only 130 or so finishers, and I enjoy small events, so this was a BIG plus for me. I also liked that dogs were allowed on the course - I only saw one runner with a beagle run the full, and it was kind of touching and funny at the end to see the man carry the little dog across the final cattle guard to the finish line. The finisher's medal was nicely made, and after the ride back to the start line runners were treated to a luau style lunch. At the awards ceremony, I didn't hear much besides positive comments about the race. My only warning to potential runners is to reserve your hotels well in advance. The host town, Price, UT, is tiny and is not very capable of absorbing what is probably another 10% of the present population. We got to town late at night and had some trouble finding a place to stay. I really hope that this race is around in the future. If it is, I hope to be one of those lucky enough to have run in each year's event. Please keep this marathon going!
D. S. from Newport, MI (9/15/2008) "Beautiful Last 10 miles" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Great inaugural marathon. Pros: First half is pretty flat and desolate, but the downhill run through the wash at the end is great. Small race, but that's good. Water stops were in place and well stocked. After-race luau food was delicious. Cons: Small snafu with the buses but acceptable (late arrival, lost driver). Suggest handing out a map to the drivers next year. Not much traffic on the road, but it has the potential to be very dusty when the vehicles drive by. I suggest asking people to run on the windward side of the road and have passing cars, buses, and 4-wheelers to slow down when passing runners. The start is a small drive from Price, UT, but it's an easy drive. I recommend this race.
R. M. from Salt Lake City (9/15/2008) "Beautiful course, excellent organization" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first Little Grand Canyon Marathon and the organizers did a fine job. The course was incredibly scenic, as good as it gets in Utah. It goes through very remote country so there were no spectators other than the support volunteers who were great.
j. c. from Michigan (9/15/2008) "beautiful course" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Little Grand Canyon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Race was astoundingly beautiful!! Loved it. The course was nicely shaded, and the weather was perfect - there was hardly any wind. Scenery was too beautiful to convey!! No spectators on the sidelines, but honestly, that's not what I wanted for my run. Instead, I enjoyed a lot of solitude to soak in the beauty of surroundings! Plenty of aid stations and good placement for bathrooms. My only critique would be have more bathrooms at the start, and water provided at start as well. I'mm so going back next year!!

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