Utah Valley Marathon

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.