About this race
The Utah Valley Marathon takes place on the first Saturday of June, offering a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a 1K kids race. The marathon is a certified 26-mile, 385-yard road course and a Boston Marathon qualifier, attracting runners seeking fast official times and participants in shorter distances. The event began with 120 marathon runners and now typically limits the marathon to 2,000, with several thousand participants across all races. It relies heavily on volunteers and benefits charities such as CharityVision, Mentors International, Mac's Gift, and Road to Success.
The marathon begins early in Wallsburg at 5,963 feet, proceeding along Highway 222 toward U.S. Route 189, Deer Creek Reservoir, and Provo Canyon. It then runs alongside the Provo River, reaches Orem, and continues down University Avenue through Orem and Provo to a finish at University Avenue and Center Street in downtown Provo, at 4,504 feet above sea level. The race was founded by Hyrum Oaks and Jeremiah West, later joined the Utah Grand Slam, and introduced the half marathon after the original marathon was established. A local detail: members of the Pleasant Grove Fire Department once used the marathon for their annual fitness test, and the race was also the first local event to permit footbikes.