The race begins at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah, runs through the center of Salt Lake City, and ends at Library Square. A bike tour held on the same day uses the same course, but starts earlier in the morning. A half marathon also starts with the marathon.
The marathon was first organized in 2004 by Devine Racing, a Chicago-based race organization company.
In 2005, a bike tour was added. In 2006, a half-marathon was added, and the date of the race was moved from April to June. In 2007, the date was moved back to April.
Prior to the 2009 event, reports surfaced that the winners from the 2008 race had not been paid their prize winnings.[2][3][4] Devine Racing reportedly made those payments prior to the 2009 race commencing.
In February 2012, the Salt Lake City Marathon was purchased from Devine by US Road Sports & Entertainment Group. The 2012 event saw "no major flaws" and plentiful water, toilets, and medical aid stations.[5] The marathon was sold in 2014 to Lifetime Fitness and sold again in 2015 to High Altitude Events.[6]
The 2020 in-person edition of the race was first postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, before being cancelled altogether.[7] Registrants were first given the option of running the race virtually in 2020 or transferring their entry to 2021, before those that chose the latter option were then given the option of running the race virtually in 2021 or transferring their entry to 2022.[7]
The course begins near the foothills of the city at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The marathon takes runners through the heart of Salt Lake City and the northern part of the Salt Lake Valley offering beautiful views of the local foothills and surrounding Wasatch mountains.
Starting at an elevation of just over 4,800 feet, the course winds its way from the foothills to the lower elevations with the half marathon course offering mostly flat, downhill running.
The half marathon and the full marathon are run simultaneously and share a common start line on the Olympic Legacy Bridge as the event begins.
The course will often follow the base of the Wasatch mountains into neighborhoods of neighboring Millcreek and Holladay as it winds through local Salt Lake streets and by nearby neighborhoods and local businesses towards major boulevards near the finish line in downtown Salt Lake City.
A bike tour follows the entire length of the marathon course and has a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes.[9]
^"Archived copy". results.racecenter.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2005. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Course map of full and half in 2019[8]
