Race Report: Salt Lake City Half Marathon

There are many local races that I really enjoy and the Salt Lake Half Marathon is one of them. Not only was the weather perfect this year but the race was organized incredibly well. It’s amazing to me that such a large race can run so smoothly with literally thousands of participants and many different events. They offered a full marathon, half, bike tour, 10K, 5K & Kids K. I opted to sign up for the half marathon since I will be doing Ironman Texas only one week later.After parking downtown by the finish we used Trax to take us to the start (Olympic Legacy Bridge) using our bib as a ticket to ride. It took about 20 minutes to get there. The starting area was fun, with music, water tables, porta-potties, and lots of runners. It always gets me excited to be around so many other runners that enjoy this sport as much as I do! After dropping off the morning clothes bag we headed to the starting line and lined up in our assigned corral. We were organized into groups based on our expected finish time. I was in Corral B which started 30 sec after the first wave (A). When we started it was nice and not over crowded. Traffic control was great and many roads were closed to traffic which I love, this means no stops to break my rhythm. Aide stations were well stocked with water, gatorade & gels and the volunteers were well trained & educated and cheerful. I also loved the many time clocks on course and each mile was marked accurately. The spectators were plentiful along the course and it was fun to share the first 9 miles with the marathoners and then the final miles with the 10K & 5K participants. Everything was well marked and it was fun to experience the city of Salt Lake on foot surrounded by running friends. Races are fun for me as I was able to say hello to many of my running friends, it’s like a reunion! The finish is always so enjoyable and it always feels good to run down that finish chute and be awarded a medal 🏅around your neck. You know you’ve earned it! The medals were so cool as they double as a bottle opener and sun-catcher with the blue background behind the iconic wasatch mountain range. The fun spin charm was added to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of this race.

As we continued through the athlete finish area they handed us water and had lots of food available for us; chips with guacamole, oranges, banana, Shasta Sparking water, Creamies, drinkable yogurt, granola bars etc...The bib number also had a unique QR code to scan for immediate results (very cool!). My preliminary results indicated I was first in my division which was exciting! Check out the athlete IG post @TheBlondeRunnerFinal results:

I was awarded a cool drink coaster age-group award. Check out the coach IG @CoachLoraErickson

A fun bonus to this race was an option to have your name complimentary engraving on your finish medal! They even had massages at the end that I took advantage of. Overall this was an amazing experience and I highly recommend this race! Watch for my 20% off discount code on my discount code listIf you need help with your training don’t hesitate to contact me. I offer many services to fit any budget. Beginners welcome.Happy Running,Coach Loratheblonderunner@gmail.com#runthecapital #SLCmarathon @SaltLakeCityMarathon