The good: Its a FAST course. (It is my PR course). This easy to navigate point to point has a few rollers with a beautiful downhill drop in the middle. And, the crowds get more intense during the tougher parts. Unlike some city races that keep you on the outskirts this race has you start up by the U, loop down through the Avenues and then through some of the prettier parks in the city. And, I received a surprise at the finish this year! Racing in Utah always makes me miss a beer garden and surprise, surprise this race has one! I don't know how they got the permit to do it, but I LOVED cheersing my friends with a yummy beverage after.

The average: Pretty typical course, aid stations and start/finish. Nothing flashy, but everything is well done. Great course to experience SLC with, but don't expect the Chicago Marathon or anything.

The need improvement: You still get a lot of paper waste at the race. I don't want the paper, and I don't need to add it to our landfills. I would love for SLC to become a virtual race bag. You are also hard pressed to find a recycling bin conveniently located or a water bottle refill station. Plastic waste is incredibly excessive at some races, and I know a race in such a beautiful, mountain city will eventually change to protect the beauty around us.

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