I ran the Utah Valley Half Marathon in 2017. I like downhill running, so for me, this was a great race. However, if your knees, hips or other body parts do not like downhill running, I would avoid this race. The grade was not terribly steep but the first 10 miles or so are definitely on a down-hill grade, and on a highway, so the combination of hard surface ad grade can catch some people off-guard.

The expo for this race was quiet, did not have a lot of vendors, and so the check-in process was quick.

My biggest complaint about this race is that you cannot drive to the start. You drive to the finish and take a bus to the start. The bus drops you at the start more than an hour before the race. It is cold and dark and although there are bonfires and porta-potties, I would have preferred to be in bed that extra hour.

Once the race started it was great. The water stations were frequent enough and the volunteers were awesome. About 10 miles into the race, you start to come into Provo, the road is flatter (less downhill) and there is a fair amount of spectator/crowd support.

I had a hard time meeting up with family at the finish. It was hard to transition from "runner-only areas to public areas. Also, my gear drop bag from the start had the tag ripped off so it took a good 30 minutes to locate my bag with my sweats and jacket inside. But we did find it, so in the end all was good.

The finisher medal was cool, and the race jacket was nice. Also, all finishers received a gift certificate toward a purchase at a local jeweler. I am not local so never used mine but it was a really nice perk.