2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon Race Recap - Salt Lake City, UT

Start of the Salt Lake City Races (bike race)

Official Time: 2:05:51
Placement: 21st in the 55 - 59 age group. 1378 out of 3676 overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 50's, breeze from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2023] [2018] [2017]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	9:21	Sluggish start.
2	9:32	Some rolling hills.  Keeping it easy but not pushing too hard
3	8:39	Enjoying a bit of downhill
4	9:04	Start of heading into the downtown area
5	8:37	Nicely done!
6	9:47	Yuck. Just a slow grind up Temple Street
7	8:59
8	10:25	Biggest uphill section.  This would be the last major hill at least. Slow going
9	9:22	Some rebounding here. Somewhat okay pace here though.
10	9:52	Hoping to be done soon
11	9:27	Liberty park area. Maybe there was hope around a 2-hour finish
12	10:04	Come on!
13	10:30	Out of gas at this point. Uphill a bit, but just wanted to be done.
13.23	2:07	Couldn't finish fast enough.
	Total Miles: 13.23 - 2:05:51

Packet pickup at the expo

Introduction

After the 2023 edition of the Salt Lake City Half Marathon, I (almost) immediately signed up for 2024.  However, when it came to running the 2024 race, I find myself unable due to a variety of health issues.

I was able to defer to 2025, thanks to a generous policy.  It cost a few bucks, but it was better than just losing the entry altogether.

This race is one of the crown jewels of the spring racing series, in my opinion.  It is wildly popular with locals as well as out-of-towners.  It is run primarily on the east side of the city, but also gives runners a chance to experience the city as well.

There is also a wide variety of race distances: 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon.  There is also a bike tour.

Smiles before the start

The Race

Packet pickup was held the day prior to the race.  With over 10,000 registered runners, it was the only option. I got there around 11:30 and it was packed.  However, by the time I left the expo, the crowd was thinning. I think just about everyone had the same idea: get your bib on your lunch hour.

They had a lot of generous exhibitors and I wound up coming home with a few samples.  Overall, the process was easy but it seemed like there were more vendors there. The feeling was definitely "this is a big race" feeling.

I got up at 4:30 AM for the 7 AM start on Saturday morning.  One of the nice things about the race is that they give all participants a free pass to ride the rail system (Trax) to the race start.  Fortunately, I live about a mile from a station, so it was an easy drive and I caught an early train to the start (about 5:12 AM).  I made it to the race site at 6:00 Am without worrying about parking or getting lost.  And the starting village was just footsteps from the train.

I spent an hour socializing, getting a bit more food into me and using the bathroom.  By 6:45 AM I had my gear bag stashed and was in the starting queue.

Early in the week, the weather forecasted suggested it was going to be rainy and miserable.  But as the week progressed it got better. There was a forecast of wind from the south, but I really only noticed it a few times during the race.  It was warmer than I would've liked -- with temperatures reaching the low 60's by race's end.

I had about 5 - 7 minute delay before starting. With several thousand runners, we were all self-seeded into the corrals.  

Miles 1 - 3:

The race starts near the track at the University of Utah.  There is a very short service run and then you are greeted with the first of several hills.  I took it easy as I hadn't really warmed up and wasn't ready to press the pace.

I hadn't really set any ambitious goals for the race either.  So I was kind of just working through how I felt and going with it.  Given my recent race times, I didn't think 2:00 hours was very realistic, but I had hopes that if the running gods were smiling upon me, perhaps I could get close.

If you studied a map of the course, you might think it was a fast one.  But it really isn't the case.  There are quite a few hills on the course and it is very hard to settle into any sort of consistent pace.  

I felt like I was working at an adequate pace as we sped through the well-to-do neighborhood with the million dollar views.  

There was some nice crowd support -- some of the neighborhood came out to cheer us on.  I was passing people and being passed, but I really didn't care.  I just focused on enjoying the experience.  My pace was pretty slow, but I figured I'd pick it up.

Probably the best part of the race.

Miles 4 - 6:

At this point, the fun starts.  The race is now behind the capitol building and you have a glorious downhill waiting for you.  This is probably the most scenic part of the course too as you get a glimpse of the foothills.  

I picked up the pace here but was still holding back. I didn't have a lot of confidence in my endurance so I was banking energy.  I didn't want this to be a death march too early in the race.

The downhill section is long enough to be meaningful -- probably close to 1.5 to 2 miles.  But once it ends, it is over.  And once you hit the city, you have a very slow grind eastward.

Questioning my life choices as I grind away

Still it felt good and the scenery motivated me to keep plugging away.

Finish line near the courthouse

Miles 7-10:

This section of the race takes a while to get through -- at least for me.  There are some uphills and downhills but the one at mile 8 is the worst. Normally, most races wouldn't subject you to a hill of this nature, but this one is thrown into it to just totally punish you.

As soon as you turn the corner you see it and the reactions from people made me laugh.  Unfortunately, laughing didn't help me get up any faster.

My pace was all over the place here.  I was motivated and keeping up with most of my peers but I could feel the growing fatigue in my legs.  I couldn't wait to get until the 5K point.

Also around mile 9, the full marathon runners peeled off and began their journey to the east side of town.  At least the roads got a bit less congested.

I knew I was getting close to the finish when I hit Liberty Park. This park is popular with many elite runners and is a popular spot for people to do laps.  The park has been around for over a 100 years and is loaded with mature trees.  There was another round of cheering people to push us forward.  But I was really struggling at this point. I noticed that if I could have an epic 5K finish maybe I could hit 2 hours.

Finish line area

Miles 11- 13.25

The motivation ended a little bit after that and mile 11 was difficult.  I was in shuffle mode but I still felt like I was doing okay.  I was passing people and my form seemed okay.  There just wasn't a lot of pep in my legs.

The course was mostly flat but there seemed to be a steady incline.  I kept counting down the quarter miles -- just willing myself to somehow pull off some fast sprints.  But there wasn't and there wasn't a lot motivating me.  2 hours was kind of out of the question.

We made the final turn and looking at my watch I knew I still had at least another .75 of a mile to go. I could see the tiny arches of the finish line ahead.  So close yet so far away.  In a way, just seeing it, made me tired.  My running turned into a shamble.

The mile markers -- up until the mile 11 one -- were pretty much spot on.  Mile 11, however, came in at least .12 of a mile.  I was hoping that mile marker was the only one that was off, but Mile 12 followed suite.  In fact, the course came in well over 13.1 miles.  I do think that to get all the races to finish at the same place, they had to fudge a bit.  Kind of disappointing but I suppose there are only so many ways to make it all come together.

I did get a bit of motivation within the final quarter mile.  There was another runner -- from the looks of it, running their first half marathon. They were getting shouts of encouragement from family.  I used that too to push a bit more and somehow in the final .1 of a mile, I found the energy to make a good showing.

My race wasn't definitely one to set any records, but judging by my final sprint, you might've guess I was trying hard.

Finished!

Conclusion

So according to my watch, I finished the half marathon (about 13.11 miles) in 2:04.  With the extra distance, I came in around 2:05:50.  Not a great race but not outside the realm of what I was expecting to run.  I was upset but given the current state of my running and lack of half marathon level workouts, I got what I put into the race.

It took a bit for me to feel good.  It was warm and for a bit I thought I was going to be sick.  Fortunately they had water and Gatorade, which I greedily took.  They also had a banana but I wasn't ready for that.  I did have ample time to stay near the finish pen.

I got a few photos and sauntered off to get my bag.  They had a great group of volunteers and I had my bag in no time at all.  From an organizational standpoint, this race has got it down.  

I took a break and reflected upon my race.  I was glad to have it done but at the same time, a far cry from what I would've liked to have done.  It simply gets harder every year.

Hanging out with Spidey!

Before leaving, I made my way through the more substantial food area.  I managed to snag a protein drink and some chocolate milk and a bag of chips for the trip home.  

It was only about a block walk to the train station and it was easy to jump on a train and get home in about 20 minutes.  No headaches of getting out of parking lot.  Just almost door-to-door travel back home.  

This race is a lot of fun and if you sign up early (generally a year in advance) the price is very reasonable.  If you wait to the last minute - it isn't.

The shirt is very nice. I like the design and it is high quality.  The medal was a bit on the ho-hum side.  For a major race, it was kind of small.  There were some issues with the timing system but my results are in the clear.  Others -- not so much.

Finisher's medal + shirt

This race is a must-do if you are in the Salt Lake area.  It showcases the city well and is a lot of fun.  The race is well organized and the course will definitely keep you guessing.  The locals really come out to support you.  If I am in the area next year, I hope to be in attendance again.

Pre race selfies with RC!

Upcoming Races

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02/22: 2026 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)