Deseret News Marathon

The Deseret News Marathon is the oldest road race in Utah and the 4th-oldest marathon west of the Continental Divide, first run in 1970 by the Deseret News Publishing Company. The 2026 edition marks its 56th running and revives a historic point-to-point course: the start moves to Mountain Dell Golf Course, just below Little Dell Reservoir, with the first 5 miles heading toward Big Mountain before turning around and descending Emigration Canyon into Salt Lake City. The USATF-certified course drops roughly 1,490 feet net and qualifies for the Boston Marathon with zero time penalty. What sets this race apart is its finish: because race day falls on Pioneer Day (July 24), the course finishes through downtown Salt Lake City along the Days of '47 Parade route, so finishers are greeted by a parade-sized crowd rather than a typical marathon-morning turnout. The event also offers a Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids 1K, a marathon relay (teams of 2-4), and a virtual race option. The full marathon starts at 5:30 a.m. with a 6-hour course limit; July mornings in the canyon start cool but the field finishes into rising valley heat.