REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A steep plunge out of Big Cottonwood Canyon, a BQ magnet that’s ruthless on untrained quads.
Last updated
No date announced yet
The 2027 date has not been announced yet. The race has historically run in mid-September.
- Where:
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- When:
- September
- Course:
- Steep net downhill · canyon
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Big Cottonwood drops roughly 5,000 feet net, plunging out of Big Cottonwood Canyon high in the Wasatch down to the Salt Lake valley floor. The canyon descent is steep and sustained for the first 18-plus miles before the course flattens through the valley to the finish. The relentless downgrade produces some of the fastest amateur times anywhere, and it shreds the quads of anyone who hasn’t trained the downhill.
- Start → Finish
- 9,000 → 4,500 ft
- Net
- −4,500 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 0 ft
The certified route
Point to point down Big Cottonwood Canyon, from near Brighton to Salt Lake City, with a loop at the top of the canyon and a winding finish through the Cottonwood neighborhoods.
- Start
- On Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, 428 ft downcanyon from the culvert across from telephone pole #17 and 4 ft 6 in downcanyon of the orange and black snow pole.
- Finish
- In the second row of parking at the Cottonwood High School lot, 23 ft 1 in south of the light pole and 61 ft 3 in north of the concrete planter and parking lot island.
Underfoot
Fully paved.
Through, in order
Salt Lake City
What you pass
- Miles 3 to 5: the Brighton Loop at the top of the canyon
- Mile 12: the Circle Awl Snow Avalanche Area sign
- Mile 24: Olympus Point Dr
Worth knowing
- Lane restrictions apply on much of the course: runners are restricted to the right lane on Guardsman Pass Rd and Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, and to the left lane on Holladay Blvd, Highland Dr, Van Winkle (northbound lanes), and 5600 E.
- The course drops from 2,933 m at the start to 1,330 m at the finish.
Transcribed from the USATF certificate for REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon (UT23006TJD), measured 18 August 2023. Where the certificate is silent, so are we.
Key moments
- Mile 1–18A steep, sustained canyon descent. Float on a quick cadence and never brake or overstride.
- Mile 18–20The grade eases onto the valley floor; your legs are already deeply loaded from the canyon.
- Mile 21–26.2A flatter run-in to the finish, where trashed quads fall apart and trained ones hold form.
Pacing strategy
Treat this as a downhill specialist’s race and bank weeks of quad-conditioning descents in training. Run a light, fast turnover down the canyon without reaching or braking, and conserve enough leg integrity for the flatter final 5 miles, which punish anyone who overcooked the descent.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 17:595:60/mi | 20:596:60/mi | 23:597:60/mi | 26:598:60/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 35:585:60/mi | 41:586:60/mi | 47:587:60/mi | 53:588:60/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 54:066:08/mi | 1:03:077:09/mi | 1:12:088:11/mi | 1:21:099:12/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:12:506:18/mi | 1:24:587:21/mi | 1:37:078:24/mi | 1:49:159:27/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:32:587:14/mi | 1:48:288:26/mi | 2:03:589:38/mi | 2:19:2710:51/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 1:55:207:32/mi | 2:14:348:47/mi | 2:33:4710:02/mi | 2:53:0111:18/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:18:357:49/mi | 2:41:419:08/mi | 3:04:4610:26/mi | 3:27:5211:44/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:42:157:55/mi | 3:09:189:15/mi | 3:36:2010:34/mi | 4:03:2311:53/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:158:00/mi | 3:27:579:20/mi | 3:57:4010:40/mi | 4:27:2212:00/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 1.5–2 miles with water and sports drink. The cool canyon start and the easy-feeling descent both tempt you to skip fuel, so lock in a gel schedule from the opening miles and drink on time regardless of thirst.
Weather
Mid-September brings a cold, occasionally near-freezing high-canyon start that warms sharply as you descend into the valley. Pack throwaway layers for the long pre-dawn wait at altitude.
What race morning has actually been like
The last 5 editions of REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon, measured at the start line rather than averaged across the month. Starts have run 42–56°F, averaging 49°F.
| Year | Date | Start | Dew pt | Wind | By late morning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sep 11 | 50°F | 47°F | 4 mph | 60°F |
| 2022 | Sep 10 | 46°F | 30°F | 2 mph | 57°F |
| 2023 | Sep 9 | 56°F | 35°F | 4 mph | 63°F |
| 2024 | Sep 14 | 50°F | 27°F | 4 mph | 57°F |
| 2025 | Sep 13 | 42°F | 37°F | 3 mph | 54°F |
Dates derived from the race's published pattern (2nd Saturday in September), observations at Guardsman Pass, UT (start). Source: Open-Meteo historical reanalysis (ERA5), 7-11am local at the start line. Reanalysis is modelled from station observations, so treat it as a close record rather than an official one. See how race-morning weather is built.
Is REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It can be, but with an asterisk. The course drops 4,500 ft net, which puts it in the band where the B.A.A. adds 10:00 to your submitted time for 2027. That does not disqualify the race. It means you need to run 10 minutes faster here than the standard alone suggests.
A drop this size is fast and punishing at once. Sustained descent loads the quads eccentrically, and runners who have not trained for it tend to lose more in the last 10K than the profile gave them in the first. If you target this race, train downhill specifically.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
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