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.
- 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 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
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.
Plan your mile splits
Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon. The even pace option is pre-selected to suit this course.
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:09/mi | 9:09 |
| 2 | 9:09/mi | 18:18 |
| 3 | 9:09/mi | 27:28 |
| 4 | 9:09/mi | 36:37 |
| 5 | 9:09/mi | 45:46 |
| 6 | 9:09/mi | 54:55 |
| 7 | 9:09/mi | 1:04:05 |
| 8 | 9:09/mi | 1:13:14 |
| 9 | 9:09/mi | 1:22:23 |
| 10 | 9:09/mi | 1:31:32 |
| 11 | 9:09/mi | 1:40:41 |
| 12 | 9:09/mi | 1:49:51 |
| 13 | 9:09/mi | 1:59:00 |
| 14 | 9:09/mi | 2:08:09 |
| 15 | 9:09/mi | 2:17:18 |
| 16 | 9:09/mi | 2:26:28 |
| 17 | 9:09/mi | 2:35:37 |
| 18 | 9:09/mi | 2:44:46 |
| 19 | 9:09/mi | 2:53:55 |
| 20 | 9:09/mi | 3:03:05 |
| 21 | 9:09/mi | 3:12:14 |
| 22 | 9:09/mi | 3:21:23 |
| 23 | 9:09/mi | 3:30:32 |
| 24 | 9:09/mi | 3:39:41 |
| 25 | 9:09/mi | 3:48:51 |
| 26 | 9:09/mi | 3:58:00 |
| 26.22 | 9:09/mi | 4:00:00 |
Fueling & 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 — 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.
Train for REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon
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