Deseret News Classic Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Monday, July 24, 2023 • Salt Lake City, UT • Course Map

One of Utah’s oldest road races and one of the oldest marathons west of the continental divide, the Deseret News Classic Marathon added the half marathon distance for the first time ever at its summer 2013 running, for a race that has drawn more than 2,400 runners each year in all races combined.

Like the full marathon, the half marathon will start in the Wasatch Mountains that overlook Salt Lake City, along Emigration Canyon Road. Runners will start at between the 9 and 10 mile markers of the full marathon near Mountain Dell reservoir lake, and from there they’ll make the long, gradual descent along Emigration Canyon Road, the onetime route of the historic Pioneer Trail.

Beautifully scenic with mountains and valleys all around, the highway features a gentle descent into the city, where runners will meet up with the outskirts of Salt Lake City near the campus of the University of Utah.

They’ll run along the edge of campus for about two and a half miles, making their way along East South Temple toward Temple Square. After passing the mile 11 marker, the course flattens out as they head south toward Washington Square and Liberty Park, where the finish line lies.

The half marathon features an elevation drop of about 1,600 feet over the course of the race, and the course will close after 5 hours. As the race organizers describe it, “this is a course designed with a PR [personal record] in mind.”

Emigration Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Ken Lund/flickr)

Race Weather & Climate

Located in northern Utah, on the edge of the Wasatch mountain range, Salt Lake City temperatures average between 67°F and 89°F in July, while rainfall totals average just over half an inch for the month.

On race day (July 24), the average low is 68ºF and the average high is 90ºF.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Deseret News Classic Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

5:30 AM – full marathon
6:00 AM – half marathon, 10K
7:00 AM – 5K

Fees

$60 and up for the half marathon
$75 and up for the full marathon
$40 and up for the 10K
$25 and up for the 5K

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Salt Lake City’s Deseret News Classic Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race, register online at RaceEntry.com here.

Official Race Website

deseretnews.com/marathon

Comments

Ever run in the Deseret News Classic Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: July, Utah

2 comments… add one

Steve Baeder July 24, 2018, 9:53 am

why can’t you put a decent map of the race route on your website instead of the pathetic one that doesn’t show any street names. I would make it a lot easier for all those people spending hours trying to get home

Reply
Dan Warren May 13, 2015, 4:07 pm

I have run the DN marathons about 6 or 7 times since 2008 and I was always given a military discount of $10. Now that we have to go online I need your discount code. Could you please give that to me before the price goes up agaim???… or give a quick call, please!

Thanks, Dan

801-698-2907

Reply