The REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon 2026 is one of the standout September marathons in the United States, especially for runners looking for a fast Boston-qualifying course. The race takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in the Salt Lake City area of Utah
📅 Race Details
- Date: September 12, 2026
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Distance: 26.2 miles / 42.2 km
- Type: Road marathon
- Boston Qualifier: ✅ Yes
- Course: USATF-certified
- Certification: UT15006KH
- Start: Guardsman Pass, Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Finish: Cottonwood High School
- Expo: September 11, 2026
- Expected participants: 5,000+
- Expo attendance: 11,000+ expected
🏃 America’s Fastest Downhill Marathon?
The biggest attraction is the extremely fast downhill course.
The marathon begins high in Big Cottonwood Canyon, at Guardsman Pass, and runners descend through the Wasatch Mountains toward the Salt Lake Valley. A large portion of the canyon section averages around a 5% downhill grade.
The course eventually leaves the canyon and passes through Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Murray, before finishing at Cottonwood High School.
The organizers specifically promote Big Cottonwood as one of the fastest Boston-qualifying marathons in the country.
🍂 The Scenery
This is where the race really stands out.
Runners start among the Wasatch Mountains, forests and canyon cliffs before descending toward Salt Lake City. September also provides the possibility of beautiful early-fall scenery in the higher elevations.
The combination of mountain scenery and a downhill profile makes it attractive not only to competitive runners but also to destination marathoners.
🏃 Marathon vs. Half Marathon
REVEL Big Cottonwood offers both a full marathon and half marathon. The half marathon also follows a predominantly downhill route through Big Cottonwood Canyon before finishing at Cottonwood High School.
Have you ever run on Revel Cottonwood marathon?
Please,share us your previous experience with us in the comments.
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