The Utah Valley Marathon 2011

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This was a beautiful run down Provo Canyon, past Deer Creek Reservoir and Bridal Veil Falls. 26.2 miles downhill might seem easy to those who have never done it before, but without strong quads it's a killer. Fortunately for me, I have very strong quads. Just two days after the race and I can run almost pain free, thanks to killer leg muscles and a long post-race ice bath.

As I have another race next weekend I was very careful to run slow, to keep from getting injured, though I did take almost 30 minutes off my time from my last marathon.

Here are a few photos from the race.

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Photos

Utah Valley
Along this stretch of road we saw a brief glimpse of Deer Creek, which is not a creek at all, but a lake.

The fire pits
It's cold in the mountains in the early morning hours and race organizers had numerous fire pits set up for runners to gather around.

Horses - Outstanding in their field
Most of the horses we passed were so excited to see so many people in the early morning hours running by them they began galloping through the fields and chasing each other.

Headed toward Provo Canyon
The race started in the town of Wallsburg and finished in the city of Provo. Provo Canyon is absolutely beautiful to run through.

Utah Valley
The town of Provo is 40 miles from Salt Lake City and Wallsburg, where many of these photos were taken is another 26 miles up Provo Canyon.