- Weather
- 58°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,000 runners
- Course
- Net downhill
- Elevation
- 50 ft gain · -3,500 ft net
Monte Cristo highway descent; major BQ rate
PR9Weather8Experience7
Mid-September · Mountain West · Point-to-Point
Revel Big Cottonwood
Salt Lake City, UT · Saturday, September 12, 2026
The Utah entry in the same Revel series, descending Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains outside Salt Lake City with a similarly extreme downhill drop. Built for speed over scenery, though the canyon views come as a bonus.
Wasatch Mountain canyon descent
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- Scenic
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
58°
Cooler than 10% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
50ft
Flatter than 89% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
3K
Larger than 84% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
9.3/10
Top 25%
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
50 ft gain · -5,200 ft net
Net downhill course, point-to-point.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
50°
Start
58°
Midday
69°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 58°F, good conditions.
Typical dew point 36°F, 6% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.
The bottom line
This is a course built to give time back.
Revel Big Cottonwood is a strong choice for a fast time on tired legs, and the route gives back elevation for most of the 26.2 miles. The tradeoff is your quads, which will feel the descent in the closing miles.
Why runners choose this race
A point-to-point course around Salt Lake City, UT, that gives back elevation for most of the race.
The case for it
- PR attempts
- Boston qualification
- Runners who care about scenery
The tradeoffs
- No notable warnings in the data.
Course and logistics
- Course type
- Point-to-Point
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Net downhill
- Total gain
- 50 ft(estimated)
- Total loss
- 5,250 ft(estimated)
- Net elevation
- -5,200 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~3,000 runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Steady crowd support
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in different locations
Race details
- Typical timing
- Mid-September
- Next confirmed date
- Saturday, September 12, 2026
- Region
- Mountain West
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- Scenic
- Point-to-point
- Net downhill
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
- Weather
- 54°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Net downhill
- Elevation
- 180 ft gain · -400 ft net
Classic Big Sky country finish across bridge
PR9Weather9Experience7
- Weather
- 54°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Net downhill
- Elevation
- 492 ft gain · 177 ft net
Event: MISSOULA MARATHON | Verified 8/26/26: 492 ft gain / 315 ft loss (corrected from template 180/580). Base altitude ~3,000-3,260 ft. USATF certified BQ course, marketed as flat/fast.
PR9Weather9Experience7