15 Half Marathons in Utah You'll Love Running
Big races, small races, road races and trail races, from Arches to Beaver Canyon to Canyonlands, and from Moab to Springdale to Salt Lake City — all updated for 2025
The Sun Half Marathon
Santa Clara, Utah | Saturday, January 25, 2025
Perhaps best known for the dramatic natural landscapes of nearby Snow Canyon State Park — whose tall, red rock bluffs tower over the surrounding desert — this half marathon follows a mostly downhill route along Old Highway 91 that starts just south of Utah’s Gunlock Reservoir and finishes in Santa Clara, a suburb of nearby St. George. You’ll get to take in stunning views of southwestern Utah’s canyons, red rock formations and the Santa Clara River as you run, along a course that drops about 480 feet from the starting line (about 3,388 feet) to the finish line (about 2,907 feet).
Washington City Half Marathon
Washington, Utah | Saturday, January 25, 2025
A gorgeous run through southern Utah’s “color country,” known for its brilliant blue skies and red rock formations, as well as its mild winter climate. From the starting line along Utah’s Old Highway 91, where you’ll begin the race surrounded by red-colored mountains and desert cactus, the race then unfolds through a neighborhood known as Coral Canyon, a roughly 2,600-acre planned community that’s home to a golf course, a number of parks and outdoor green spaces. Later, you’ll run on paved trails through an area known as Hell’s Canyon and a make a steep descent toward the Virgin River, where you’ll run along the boardwalk for a stretch and later cross the finish line at the Staheli Family Farm.
Zion Half Marathon
Springdale, Utah | Saturday, March 1, 2025
An awe-inspiring run right up to the edge of Utah’s Zion National Park, whose mesas, mountains, waterfalls, streams, canyons, caves and red rock formations of nearly every size offer some of the country’s most stunning vistas and views, both from high above the rocks and down below in the canyons. You’ll start this point-to-point race in nearby Virgin, a tiny town of just a few hundred residents, and from there run east toward Springdale, climbing some 400 feet along the way.
Sand Hollow Half Marathon
Hurricane, Utah | Saturday, March 8, 2025
You’ll run under the wide-open, brilliant blue skies of southwestern Utah at this race, which offers up a course that one reviewer described this way: “if you want rock bands and spectators, this isn’t for you. But if you want unbelievable views in a rural setting, this is great!” Run at a time of the year when temperatures should be perfect for running — around the mid-50s — the race starts and finishes in Hurricane, a city of about 13,000 that lies about 20 minutes from nearby St. George, Utah, and about a two-hour drive from the closest big city, Las Vegas. And if you’re up for sightseeing after the race, Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks lie only a short drive from here.
Canyonlands Half Marathon
Moab, Utah | Saturday, March 15, 2025
A stunningly scenic run in the shadow of the majestic red rock formations of nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, this race is now in its fifth decade of bringing runners through the breathtaking red rock canyons carved millennia ago by the Colorado River. Over the years, it’s grown from a field of just 22 runners (and a dog) to nearly 3,000 more recently, and it’s not hard to see why when you’re there — Moab’s skyscraper-like canyon walls are your constant companion throughout your 13.1.
Salt Lake City Half Marathon
Salt Lake City, Utah | Saturday, April 26, 2025
Run this scenic, point-to-point route that takes runners through the heart of Salt Lake City, offering beautiful views of the surrounding snow-capped Wasatch mountains. Starting at an elevation of just over 4,800 feet — at the Olympic Legacy Bridge at the University of Utah, where the 2002 Winter Olympic Games took place — the half marathon is mostly flat and downhill, with a net elevation loss of just under 600 feet. You’ll run through the city’s famously wide streets and finish in Washington Square, next to Salt Lake City’s historic city hall building.
Thelma & Louise Half Marathon
Moab, Utah | Saturday, April 26, 2025
Simply stunning views of the towering red rock walls that line the banks of the Colorado River in this outdoor adventure playground in southeastern Utah, at a women’s-only race that celebrates the 1991 Susan Sarandon-Geena Davis movie. From the starting line along Highway 279, you’ll follow the river as it winds its way west and south between Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, toward Dead Horse State Park. The out-and-back race turns around at a bend in the river, and then gives you a second view of the route you’ve just run on the way back.
Clear Creek Half Marathon
Sevier, Utah | Saturday, May 17, 2025
A long, beautifully scenic descent among the steep canyon cliffs of Clear Creek Canyon Road in central Utah’s Sevier County, roughly a three-hour drive from Salt Lake City. You’ll start at the highest point of the race — just over 6,900 feet above sea level — and descend about 1,300 feet by the time you reach the finish line, running alongside the creek the road is named for most of the way. You’ll also pass by Fremont Indian State Park along the way, where ancient native American wall paintings and rock art can still be seen today.
Beaver Canyon Half Marathon
Beaver, Utah | Saturday, June 28, 2025
Nestled in the southwestern corner of Utah, about 200 miles from Salt Lake City, this race unfolds through the scenic Tushar Mountains, a “a hidden gem of high altitude peaks, mountain canyons, alpine lakes and stunning terrain.” You’ll follow a downhill course through the canyon, starting at 10,000 feet and winding through the mountains and canyons, dropping some 4,000 feet by the time you reach the finish at Pioneer Park.
Skyline Mountain Marathon + Half
Eden, Utah | Saturday, August 9, 2025
Described by its race organizers as “punishing, unforgiving,” and yet “ridiculously beautiful,” this race is all that and more — with some 1,900 feet of elevation climb in just the first three miles of the half marathon route, which organizers say is a half marathon “plus one,” meaning it’s 14.1 miles instead of 13.1. The race takes runners along what is known as the Ben Lemond and Skyline trails, which climb up the mountains here in the northernmost part of Utah through a series of switchbacks, twisting and turning along the dirt trails within the Cache National Forest, looking out onto Salt Lake City to the south and the mountains of southern Idaho to the north.
Cedar City Half Marathon
Cedar City, Utah | Saturday, September 6, 2025
Its organizers say it’s one of the nation’s fastest half marathons, thanks largely to the big elevation drop you’ll experience between the starting line (at 8,408 feet above sea level) to the finish line (at 5,600 feet) here among the canyons of the Markagunt Plateau in Utah’s southwestern corner. From the start on Cedar Canyon Road inside Cedar Breaks National Monument, the race descends along paved roads and trails, past white sandstone cliffs and canyon walls, with waterfalls and red rock formations towering above you as you run down, down, down to the finish line in Cedar City’s Main Street Park.
Revel Big Cottonwood Half Marathon
Salt Lake City, Utah | Saturday, September 13, 2025
Get ready to descend nearly 3,000 feet from start to finish here in the Wasatch Mountains that look out onto Salt Lake City below at this late summer/early fall race, which runs through Utah’s Mount Olympus Wilderness Area. The half marathon begins between miles 8 and 9 of the full marathon route, a few miles west of the Silver Fork Lodge high up in the mountains of the Wasatch National Forest — as the resort describes itself, “just 11 miles away from Salt Lake City but a million miles away in attitude.” For most of the race, runners also will run beside the waters of Big Cottonwood Creek, which flows through these mountains for some 26 miles before it finally empties out into Utah’s Jordan River.
Arches Half Marathon
Moab, Utah | Saturday, October 4, 2025
Rising red mesas and awe-inspiring canyons provide the backdrop for this race that’s named for the famed Arches National Park just north of Moab, where you can see some of the most stunning rock formations in the world. From the starting line at the historic Dewey Bridge, runners follow the path of the Colorado River, along paved roads with gorgeous views of the surrounding terrain, including prominent landmarks like the eroded sandstone Fisher Towers, the towering spires of Castle Valley and the peaks of the La Sal Mountains in the distance.
Mountain View Trail Half Marathon
Syracuse, Utah | Early November
A gorgeous run along the trails of Utah’s Antelope Island State Park, a 42-square-mile park near the southern end of the Great Salt Lake that’s home to bighorn sheep, antelope, free-ranging bison and other desert animals. The point-to-point route for the race begins at the park’s Fielding Garr ranch and then follow along the hills of the Mountain View Trail, until you make the turn toward the lake and finish at the White Rock Bay trailhead. (Notice that the race will be run on a Friday, not a Saturday or Sunday — due to a huge surge in visitors in recent years, the park has decided not to allow special events on weekends or holidays.)
Moab Trail Half Marathon
Moab, Utah | Saturday, November 8 - Sunday, November 9, 2025
One of Utah’s most popular races — organizers say the “canyons around Moab are unlike anywhere in the world, and this course conquers some of the most spectacular” — the Moab Trail Half actually is two half marathons, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, both of which run along the same course. You’ll run through Pritchett Canyon, a place filled with stunningly gorgeous red rocks and sheer canyon walls, and then climb up Kane Creek Road before your descent onto the hard-packed single-track trails along the creek. There’ll be a few sections that take you through knee-deep water (which may be higher, depending on the weather before race day) but the views make it all worth it.
