Malad Valley Marathon

A small-town marathon in Malad City, Idaho, about 13 miles north of the Utah line on I-15 and roughly 90 minutes from Salt Lake City's airport. It runs on the second Saturday of September, started in 2026, and sends a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and an untimed 1 Mile Fun Run off together from Malad City Park.

For 50 states runners it is a practical Idaho stop: fly into Salt Lake City or Pocatello, race Saturday morning and be home by Sunday. Entry fees are low for a marathon, and every timed finisher gets chip timing, a custom medal and free race photos.

The marathon is two laps of the same 13.1-mile valley loop. Each lap has one main climb of about 500 feet out of town, follows the ridge, then descends to Malad City Park, so the course finishes at roughly the elevation where it starts. The second climb comes after 13 miles at altitude, which is where pacing pays off.

About half of each lap is hard-packed dirt county road and half is quiet paved farm road, with the Bannock Range to the east and the Sublett Range to the west. Traffic is almost nonexistent. Four aid stations sit on the loop roughly every 2 to 3 miles, so marathoners pass each one twice, and a fifth is at the finish; each has water, electrolytes, snacks and a porta-potty. Yellow arrows on the left side of the road mark every turn, and the course closes 7 hours after the start.

Malad sits at about 4,500 feet. Mid-September race mornings usually start in the 40s°F, warm into the 60s by mid-morning and reach the low 70s by afternoon, so a throwaway layer helps at the start. Marathoners should bring a hat and sunscreen for the second lap. Runners from near sea level tend to feel the altitude in the late miles.