Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City's race calendar runs from the valley floor straight up into the Wasatch — the Salt Lake City Marathon anchors the spring road calendar, while the Speedgoat 50K, held each July in nearby Little Cottonwood Canyon, is one of American trail running's marquee mountain races: founded in 2008 by ultrarunner Karl Meltzer, it climbs and descends more than 11,000 feet and is widely regarded as one of the toughest 50Ks in the country. Closer to the city, the Antelope Island Buffalo Run and Antelope Island Duathlon take runners out onto the Great Salt Lake's largest island, and the Serengeti Trail Races and Mt. Nebo races extend the trail calendar further into the surrounding mountains.