Best places to watch the 2017 Ogden Marathon
Thursday , May 18, 2017 - 5:15 AM
The 2017 Ogden Marathon is almost upon us, and runners across Utah are preparing for the big event.
Each competitor brings with them a number of friends and family members to cheer them on. With roughly 12,000 spectators expected to watch and 1,100 volunteers helping out, there will be plenty of people to cheer with you.
Here are just a few of the great places to watch the marathon, according to race director Jenny Scothern.
Bleachers, beer and plenty of vendors are a few reasons why the marathon’s Finish Line Festival is the best place to watch. The finish line will be located on the corner of 25th Street and Grant Avenue, with the festival taking place near the Ogden Amphitheater. The area will be open to both runners and spectators from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
This park is not only the halfway point for the marathon, but also has an aid station, medical tent and the starting line for the half marathon. The community park also allows for plenty of space to see your favorite runner.
The parkway provides plenty of areas to cheer on runners, and these areas are much later in the race, which means you won’t have to be up early to catch the runners. The parkway areas will also merge into Park Boulevard, due to the high levels of the Ogden River.
The beautiful scenery of the botanical gardens provide a great place to watch the participants run. This area is not far from the finish line, and an aid station will be located in the park.
The last mile and a half of the race will take place on Grant Avenue. Starting at 18th Street, participants will run south with spectators lining the streets on both sides before the finish line near the amphitheater.
Although there are plenty of places to watch the race, there are also areas where you should not be watching the race. Spectators should steer clear of the mouth of Ogden Canyon near Rainbow Gardens, says Scothern. The area will be congested and is not a recommended area to watch the race.
Ogden Canyon will be closed from 6 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., according to Scothern.
For the full marathon and half marathon courses, see the map below.
Contact digital producer Jacob Scholl at jscholl@standard.net or follow him on Twitter @Jacob_Scholl.
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