Malad Valley Marathon

A fast, scenic Idaho marathon through the wide skies and quiet dirt-and-pavement roads of the Malad Valley. Always the second Saturday of September. 8:00 AM mass start.

 

Event details and schedule

Race day

Date Saturday, September 12, 2026 (always the second Saturday of September) Start times 8:00 AM Mountain · mass start, all distances
Lineup order at the start: Full Marathon up front, then Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, with the 1 Mile fun-run runners and families at the back. Course cutoff 3:00 PM Mountain · 7-hour cutoff from the gun. All runners need to be across the finish line by 3:00 PM. After that, aid stations close and traffic control stands down. Start & finish Malad City Park, 50 W 100 N, Malad City, Idaho 83252 Packet pickup Friday before race day · 4:00–8:00 PM at Malad City Park
Race-morning pickup available 6:30–7:30 AM Cut-off 7 hours · all distances must finish by 3:00 PM

What is included

• Custom finisher medal for every Half Marathon and Full Marathon finisher
• Malad Valley Marathon t-shirt (every paid entry, all distances)
• Custom race bib with chip timing on the 5K, 10K, Half, and Full
• Aid stations roughly every 2–3 miles with water, electrolyte, and gels (Half & Full)
• Free race photos within 48 hours
• Live results & live tracking the moment you cross the mat

Awards

The 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon are chip-timed and award the top 3 men and top 3 women in each of three categories per distance:

• Overall — fastest 3 men and 3 women
• Under 18 — fastest 3 boys and 3 girls under 18
• 40 & Over — fastest 3 men and 3 women aged 40 and up

Win more than one and you keep more than one — an Under-18 runner who also places in the Overall keeps both medals. Up to 18 award medals per distance, all hand-finished with the Malad Valley Marathon mark.

The 1 Mile Fun Run is an untimed community lap. Run with the kids, run with your dog, run in a costume — no chip, no bib, no clock. Show up and run.

Travel & lodging

Malad City sits 9 miles north of the Idaho/Utah border on I-15, 90 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and 75 minutes from Pocatello. The Malad Motel and Village Inn Motel offer rooms in town; nearby Tremonton, UT has additional chain hotels 30 minutes south.

Weather

Race morning in the Malad Valley typically sees lows in the low-40s°F at sunrise (~7:00 AM), still in the mid-40s°F at the 8:00 AM gun, climbing into the 60s°F through mid-morning and afternoon highs in the low-70s°F. Bring a throwaway layer for the start; the shorter distances finish before the day really warms up, the longer distances will want a hat and sunscreen by the back half.