Have you ever run a Dam Marathon?
In 1976, the Teton Dam on the Teton River broke, flooding towns in Teton Canyon and along the Snake River, including Rexburg, Idaho. 80% of the buildings in Rexburg were impacted.
The earthen dam was still under construction, but the reservoir was almost filled from spring snowmelt. On June 5, 1976, the dam collapsed, releasing the water.
Since 2005, the Rexburg Races have been held in early June. I ran the marathon on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Current race distances include marathon, half-marathon, 10km, and 5km.
The marathon course starts overlooking the Teton gorge and dam site and finishes at Smith Park in Rexburg. There is a net 500-foot drop in elevation.
The area is platted in a one-square-mile grid. So, most of the course is heading due south or due west, with some roads unpaved. Until reaching Rexburg, the course is in farm country.
With a 6:30 am start and a 5:45 am sunrise, the race can beat most of the day’s heat. However, with the open fields, there is little shade on the route.
From mile 24 to the finish, there is a 100-foot drop in elevation, which makes for a fast finish. After all, it can only hurt for 19 more minutes.
Rexburg is a city of 39,000, founded by the Church of Latter-Day Saints in 1893. BYU-Idaho is located in Rexburg.
I flew into Salt Lake City and drove the 240 miles to Rexburg. With connections, there are closer airports. I arrived on Thursday, attended packet pickup on Friday, and drove to Yellowstone and Old Faithful that day.
The West Yellowstone gates are 80 miles from Rexburg. The Grand Teton range is visible from the race start line.
In the summer of 2005, lightning-caused fires in the western part of the park were allowed to burn until they were extinguished by winter snow. The burn area was noticeable as I drove through the park.
There are a couple of off-brand chain motels in Rexburg: Days Inn, Comfort Inn, and Best Western. I’m sure there were some mom-and-pop lodges in the area, too.
Many of my race articles are from dormant events. The marathon has about 150 finishers. But, aside from COVID, the event continues. The other three distances have a total of 700 finishers.