"I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer the old course," said Terry Bean, of South Jordan. "It was more challenging."

Still, there was no denying the race was made for speed.

Winner Jonathan Ndambuki, who won both last year's and this year's race, covered the distance in the fastest time in the event's history (2:16.08).

But there were some issues, most notably the pounding on the legs, that bothered some runners. A gusty wind whipped up early and turned the area around Hogle Zoo into a wind tunnel.

On the old course, said Bean, about five of the first seven miles were uphill, which took a toll on a runner's reserve. Now the first seven miles are virtually all downhill.

"It's much faster," said Bean, "but it's still tough."

In any event, no Deseret Morning News/KJZZ-TV Marathon would be complete without the opinion of Demetrio Cabanillas, the former record holder who won the race nine times.

"I like this course," said Cabanillas. "You have to control the pace and I did that."

"I don't know if it's any easier," added Corbin Talley, of Farmington, who finished fourth (2:23.19). "It's a little faster, but it still pounds you."

Like a lot of dangerous things, you have to be careful. It seems so easy going down.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com