Race weather should be winner

Forget May flowers and April showers — or at least the thought of them. June has brought marathoners to Salt Lake City.

During its first two runs, the fledgling Salt Lake City Marathon was held the third weekend of April, and a big storm drenched the course shortly after the race in 2005. Hoping to improve the chance that their pavement-pounding parade won't get rained on, organizers moved the race to the first weekend of June.

The third annual event — which consists of a marathon, half-marathon, 5K, bike tour, a 1K kids race and a party/concert — begins early Saturday morning. The elite marathoners hit city streets at 6:40 a.m. at Olympic Legacy Bridge. The 5K begins a half-hour later at Liberty Park.

Race planners didn't just pick this date out of a hat. They studied meteorological data, poring through 30 years of precipitation history to find the driest day with the most ideal running conditions. Turns out, the beginning of June gave them the best chance to not have to pull out umbrellas or see Mark Eubank wearing his white suit coat.

"We felt like we were truly rolling the dice . . . that we would have good weather every year," said race director Scott Kerr. "We just got a little concerned. We wanted to assure our race day was good weather."

Mother Nature must like them. Forecasts call for partly cloudy skies, no rain and race time temperatures in the mid-60s and a high of about 90.

The course for the 26.2-mile race, which has been approved as a Boston Marathon qualifier and one of the top 50 in the United States, is the same as in the past. It's been called the "best race at altitude" by two running magazines, and "Runner's World" listed it in 2005 among its top 12 new favorites.

"We've gotten a lot of national recognition very quickly," Kerr said. "One thing about our race: It's truly a world-class event."

Kerr, who directed the Deseret Morning News' marathon for eight years, said Salt Lake City is a big enough town for both summertime distance races.

"We complement each other," he said. "What we have to offer is different from what the Deseret News has to offer. It would be a true shame if it ever went away."

The Salt Lake marathon course: