Two brothers in Millcreek are turning BYU-Utah game week into a 55-mile run with a rivalry twist.
Christian and Thomas Hales have put together an event they’re calling the Holy Ultra, a route that stretches from the “Y” on Y Mountain in Provo to the “U” on the western slope of Mount Van Cott above the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The idea grew out of a family that has long lived on both sides of the rivalry.
“My younger brother and I both went to BYU, but my dad works at the U., and two of our sisters went to the U.," Christian Hales told KSL. "One set of grandparents went to BYU, one set went to the U. Our family has had people on both sides, but it's been very friendly.”
That mix is part of why the brothers wanted to create something new around game day. After getting into ultra-running over the past year, they started thinking about a race that would let people plug into the rivalry in a different way.
"This last year, my brother and I started getting into ultra-running," Christian Hales said. "We had the idea of, 'Oh, it would be really cool to do a race where runners can participate in the rivalry in an interesting way.'"
The course itself runs mostly through cities in Utah and Salt Lake counties. The brothers tested it in May, and Christian Hales said it was fun and not as punishing as he expected. Along the way, runners will pass through Utah Valley on the Murdock Canal Trail before heading through Salt Lake, with convenience stores and gas stations acting as unofficial aid stations.
"It goes through Utah Valley on the Murdock Canal Trail and then goes through Salt Lake," Hales said. "People can stop at 7-Eleven along the way. There's never going to be a place where you don't have access to a bathroom or anything like that, so we thought it would be kind of a fun way to organize it."
The race is set for Nov. 7, the day of the BYU-Utah game, and it will be split into two starts. One heat begins at midnight for runners hoping to finish before kickoff.
The other starts at 5 a.m. for anyone content to follow the game as they go. Participants can run on their own or as part of a relay team.
Since it’s the first year, the event is unofficial. Registration costs $25 to cover participant swag, and there won’t be official timing. Runners are also asked to note which team they support when they sign up.
After the football game ends, the participant totals will be added to the final score to determine “the real winner of the Holy War.”
By Wednesday afternoon, 19 BYU fans and three Utah fans had already signed up.
"Given the response, we're feeling pretty confident that this could turn into a regular race," Hales said.
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