SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - On a day when plenty of families in Utah will split their loyalties between BYU and Utah, Christian and Thomas Hales decided to take school spirit to a different level entirely.
The brothers have turned rivalry weekend into a 55-mile endurance test they call the “Holy Ultra,” a run from Provo to Salt Lake City that starts at the Y and finishes at the U.
Thomas, who is currently attending BYU, said the idea didn’t come from a lifelong obsession with distance running.
“I’d say we both grew up running here and there, never got into it super crazily,” said Thomas, who’s currently attending BYU.
The concept came together over the past year when Thomas floated the idea of running from Provo to Salt Lake City. Christian, who lives in Salt Lake City and also roots for BYU, pushed it further.
“I was like I will do you one better - what if we start on the Y and end on the U?” said Christian, who lives in Salt Lake City but also pulls for BYU.
That became the foundation for the “Holy Ultra,” though the brothers still had to figure out whether the thing was actually doable.
“We were like, ‘I don't even know if this is possible,’” Christian said. “First of all, like physically, can we even do this?”
They mapped the route, trained for four months and took it on in May. The course is described as relatively flat and entry-level, but 55 miles is still 55 miles.
Christian said the hardest part comes near the end, when the finish line is still a long way off in practical terms.
“When you get to the Point of the Mountain, you’ve just finished a marathon,” said Christian. “You go around the corner.
You can see the U, and you’ve got a whole ‘nother marathon to go. It’s pretty depressing.”
Their path runs mainly along the Murdock Canal Trail in Utah County, then heads north on 1300 East through much of Salt Lake County before reaching Sugar House and eventually the Block U.
After 14 hours and several breaks to refuel, the brothers completed the run in May.
Now they’ve turned it into a rivalry-day event, with each finisher who signs up earning points for their school.
“People say they’re willing to die for their team and I was like, ‘But are you really?’” said Christian with a chuckle. “Because we’ll test you on that.”
The numbers on holyultra.com lean heavily toward BYU for now. As of Friday night, the site listed 26 Cougar participants and seven Utes.
Still, the brothers say the point is to bring people together on game day, whether they’re in the stadium or out on the trail.
"We just really want this to be something that can celebrate the heritage of both schools," Thomas said.
They hope to make it an annual tradition, though the 10 a.m. local kickoff has complicated the first edition. Some runners are planning to start as early as midnight Saturday so they can still catch the game, while others will go at 5 a.m.
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