You board a school bus in the dark and ride up to Buckskin Saddle, where the air at 6:15 am on Labor Day weekend is cold enough to see your breath and smells of sage. Then you run downhill. The drop is close to 2,000 feet over the first half, through open rangeland and down into the Portneuf valley, and the temptation is to let your legs run away with you. Save them. The last miles into Pocatello flatten out, the sun is up, and your quads will tell you exactly how you paced the descent. The finish in Lower Ross Park is low-key, a couple hundred marathoners, local volunteers, and coffee. Boston accepts the course, and the organizers trimmed it for 2026 to keep it within the new elevation limits.
Point-to-point from Buckskin Saddle (North Hilltop Road and West Buckskin Road) down into town, finishing at the south end of Lower Ross Park; the course was slightly adjusted for 2026 to meet Boston's elevation-drop limits. Course map ↗
Registration opens 2026-09-12. Registration opened September 12, 2026 at 6:15 am. Marathon pricing tiers: $40 on opening day, $60 Sep 13-Feb 14, $70 Feb 15-Apr 1, $80 Apr 2-Jul 4, $100 Jul 5-Aug 28, $120 at packet pickup. Registration is via RaceEntry. Register ↗
- Everyone rides buses to the start; no personal vehicles are allowed at the start lines. Marathon buses leave at 5:25 am. ↗
- The course drops roughly 1,960 feet against about 450 feet of climbing. ↗
- Times may be used to qualify for the Boston and New York marathons; the 2026 course was adjusted to meet Boston's elevation requirements. ↗
- 213 marathoners finished in 2026 and 251 in 2025. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.