SALT LAKE CITY — As I ran the early miles of the 2012 Boston Marathon in April, something special caught my eye. It wasn’t a mirage or a hallucination – much too early for that. No, it was an ad for the Utah Valley Marathon.

Amidst a sea of strangers, it was a welcome taste of home.

The 2012 Utah Valley Marathon on June 9 was my third time running the race. I was running as part of the Utah Grand Slam challenge and can confidently say each year gets better. At only five years old, it’s already attracting a talented pool of runners.

In many ways, this is the goal of UVM. It begins by offering a discount to all Boston qualifiers. The cash prizes have been hefty enough to attract not just runners from around the country, but from around the world, including course record holder Hillary Cheruiyot from Kenya.

The course itself encourages fast times with a generous amount of downhill. My warning to future entrants is this is touted as a downhill course, and it is, but there are some hefty uphill areas to battle as well. I like to think of it as a nice break for the quads and knees, but it can be a shock for those not prepared.

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It's inevitable. At some point during every race I've ever run, I hit a dark patch where I start to question my sanity. I even question my own strength. I contemplate quitting and even fantasize about riding to the finish line in a comfy stretcher, waving to all the other runners stupid enough to finish on foot.

There are plenty of pacers to help runners achieve their time goals. This year I ran the last few miles right behind the 3:10 pacer and happily discovered he was right on target. The half marathon also offered pacers.

For all finishers who achieve qualifying standards for the Boston Marathon, a “Boston Qualifier” tech shirt is awarded so you can brag about your achievement to everyone in eyesight.

Yes, this is the place to run a fast race.

In the past, racers have met with high temperatures, so organizers responded by starting the race earlier. This bleary-eyed runner caught the shuttle to the starting line at 3:45 a.m. The girl beside me fell asleep with a Diet Coke in her hand and woke to find it had spilled all over my sweats. At least we were awake.

The starting area was greatly improved compared to last year with plenty of room to spread out. The temperature was warmer, so finding open space around roaring fires wasn’t a problem, but there were plenty of fires for those who wanted to stay toasty.

I found my own little patch of earth and waited for the start. As always, nerves set in. Because I’d met my goal for the year when running the Ogden Marathon three weeks earlier, I didn’t have a goal for this race. I reminded myself of that, took a deep breath, and we were off.

The starting line was congested but thinned out fairly quickly. The mood was more festive with the Marathon Maniac reunion.

The course starts in the middle of the beautiful rural countryside in Wallsburg, where we ran with an array of animals, including horses excited by the commotion passing them.

As we approached Deer Creek Reservoir, the small talk quieted down as we attacked our first series of hills. I knew better than to waste my energy charging up and happily let others pass me. I would see most of them around mile 20 when I passed them. There were some gusty headwinds pushing us back, and I wasn’t about to go to battle yet.

When we reached the halfway mark, which is also the half marathon start line, I reflected on the fact that many of those runners were done. I would argue they were also much smarter than I.

I couldn’t describe much we saw at this point. I was solely focused on keeping a steady pace through some gently rolling hills. I chuckled to myself around mile 16 as we lit up another uphill section when a man running near me started swearing at another runner who had told him this was a downhill race.

Mile 21 we exited the canyon and headed in a straight line toward the finish line. From this point on I chanted the mile ahead in my mind. I began to see runners who had passed me earlier. Knowing I had saved just a little in my tank, I started to pick it up.

Mile 25 I could see the finish line in the distance. It really is a straight line for five miles. For much of that last mile, it felt like the finish banner was actually moving away from me. Then I heard the cheers. I looked to my left and saw my friends Rick and Elfi. Actually, I heard them long before I saw them.

I looked to my right and saw my husband and girls. Their screams and excitement almost threw me over the finish mats. I don’t know when I smiled so big at a finish line. I looked at my watch and was shocked. I ran a 3:10, a personal best on this course and my second best time ever. What made smile even bigger was the fact that I was in one piece and feeling pretty good.

We celebrated in the spacious finisher’s area with Creamies and the Kids 1K race, a welcome addition to the UVM schedule, which also includes the half, 10K and X-Country races. It was fun for the whole family.

When I had seen that little piece of home thousands of miles away in Boston, I had pictured myself running down cooler canyons, on familiar roads, with friends and family. It took my mind off the sweltering heat and little bits of loneliness I felt.

Boston is special, but there really is no place like home.

Kim Cowart is a wife, mother, 24-Hour Fitness instructor and marathoner who is grateful today for the hills she usually curses on her morning runs. Read more of her work on the Deseret News blog, Reasons to Run.

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