BYU-Idaho Radio · Teton Dam Marathon and Virtual Race
The Teton Dam Marathon is this Saturday, September 26. The marathon is in remembrance of the day the Teton River Dam broke on June 5, 1976. The catastrophe caused $500 million in damages, killed 11 people and caused thousands of locals to suddenly become homeless.
Every year, hundreds of people run in remembrance of that day. The starting place of the marathon is at the Teton Dam site. This year, the race will look a little different. Only the marathon race will be in-person, while the half-marathon, 10k, 5k and kids race will be virtual.
“The marathon is the only one [in person]. It has the least amount of runners. They also travel the farthest. We didn’t want to cancel on them last minute. With [the marathon having] the least amount of runners per group, we can spread them out and follow the guidelines right now,” said Jon Faldmo, race director for the Teton Dam Marathon.
The rest of the virtual races will be connected through an exercise app called Strava. Participants will run the time and place of their choosing, and can record their times and distances through the app.
“We’re going to have it run through Strava, so you can kind of compete and see what other runners are doing and maybe get out and see how you’re running compared to your fellow runners,” said Faldmo.
Race and volunteer registration are available until Friday, September 25. More information about the races and registration is online at rexburgraces.com.