Before kickoff of this year's BYU-Utah football game on Saturday, a different kind of rivalry showdown will already be underway on foot. The Holy Ultra, a new 55-mile race stretching from BYU's iconic Y to the University of Utah's U, sends runners on a self-supported trek between the two campuses, with two separate start times timed around the game itself.
A Race Born From a Divided Household
The event is the brainchild of Millcreek brothers Christian and Thomas Hales, who grew up in a household split between BYU and Utah fandom, according to KSL. Christian Hales said he and his younger brother both ended up attending BYU, but the family's loyalties never fully aligned. “Our family has had people on both sides, but it's been very friendly,” Hales told the outlet. The brothers got into ultra-running in 2025 and decided to channel that hobby into a new way for fans to take part in the rivalry, KSL reports.
The course runs from the base of the Y on Y Mountain in Provo to the U, perched on the western slope of Mount Van Cott above the Utah campus in Salt Lake City, per the same KSL account. Along the way, it winds through cities in Utah and Salt Lake counties, following the Murdock Canal Trail through Utah Valley before continuing north into Salt Lake. Hales said he and his brother test-ran the course in May and found it more manageable than expected, calling it “fun and less difficult” than he anticipated, the station reported.
No Aid Stations, But Plenty of 7-Elevens
Unlike traditional ultramarathons, the Holy Ultra offers no official support crew. The race's website, Holy Ultra, states plainly that the event is “100% self-crewed, so there will be no official aid stations, although there are plenty of places to stop along the way,” adding that the route itself is only suggested rather than fixed. Hales told the station that runners can rely on convenience stores and gas stations as informal pit stops, noting that bathrooms and snacks are available at 7-Eleven locations along the way.
Runners can sign up solo or as part of a relay team, and the race organizers are leaning hard into the rivalry theme. According to the Holy Ultra website, participants are asked to indicate which school they support, and those tallies will be tacked onto the final score of the BYU-Utah football game to help determine what organizers call the real winner of the Holy War. Points get assigned both for placing and for simply finishing, the site notes, though there is no official timing system in place for the inaugural race.
Two Starts Built Around Kickoff
Saturday's race features two separate heats timed to the football schedule. The first wave leaves at midnight for runners hoping to cross the finish line before kickoff, while a second group starts at 5 a.m. for those who do not mind listening to the game unfold on the run, KSL reported. Registration runs $25 per runner and includes some form of swag, according to the Holy Ultra site, and sign-ups are open at holyultra.com.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 19 BYU fans and three Utah fans had registered for the race, per KSL's reporting. Hales said that turnout has him optimistic about the event's future. “We're feeling pretty confident that this could turn into a regular race,” he told the outlet. For now, the Holy Ultra remains unofficial in its first year, but it gives Cougar and Ute faithful alike one more reason to log some serious miles before Saturday's rivalry game even begins.
