If you ask Jonathan Kotter what he did on Pioneer Day of a given year, there’s a good chance he can answer precisely. He was most likely at the top of the podium at the Deseret News Marathon.
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The last few years have been the exception. He dealt with injuries in several consecutive years, and shortly before that a wrong turn during the race hurt his time.
On Friday, though, the 41-year-old reclaimed his title with a time of 2:39:48 — his first win since 2022.
“Father Time is undefeated, so I feel like I just got a little lucky,” Kotter told the Deseret News after the race. “I did my best not to push too hard in training and came into it just about right, I think.”
“Not pushing too hard,” by Kotter’s definition, means running about 80 miles a week — a day or two with several short runs, and long runs every Saturday. The “secret sauce,” he says, is running with friends who are faster than him.
There aren’t many who can claim to be faster than an eight-time champion of one of Utah’s most competitive races, but Kotter says most of his running buddies are current Olympians and fellow BYU products (Kotter ran at BYU from 2006-2010).
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“They’re very merciful, usually, to me, so I just run with them,” he said.
Kotter averaged 6:05 per mile Friday, never reaching a checkpoint in any place but first or second. But even after so much success in this marathon and others, the feeling of winning never gets old for Kotter.
“Every time is like the first time,” he said. “It’s a magical, special feeling. Coming down on the parade route, all the great spectators, and it’s always like a blue ribbon crew that’s running all this, so honestly, it’s something you can’t take for granted. It’s awesome every time.”
Friday was Kotter’s biggest race of this summer, though he has plans to run a couple more races in the fall. He also hopes to be able to volunteer at the Deseret News Marathon in the future.
Rounding out the rest of the podium were 23-year-old McKay Larsen (2:42:43), who finished second, and 27-year-old Tanner Webb in third (2:50:31).
Kotter was the oldest runner in the top 10 on the men’s side of the race. His advice to others who want to achieve elite marathon results?
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“Get a lot of good people to support you,” he said, “and never give up.”
For complete race results, click here.