BYU-Utah rivalry inspires brothers' 'Holy Ultra' race from the Y to the U

SALT LAKE CITY — Two brothers are gearing up for the BYU-Utah football game this weekend in a unique way — by running 55 miles from the "Y" to the "U."

Christian and Thomas Hales, of Millcreek, grew up in what they describe as a "divided household."

"My younger brother and I both went to BYU, but my dad works at the U., and two of our sisters went to the U.," Christian Hales told KSL. "One set of grandparents went to BYU, one set went to the U. Our family has had people on both sides, but it's been very friendly."

Having grown up seeing what a friendly rivalry looks like, the brothers decided they wanted to add to the tradition this game day with a race they are calling the Holy Ultra.

"This last year, my brother and I started getting into ultra-running," Christian Hales said. "We had the idea of, 'Oh, it would be really cool to do a race where runners can participate in the rivalry in an interesting way.'"

The two mapped a route that starts at the base of the "Y" on Y Mountain in Provo and ends at the "U," located on the western slope of Mount Van Cott in the foothills above the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City.

The brothers tested the course in May. Christian Hales said it was a lot of fun and less difficult than he expected.

The course primarily winds through cities in Utah and Salt Lake counties. It is entirely self-supported, with local convenience stores and gas stations serving as impromptu aid stations along the way.

"It goes through Utah Valley on the Murdock Canal Trail and then goes through Salt Lake," Hales said. "People can stop at 7-Eleven along the way. There's never going to be a place where you don't have access to a bathroom or anything like that, so we thought it would be kind of a fun way to organize it."

The race will take place on game day, Nov. 7, with two heats. The first starts at midnight for runners who want to finish before kickoff, and the second begins at 5 a.m. for those who do not mind listening to the game along the way. Runners can participate solo or as part of a relay team.

Because this is the race's inaugural year, Hales said the event is unofficial. Registration requires a $25 fee to cover the cost of participant swag. While there will be no official timing, participants are asked to indicate which team they are rooting for when they register.

Following the matchup, the participant tally will be added to the final football game score to determine "the real winner of the Holy War."

As of Wednesday afternoon, 19 BYU fans and three Utah fans had signed up for the race.

"Given the response, we're feeling pretty confident that this could turn into a regular race," Hales said.

Anyone interested can sign up at holyultra.com.