Jonathan Kotter claimed first place in the 2026 Deseret News Marathon on July 24, 2026, finishing the 26.2-mile course with a chip time of 2:39:48. Kotter outpaced a competitive field of 548 participants to secure top honors in the overall, male, and division categories.
Kotter Secures Overall Victory
Kotter's victory was defined by a highly consistent performance and strategic speed endurance. According to race data from Laurel Intelligence, Kotter began the marathon with a steady pace of 6:42 min/mile for the first three miles before accelerating to 6:24 min/mile by mile five. A significant highlight of his race occurred at the 11-mile mark, where he reached a peak pace of 5:35 min/mile.
Throughout the middle and late stages of the race, Kotter maintained high-level speed. Following his mid-race surge, he recorded split times of 6:09 min/mile at mile 17 and 6:08 min/mile at mile 21. In the final stretch between miles 23 and 26, Kotter demonstrated strength by maintaining splits of 6:02, 5:50, and 6:18 min/mile to ensure his first-place finish. He concluded the race with an average pace of 6:05 min/mile.
Webb Earns Third Place Finish
Tanner Webb also delivered a notable performance during the July 24 event, finishing in third place overall. Webb completed the marathon with a chip time of 2:50:31, maintaining an average pace of 6:30 min/mile. His performance placed him third among the 548 total participants and third within the male category.
Webb's race was characterized by an aggressive mid-race strategy. While he began with a steady pace of 6:48 min/mile, he significantly increased his speed between miles 11 and 15, reaching an impressive pace of 5:56 min/mile. This surge allowed him to rank first in his M25-29 age division after the fourth mile and held him in second place overall for several segments of the race.
Late Race Split Analysis
While Webb's mid-race acceleration was a highlight, his split times showed a slight deceleration in the final stages of the marathon. After passing the 20-mile mark with a pace of 6:21 min/mile, his splits slowed to 6:25 min/mile between miles 23 and 24, and eventually reached 7:24 min/mile at mile 25. Despite this late-race shift, Webb maintained enough composure to secure his top-three overall standing.
Marathon Field Overview
The 2026 Deseret News Marathon featured a total of 548 participants across various divisions and genders. The event results, as documented by Laurel Intelligence, highlighted the diverse range of performances in the field, from Kotter's elite-level championship run to Webb's division-leading mid-race surge.
