SALT LAKE CITY — It was back in 2011 when Jonathan Kotter first made Deseret News Marathon history.
Then, as a 26-year old BYU law student, Kotter claimed first place in the race he would later call a "family tradition," etching his name in the marathon’s record books.
Following that victory, Kotter told the Deseret News that he’d like to keep running in the race.
It had sentimental value for him — his dad ran in the marathon while Kotter was growing up — and distance running was an altogether enjoyable experience for the former Alta Hawk.
“Running is always great,” Kotter said a few years ago. “You feel a sense of accomplishment and competition whether you take first place or not. It's just a lot of fun. I'll keep running for a while, but we'll see what happens.”
Fast forward eight years and the race all but belongs to him.
Kotter won his fifth consecutive Deseret News Marathon Wednesday morning, finishing with a time of 2:26:14.3. Fritz Van de Kamp came in second place with a time of 2:30:18, followed by Daniel Bishop (2:36:49.5).
Today was really tough. Fritz (Van de Camp) took it out super hard. He really challenged me early on and that made it a real slugfest all the way to the finish. – Marathon winner Jonathan Kotter
The win was Kotter’s seventh all-time (2011, ‘13, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18 and ‘19) and arguably the most difficult to date.
Van de Kamp, a marathon winner in 2012 and ‘14, made life difficult on Kotter from the outset.
“Today was really tough,” Kotter admitted. “Fritz took it out super hard. He really challenged me early on and that made it a real slugfest all the way to the finish.”
With family members lining the closing stretches of the course, Kotter was able to pull away from the competition.
“It was awesome,” he said. “It was great having family there at the end. This was a tough race, but it is always satisfying. This (marathon) is one of my favorites. I have a few others that I run every year — this year I am going down to St. George and I’m doing Utah Valley — but this is one I never miss.”
With his fifth consecutive victory in tow, Kotter is just two wins away from tying the all-time mark, both in consecutive wins and total victories, both of which were set by Demetrio Cabanillas.
Cabanillas won seven straight marathons from 1976 to 1982 and added two other titles in 1984 and 1987, for nine victories overall.
“You know, it would be awesome,” Kotter said, in regards to breaking Cabanillas’ records. “I don’t know if I can do it — I am getting old and slow — but I’ll do what I can. I like to push myself to the limit.”
In the women’s race, 28-year-old Jamie Alvizo, a resident of Saratoga Springs, claimed first prize with a time of 3:22:50.2. Park City's Caitlin van den Berg (3:24:16.2) took second, while Layton's Lisa Winmill (3:26:15.5) finished third.
The marathon was the first ever run by Alvizo, the cross-country coach at Skyridge High School, and she was inspired to run it by one of her Falcons.
“I am big into running,” Alvizo said. “I ran at SUU (Southern Utah University). I just had never done a marathon before, but I had an athlete who did this one last year and recommended it. I thought, 'Sweet, I’ll try it.’ I finally decided to try one out.”
Not one to run just for running’s sake, Alvizo had every intention on winning in her marathon debut.
“I kind of set a goal to win it,” she said. “I am not one to say ‘I want to do a marathon to do a marathon.’ I have always been a competitor and I looked at the times from last year and I thought, ‘You know, that should be my goal, to try to win.'"
Just two weeks before the race, however, Alvizo had a hip injury, which she thought might ruin her chances at first place.
“Two weeks ago, I kind of hurt my hip so I slowed my pace down,” she said.
I am not one to say ‘I want to do a marathon to do a marathon.’ I have always been a competitor and I looked at the times from last year and I thought, ‘You know, that should be my goal, to try to win.' – Women's winner Jamie Alvizo
That was, until mile 16 of the Pioneer Day showcase, when an unknown onlooker made it clear that she was in second place, and had a real chance to win.
“Someone from a random car yelled, ‘You’re in second!’ and I was like ‘Oh, really?’ At that point I stopped focusing on pace and just ran for place,” she said.
Buoyed by the cheers of more than a few of the athletes she coaches, Alvizo proved among the best the race had to offer.
“Many of my athletes came, so it was so nice when I got to the end, they were there to support me,” she said. “That gave me a boost."
As for her marathon debut, "It was so fun," she said.