Racing the Inaugural 2026 Great Glizzy Gauntlet

On Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, Keith competed in the inaugural 2026 Great Glizzy Gauntlet bike race. 10 Costcos 🌭 • 100 Miles 💯 • 3 Counties 3️⃣ • 1 Legendary Ride! 🚴‍♂️

What is the Great Glizzy Gauntlet? 🌭 ❓

The Great Glizzy Gauntlet race slogan says it all:

10 Costcos • 100 Miles • 3 Counties • 1 Legendary Ride

The primary goal of this race is to follow the designated route to each of the 10 Costco stores, starting in Orem, UT, and ending in Bountiful, UT. At each Costco, racers must purchase and consume one food item from the Costco food court, preferably a glizzy (i.e., hot dog 🌭). However, other food substitutions are available, such as massive pizza slices, a chicken bake, smoothies, cookies, etc.

Riding to the starting line 🚴‍♂️ 🌅

At 9:00 AM, Keith pedaled from our home in Orem, UT, to the first Costco, following the designated route from the Orem Central Station to the Orem Costco. Keith met up with about a dozen other racers who were exiting the FrontRunner train to make their way to the start. After a 3-mile, mostly uphill ride, Keith had reached the starting point of the race.

The official grand depart 🌭 😄

Keith was shocked to see roughly 150-200 racers had shown up at the Orem, UT, Costco for this inaugural event! 🤯 There were racers and bikes everywhere in the Costco parking lot. Based on the rider turnout, Keith knew that this would be a fun race.

Keith then headed into Costco to get his first glizzy 🌭 1️⃣ before the official 10:00 AM departure. It was very helpful to be able to purchase and eat the first hot dog ahead of the official start time. Otherwise, the Costco food court would have been overwhelmed by all of the racers ordering glizzies at the same time.

A fast start on familiar trails 🚀 🚲

The racers started fast!!! 🚀 So fast, Keith set several personal bests on sections of the bike trails that he rides regularly. The route took the riders along some of Keith's favorite local bike trails, including the Provo River Trail and Murdock Canal Trail.

Eventually, the pace slowed as the racers started to settle into groups. Keith found himself stuck between faster and slower groups, which meant he wouldn't be able to draft off the other racers. Fortunately, he was able to catch up with a few of the faster racers, which helped push him through to the first couple of stops.

The second Costco along the route was in Lehi, UT, at the 20.8-mile (33.5-kilometer) mark. This distance had given Keith's stomach plenty of time to digest the first glizzy before he purchased and consumed the second. 🌭 2️⃣ So far, Keith was feeling great. His stomach was handling the hot dogs without issue, and his legs survived the fast start. 😅

Heading to the west side 🏜️😎

Costco numbers three and four are located on the west side of I-15 in Saratoga Springs, UT, and Riverton, UT. So, Keith made his way through historic downtown Lehi, UT, toward Saratoga Springs, UT.

Costco number three was only 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometers) away from Costco number two. This meant that Keith's stomach had very little time to digest the glizzy 🌭 that he had just eaten in Lehi, UT. However, it was still early in the race, so Keith had no trouble consuming his third glizzy! 🌭 3️⃣

Costco number four, in Riverton, UT, was a solid 15.9 miles (25.6 kilometers) away from Costco number three. This was a relief as it gave Keith's stomach additional time to digest all of the glizzies he had eaten so far. This section also included the vast majority of the day's climbing, including the steep, punchy climb on the Jordan River Trail near Thanksgiving Point.

The fourth glizzy went down without issue. 🌭 4️⃣ Keith was surprised that he was still able to consume glizzies without feeling the least bit nauseous. He had assumed that the hot dogs would start causing him gastrointestinal distress by this point. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. 😌

The toughest two stops of the day 5️⃣ 6️⃣ 🤢

Costco numbers five and six were the toughest stops of the day, by far! Costco number five is located in South Jordan, UT, and was a mere 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from Costco number four. Keith managed to order and consume his fifth glizzy 🌭 5️⃣, but eating this one was quite a bit more difficult than the prior four.

Keith then crossed back over to the east side of I-15 to Costco number 6 in Sandy, UT. This sixth Costco stop was only 5.1 miles (8.2 kilometers) from Costco number 5. Keith stuck with his plan to eat only glizzies, so he ordered and ate the sixth hot dog of the day. 🌭 6️⃣

This glizzy was hard to stomach, literally. 🤢 Keith was on his sixth total hot dog of the day and had consumed three of those hot dogs in less than a 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch. This was definitely not enough time for Keith's body to digest any significant portion of the glizzies he had recently consumed. So, Keith could really feel all the hot dog meat stacking up. However, Keith knew that he just needed to make it through this tough section and then things would start to get easier again. 🤞

Pushing on to Salt Lake City 🏙️ 🚦

The next three Costco stops were all located on the south side of Salt Lake City, UT. This was the farthest north of our home that Keith had ever ridden, so he was excited to see new (to him) parts of the Jordan River Trail and other aspects of the route.

Costco number seven is located in Murray, UT, which was 12.6 miles (20.3 kilometers) from Costco number six. It was nice to have a longer distance between Costcos to give Keith's body a chance to recover. It's weird to say that pedaling a longer distance was a way to "recover". 🤣 At this stop, Keith continued with his plan, so he purchased and consumed a seventh glizzy. 🌭 7️⃣

Keith then made his way to Costco number 8, which is located in West Valley, UT. This Costco stop was only 6.3 miles (10.1 kilometers) from Costco number seven. This meant that once again, Keith would need to eat another glizzy before his body had a chance to begin processing the previous glizzy. This was quite a challenge for Keith, but he managed to finish off his eighth hot dog of the day! 🌭 8️⃣

After forcing down the eighth hot dog, Keith pedaled for another 8.2 miles (13.2 kilometers) to the Salt Lake City, UT, Costco location. This was the first time that Keith had ever ridden his bike through a major city. Fortunately, he had met up with a few other racers, so they were able to navigate as a group throughout the heavily trafficked areas. Keith then ordered and consumed his ninth glizzy of the day, which went down surprisingly well. 🌭 9️⃣

Racing the clock to the finish 🕖 😅

Keith was excited about his progress so far, but he knew that he still had a 20.4-mile (32.8-kilometer) stretch between himself and the tenth and final Costco. The distance was not the concern; it was the time it would take to cover that distance. As Keith was finishing his ninth glizzy, he looked at his watch and realized that he had less than an hour and a half to cover that distance.

Up to this point, Keith had been treated to a slight tailwind for the majority of the day. However, that all changed as Keith left the ninth Costco. The winds had shifted from southerly to northerly, resulting in a strong headwind for the vast majority of the final stretch. Keith was determined to reach that final Costco on time, so he tucked into his aero bars as much as he could and gave it everything that he had left in him!

The final section of the route along the Jordan River Trail and Legacy Parkway Trail was quite beautiful. The remote salt marshes were a stark contrast to the bustling city that Keith had just left behind. Unfortunately, Keith didn't have much time to enjoy his surroundings since he was pedaling so hard to reach the final Costco before the 7:00 PM closing time.

Keith arrived at the tenth and final Costco at approximately 7:10 PM. Keith rushed into the store to find one food court kiosk still operational! 😅 Keith placed his final order for the tenth and final glizzy 🌭 along with a celebratory ice cream cup 🍨. A few moments later, his food arrived, and he went back outside to eat his final meal of the day and celebrate the completion of this unique race.

As much as Keith wanted to, he just couldn't eat that tenth and final glizzy! 🌭 🔟 🚫 The thought of eating yet another hot dog was making Keith's stomach turn. 🤮 So, he only ate the ice cream cup, 🍨 which was delicious and refreshing, to complete the challenge of eating at all ten Costco locations. 🥳

Riding the FrontRunner train home 🚆 🛤️

After a short break, Keith made his way to the FrontRunner train station in Woods Cross, UT. Keith then boarded the train with about twenty other racers who were also heading home.

This was Keith's first time riding on any of the UTA train systems, and it was quite an enjoyable experience. The train ride was smooth, quiet, and a convenient way to get back home.

The final race results 🏅🎉

The final race results were tallied over the next few days as racers submitted their GPX tracking files and food order receipts. After all the results were in, Keith placed 29th overall!!! Keith was very proud of this result, especially considering that he raced on his mountain bike while most other racers were on fast, aerodynamic road bikes.

Below are some fun statistics/metrics from the race:

• Nearly 200 racers started the race in Orem, UT.
• Only 70 racers submitted ride results for verification.
• Only 45 racers reached all 10 Costcos.
• Only 33 racers successfully ate a food item at all 10 Costcos.
• Only 9 racers successfully ate glizzies at all 10 Costcos, attaining the "Hot Dog Purist" 🌭 achievement.
• Only 1 racer finished in sub-seven hours, attaining the "Speed Demon" 🚀 achievement.

Will I ever participate in this race again? 🤔 🌭

After all this, would I ever compete in this race again? Well, I'm not 100% sure yet... but, yeah... I think I would! This race was so much fun!!!

I met a lot of interesting people along the way, including a couple on a tandem, a dad and son on a tandem, a single-speeder, and numerous other riders having the time of their lives. The stoke for this race was contagious, and it was hard not to have a good time out there. If I were to race again, I'm not sure if I would want to go for the "Hot Dog Purist" achievement or if I would want to try some of the other menu items and mix it up a bit.

Wrapping up

I want to say thanks to Leopold Marx, the organizer of this wonderful event! 👏 Without his inspiration, time, and attention to detail, this race would not have been possible. THANK YOU!!!

Subscribe to our blog so that you don't miss out on Keith's other bike racing attempts and adventures.

So, what did you think of the 2026 Great Glizzy Gauntlet race? Would you ever compete in a race like this? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬