A March In Remembrance: The Gunnison Gut Check

Orem, Utah – September 12, 2026

The Gunnison Gut Check is a march to remember the sacrifices made during 9/11 by first responders and veterans. It has been a year since Charlie Kirk was shot on UVU’s campus and a quarter of a century since 9/11. Since 2001, there have been massive numbers of parades and museums that ask us to remember.

The profit of the Gut Check goes to charities that help those who served, one of which is a UVU charity. This march is a big donor of UVU Veteran Success Center/MASH. This is the ninth Gut Check and will take place on Saturday, September 12th. The race was named a “Gut Check” because a Gut Check is a personal challenge that comes with a resolve to overcome.

This is an opportunity for UVU students to develop a deeper understanding of the sacrifices that have been made. Since 70% of UVU students are under the age of twenty-five, most students do not have their own memories of 9/11 (Utah Valley University). Attending events like the Gut Check is a way one can honor those who have served.

Before the race starts, people gather for the Big Betsy Ceremony. This ceremony is the unfurling of a huge American flag. Mackenzie from UVU MASH says, “It is truly an inspiring sight getting Big Betsy [out] takes about 100 people.” The race then starts at the odd time of 6:47 am. They chose this time since that was the time the first Twin Tower was struck. This is a race in remembrance of the sacrifices of 9/11 and the service that brought America together. They want people to think about the events during the course.

This course is very peaceful and gives the racers time to reflect on themselves. There is a full march and a mini march that one can do. Some people compete in teams, some are soloists, some choose to do heavy weights, and some choose the lightest weight to march with. “The routes will consist of dirt roads and mountain-type terrain, 1300 ft in elevation change” (Gunnison Gut Check). There will be first aid, water, and fruit stations throughout the course.

The Gunnison Gut Check really brings people together. The community around the race is friendly and tight. This event is for everyone; people who have done it once come back to do it again. There is a veteran in a wheelchair who does it every year; families will do the marches together, and even Mackenzie has done it with her children. She says, “It’s an event where everyone comes together”.

“This march is a way we honor their sacrifice,” Justen Muller, the organizer of the Gunnison Gut Check, states, "We have many veterans do this march. It is a patriotic way to say thank you for their service.” The best advice he could give to a first-time marcher is “don’t listen to the person in the mirror that says you can’t do it.” Justen says the message that he wants people to leave this race with is “that they are stronger than they think they are… and we, Americans, are stronger together”.

Utah Valley University. (2022, October 17). Utah Valley University fall enrollment tops D43,000 students. UVU News. https://www.uvu.edu/news/2022/10/2022_10_17_enrollment.html

Gunnison Gut Check. (2026). 2026 Gunnison Gut Check in Gunnison, UT – Details, registration, and results. ITS YOUR RACE. https://gutcheck.itsyourrace.com/