Running in the Welsh Capital of America

Walk through the cemetery on the edge of Malad City and the names on the headstones tell the story: Davis, Evans, Jones, Williams, Thomas, Pugh, Llewellyn, Howells. This is the Welsh capital of America, and you can run a marathon through it.

How a Welsh town ended up in Idaho

In the 1860s a wave of Welsh converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emigrated from south Wales to the American West. A large contingent settled in the Malad Valley starting around 1864, drawn by the open ranching land and the river. The annual Welsh festival is a long-running local tradition, and Malad still claims the highest concentration of residents of Welsh ancestry of any town outside Wales itself.

What you see when you visit

• The Welsh Festival every June, with traditional dancing, food, and a parade.
• The Oneida Pioneer Museum at 27 Bannock Street, where the Welsh heritage exhibits include immigration records, hymnals, and photos.
• The Malad Valley Welsh Choir, which performs at the festival and other community events through the year.

Why this matters for a marathon

If you are collecting marathon experiences, the Welsh heritage of Malad gives you a cultural memory you cannot get anywhere else in the American running calendar.

For runners of Welsh descent

If you have Davis or Evans or Jones in your family tree, you might literally be running through your own ancestry. The museum staff are happy to help look up family connections during race weekend, and the original settler records from the 1860s are well preserved. Worth the 30 minutes.

Plan the weekend around it

Friday afternoon: arrive, packet pickup at Malad City Park, walk Main Street, visit the museum. Saturday: race. Saturday evening: stay for the post-race finish-line program. Sunday morning: church service in one of the historic chapels if you are inclined, or a slow drive home through the upper valley.

Register

Pick your distance and run through one of the most distinctive small towns in the American West. Race day is Saturday, September 12, 2026.

Croeso i Malad. Welcome to Malad.