The third edition of the REVEL Canyon City Marathon and Half-Marathon started on Saturday, November 12, 2016, under perfect conditions: clear, calm, dry, and cool. Thousands of runners enjoyed a remarkably beautiful course as they made their way through the forests and canyons of the Angeles National Forest to the finish area in the foothills of Azusa.

“It was awesome! A total first class race,” is how Lynda Neuman, who PRd in the half and won her age group, described the 2016 Canyon City race. Noting that she runs about 13 half-marathons per year, Lynda added “this is one of my favorite courses. I could not recommend it highly enough!! You cannot lose choosing this race -- it is one of the most well run and well supported races around!”

“AMAZING AND ASTONISHING,” said marathon finisher Luisa Rivas, adding “I love this race from beginning to end.” Luisa’s comments echoed those of hundreds of runners who finished in either the marathon or half-marathon: “very well organized…volunteers were awesome…and I'm loving my bling!”

The REVEL Canyon City Marathon and Half-Marathon, on November 12, 2016, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, was a remarkable success. In the marathon, runners began the race at the historic Crystal Lake Café, high in the San Gabriel Mountains. With stunning views of the Los Angeles area to the south and beautiful mountains all around, the marathoners were treated to gorgeous scenery of the San Gabriel Valley as they began the race.

Meanwhile, 13.1 miles ahead, the half-marathoners began their race amidst breathtaking views of the beautiful Azusa Canyon, San Gabriel and Morris Reservoirs, and the San Gabriel River.

Marathoners and half-marathoners alike were treated to spectacular views as they ran downhill towards the finish area in Azusa, finishing along the majestic palm-lined streets. Overall, the extremely fast and beautiful downhill course drew outstanding reviews from the marathoners and half-marathoners, and remarkable finish times from the overall winners in both events. First-time marathon finisher Don Aquino described the REVEL Canyon City Marathon as a “great event and location,” saying he “couldn't ask for a better place to try out my very first marathon.”

Top Finishers

Male Marathon Winner Jose Melina 2:33:49	Female Marathon Winner Jamie Kretz 2:55:38
Male Half Marathon Winner Gustavo Catiz 1:17:57	Female Half Marathon Winner Paige Nelson 1:22:07

The marathon winner was Jose Merino, 39, with a finishing gun time of 2:33:49. In second place was Angel Echevarria, 35, with a gun time finish of 2:41:16. Right on the heels of Echevarria was Robert Leonardo, 54, who finished third with a time of 2:41:45.

The top woman finisher in the marathon was Jamie Kretz, 26, with a gun time of 2:55:38. Sophia Chen, 40, was the second-place finisher in 3:01:41. In third place, with a time of 3:03:39, was Felicia Chen 40.

In the half-marathon Gustavo Catiz, 19, won with a gun time of 1:19:29. Pete Sakalowsky, 46, and Brian Duff, 40, rounded out the top 3 with gun time finishes of 1:17:57 and 1:18:08, respectively.

The winner in the women’s half-marathon was Paige Nelson, 28, with a gun time of 1:22:07. In second place, clocking a 1:25:57 finish, was Elizabeth Ben-Ishai, 35. Less than a minute behind was Jamie Cousatte, 43, in third place with a finishing gun time of 1:26:50.

Runners Praise the Overall Course and Race Organization

Heather OConnell, who ran returned to run the marathon a second time, praised Canyon City as a “spectacular race! Well organized, excellent support, beautiful course!” Heather’s advice to runners is to “RUN REVEL!!”

Marathon finisher Kristin Condie from New York called the Canyon City Marathon "the most fun marathon course I’ve experienced," adding "The scenery was spectacular!"

Michael Nemiroff, who ran a 14-minute PR in the marathon, gave high praise to the race all around: "Wow. From pre-race emails, to parking and CHARTERED buses, this race was top notch and seamless. As marathoners we have enough to stress about, and logistics shouldn't be one of them. REVEL was impeccable and I will certainly be back next year."

Dorothy Paxman, who ran beat her PR by 29 minutes in the half marathon, raved about the overall race: "Amazing! Beautiful perfect weather…I was mostly impressed by how well organized the race was and all the wonderful goodies we got. This was my first REVEL race and [I’m] ready to sign up for next year’s race."

William Biehl, who ran a 14-minute PR and qualified for Boston, lauded the race organization and volunteers, saying "Revel Team: I do a lot of endurance racing across multiple disciplines. Point to Point races are always challenged with getting participants to the right place and making their day enjoyable. You have done an incredible job communicating pre-race, race day, and post-race logistics. I never felt I didn't know what was going on and during the event, everything went extremely smooth. You did an excellent job!!"

Angie Menendez, who ran a 3-minute PR in the half, complimented the race extensively: "This race was organized very well. Everything from the website, the communications we received before, the expo, and finally the day of the race were handled perfectly. I loved the swag we got and the thought put into it - the gloves, blanket, beanie and even safety pins for your bib were all in your race packet. Parking was easy and plentiful. Buses were comfortable. Course was beautiful and well-marked. Volunteers were helpful and friendly. This is the first Revel race I've done and won't be the last!”

"This is an exceptionally well organized and managed race," said Jeremy Roche, who traveled from Massachusetts to run the marathon. “Everything was clockwork and the scenery is inspiring."

Byron Solberg, who ran a 20-minute PR in the marathon and beat his BQ time by over THREE HOURS in the Mobility Impaired Division, praised many aspects of the race organization, saying "Great logistics for the parking, transportation, bag pick-up, start, aid stations, number of bathrooms, finish …pizza! Apple pie!! Friendly photo people! Well stocked aid stations even for us at the back!!”

"The organization of this race was seamless," said Emma Cothren, who ran an 11-minute PR in the marathon and qualified for Boston. "From the shuttles to the bag check you guys did an amazing job. I also really appreciated the signs you put up throughout the course to motivate us,” she added.

Gordon Treadway gave high marks to the course and the volunteers, saying "Had a great time interacting with the people in the race. There were great people performing greatly on the race course. I was grateful for the kind volunteers and supporters along the race route--it's a bit like life, having people there periodically to lift you up and encourage you along your way."

Runners Praise the Beautiful Course

Jian Springs, who ran a 17-minute PR and qualified for Boston, praised the course simply as "fast," and "gorgeous."

Liselle Pires, who ran a PR in the marathon, called it a “gorgeous race,” adding that "the race is incredibly organized and stress free, compared to the popular Chicago/NYC/Philly" marathons.

Vladimir Badong ran his first REVEL half-marathon, saying “Totally impressed! Love the route and awesome views!"

Ann Tanner, who PRd in the marathon by 22 minutes, described the course as "beautiful and fast," and also complimented the race overall as “well organized [with] friendly volunteers, plenty of parking, nice medals.”

Melody Cato from Ohio called the half-marathon scenery “incredible,” and noted that her most memorable view was “seeing a Bald Eagle sitting in his nest!”

"GORGEOUS," said Melanie Edel, who ran the marathon. "Love, love, love the BREATHTAKING SCENERY of the course! I hope to run the REVEL Canyon City Marathon in L.A. again in the future! Thanks SO much to the organizers! Congratulations for a job extremely well done!"

Joseph Umana-Walker, who PRd in the marathon by 3 minutes and qualified for Boston 2018, complimented Canyon City as "world class,” noting that “the scenery was spectacular" on the “fun, challenging” course.

Chesed Bialon completed her first half-marathon, and described the course as "Fun, beautiful, and encouraging." Chesed added, "Beautiful. Downhill is the only way to do it!"

"Amazing! The scenery was spectacular!" said half-marathon finisher Angel Claudio, adding "I love this race."

"LOVED the course," said half-marathoner Alison McDonnell.

Runners Loved the Fast Course

“Fast and beautiful!” is how marathoner Chee Keong Tan summed up the course, happily noting “I PRed and BQed!”

Manuel Luna described the course in three words: “FAST, FAST, FAST!”

Ian Finlay, a first time half-marathoner, noted "The half marathon course was really nice. Beside the fact that it was great to be in the mountains, the elevation gains and losses were great. The mix of uphill and downhill during the first half, the consistent downhill during the second half, and the flat to finish the race made it a great setup."

Leah Jack, who ran a PR in the half-marathon, said "This is a fast and fun confidence-boosting course!"

Dan Murray summed up the half-marathon course as "Fantastic."

Sarah Evans echoed many other runners' comments with her description of the half-marathon course: "Beautiful, serene and calm and fast."

"Majestic and super fast!" added Lorna Willard.

Alberto Morales, who PRd in the half-marathon, said the course is "beautiful, fast, and fun!!"

Jane Santiago called the half-marathon course "AMAZING," adding “Well organized race day, and very happy to join Revel. I will do it again!”

Runners, Friends, and Families Enjoyed the Destination

Tiffany Moreno ran a PR in the marathon, and enjoyed traveling from Long Beach to the race, where she “had dinner in downtown Arcadia, which is a really cute town. I could see it being a little hipsterish in a few years.”

Marathon finisher Debra Vanberg, who described her race day as “a wonderful experience,” enjoyed the local dining and attractions, saying "[w]e had dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant down in old town and after dinner on Friday night we stopped at a crafts fair in one of your local parks and enjoyed some music and the beautiful warm Southern California evening.”