Kathy McElhaney

2015 REVEL Canyon City Marathon
Published: Nov. 8, 2015, 6:29 a.m.
  1. Overall Rating

    5/5 Stars

  2. Describe your race day.

    This was a beautiful course with amazing staffing and volunteers! Everything was so well organized, all the email communication was very helpful. The volunteers at the later water stops with jugs of water to top off any water bottles was genius! I've stood at water stops pouring half cups of water into my water bottle too many times.

    Also, the runners on this race were the friendliest I have ever run with. So many ran by and encouraged me. During the final tough miles, I never felt alone, there was always someone to chat or commiserate with! More than once I saw someone stop to stretch and always other runners would say, "Are you okay?" From first time marathoners to those who have run dozens, people were just friendly on the bus, at the start, and during the race.

  3. Did you PR?

    Yes! I set a new PR by 7:02. I didn't BQ, but I'm really proud of my race,

  4. How would you describe the course?

    The San Gabriel Mountains are just beautiful. It was cool at the start, but with the sun in our face most of the day, layers were quickly dropped. The first half flew by with over 4,000' of elevation loss, but the second half killed my legs! It was definitely tough.

  5. Tell us about your training.

    I did one long training run on the course - 16 miles, so I knew hills would be coming - that really helped mentally. I wish I had done 20 miles on the course!

  6. What advice would you give future runners?

    We stayed at the DoubleTree in Monrovia - about 9 miles from the start. It was really nice and bagged breakfasts were ready at 4:00. There was plenty of parking at the college and the buses were ready and waiting.
    Friday night we had pizza at Avolio's in Covina (conveniently located between the expo and our hotel.)
    Course tip: This is NOT all downhill. While there is minimal elevation gain, after 14 miles of downhill, even the smallest hill will feel like Mount Everest! Don't go out too fast, my legs were really beat up.
    Take an extra layer that you don't mind tossing on the road after a few miles. It's chilly at the top, I was shivering with two layers on, but warmed up quickly.

  7. What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

    We only live about an hour away, so after receiving my medal, the awesome cold towel and water, a few pictures, and my drop bag, we drove home. Our spa was heated and waiting!

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