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Becca Warthen
2015 REVEL Canyon City Marathon
Published: Nov. 7, 2015, 10:49 p.m. 
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Overall Rating
5/5 Stars
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Describe your race day.
Let me tell you, Revel knows how to put on a race. The event was perfectly orderly, perfectly run. They thought of every detail and then some. The expo was smooth, the shirts are fantastic, shuttling up the canyon was punctual and smooth, the miles were clearly marked, the encouraging signs along the way either made me emotional or made me laugh, the aid stations were plentiful and helpful, the volunteers were cheery, the finish line was loud and supportive, and the medal was huge and heavy. This was my first marathon and it was a FANTASTIC experience. I couldn't be happier.
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Did you PR?
Well, it was my first, so yes! And I got within five minutes of my goal time.
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How would you describe the course?
Downhill downhill downhill. The first 13 miles are almost brutally steep if you haven't trained for it. The few uphill sections almost came as a relief because I got to rest my "downhill muscles" and use a fresh, different muscle set to climb. But the course was gorgeous, with wide, winding switchbacks and sweeping vistas of the canyon and valley below.
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Tell us about your training.
I was actually training for the Santa Barbara Marathon (to be held the same day as Canyon City), but it was cancelled three weeks before the race. Someone suggested this one and I hopped on board. But because of this, my training had been focused a lot more on elevation gain and hillwork, so I was not prepared for the severe downhill (I simply didn't have time to change my training strategy). But I have been running for several years and marathon training for four months (my longest run was 22 miles), so I felt prepared. I never hit the wall and I ended the race with energy. But if I do this or another Revel race in the future, I'll definitely work out the muscle groups specific to downhill running.
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What advice would you give future runners?
Bring layers for the start line. If you want coffee/hot chocolate at the start line, you have to buy it from the cafe; it's not provided (this was a little ambiguous in the email). Take the first half slower than the second half; resist the urge to bolt out of the starting gate faster than you've planned. Anticipate a few [totally doable] uphill sections. Smile for the camera.
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What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?
Our family came down from the San Francisco Bay Area. We ate at City Cafe the night before and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had to leave really quickly after the race to get home, but we enjoyed the area.
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