REVEL Mt Hood

William Kesel

2018 REVEL Mt Hood Marathon
Published: July 31, 2018, 8:38 p.m.

Overall Rating

4/5 Stars
Describe your race day.

I was worried about the heat. Fortunately, I was able to get into the first wave. Beautiful course. Fav part was around Government Camp, where the temp was coolest and the grade was not steep, but still had a downhill feel; plus very shaded. The last 8 miles were the most difficult, since there was more rolling terrain and the sun started beating down.

My wife took the bus from Sandy HS to meet me at the finish, and she said it was a nitemare, due to the fact that she was stuck for 20 minutes(?) and was afraid she would miss me finishing. People on the bus were very upset over this. Perhaps allowing people to get off the bus and proceed on foot might fix this?
Did you PR?

Yes. Beat my PR by two minutes. 4th BQ attempt and it was successful, with a 7:30 spare.
How would you describe the course?

Steep at parts, but not as steep as the Big Cottonwood. After about mile 16, my perception was that it was not really downhill, but flat to up. According to the course profile, it should have felt downhill the whole way, but perception is reality, right?
Tell us about your training.

I did the advanced Hanson's training program. Highly recommend it- I came into the race injury-free.
What advice would you give future runners?

Incorporate downhill training
What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

We stayed at the Timberline Lodge, which made getting to the start quite easy. We travelled from Roanoke, VA.