REVEL Mt Hood

Holly Mitchell

2018 REVEL Mt Hood Marathon
Published: July 30, 2018, 4:22 p.m.

Overall Rating

5/5 Stars
Describe your race day.

The scenery! The course is absolutely beautiful. More than once I wished I could slow down and take in the view.
Did you PR?

A 4 minute PR and my first time qualifying for Boston. The course and weather really helped me alot.
How would you describe the course?

The first half is downhill. Seriously downhill. Steep downhill that makes you feel like you are flying. The second half is rolling hills. The hills are harmless enough but if you've been pushing hard on the downhill you are really going to feel those small uphills.
Tell us about your training.

When I train for Mt Hood next time I will definitely incorporate more hills in my long run.
What advice would you give future runners?

1. Register early so you get an early wave. It was rather sunny and warm towards the end of my race and having started just 15 minutes earlier in wave 1 would have helped.
2. Don't be late for the bus. Be early. If you're early, there's no wait and no stress.
3. Personally, I went as fast as I could for the first half, taking full advantage of the downhill and letting my legs turnover as quick as I could. I wanted to have a time cushion to get me through the rolling hills of the second half. I made my BQ time with almost 5 minutes to spare so the strategy worked for me.
What fun things did you do in the area before or after the race?

Visit Portland and enjoy some good food.