5/5 Stars

5/5 Stars

The race day started great! Bus loading was easy, shuttling to parking was easy, volunteers and organization of the race and finish line was fantastic!
I was worried at the start when the race didn't start on time, and that it would get too hot during the final miles. But that didn't happen and it stayed cool enough (only poured 2 cups of water on my head during the final miles).
The aid stations were great, the volunteers were great, and the running was fast on the course!

I got a PR, shaving over 2 and a half minutes off my previous PR! I ran a 3:02:28! And I qualified for Boston!

The course was fantastic! I broke the course up into 3 main segments. The first 4 miles, miles 5-25, and the last 1.2 miles to the finish. The first four were challenging with the ascents. So I took them conservatively. The goal was to run based on effort and not on pace. So I ran a bit slower to start the first 4 miles, and then the pace picked up running the next 21 downhill! I loved the whole downhill section, and then had a bit of work to do on the last mile.
The scenery was gorgeous! Starting in the trees and mountains was great and then being able to see the views our toward Tucson I always made sure to look out for. I really liked the hoodoo and rocky areas before coming down into the saguaros that dotted the mountains for the last 5 miles!

My training consisted of 3 to 4 runs during the week and a long run on Saturdays. No track work, or any structured speed work, tempos, or planned slow runs. I ran by feel for every run and listened to my body to set the pace. I only had one downhill long run the whole training block. I would do more of them in the future, instead of mostly flat runs.

Run the course by feel and try to do a steady effort. Test clothing and shoes during training to see what works for extreme downhill. I applied moleskin on my feet covering the bottom from heel to footpads to prevent blisters.
The weather was nice cool and crisp, perfect for marathoning. I used gloves the first 3 miles, and was fine after that in my singlet and shorts.

We drove the course, which is great to know beforehand. It also was very scenic and had many viewpoints. We traveled from northern Utah by airplane. We visited Picacho Peak State park north of Tucson, and stayed with family in Casa Grande prior to race eve. And stayed at a friends house a few miles from the finish line.

5/5 Stars

5/5 Stars

I ran the whole race with my husband's ex-wife who had never ran a marathon before. I had talked her into trying one and she did awesome!! She had trained hard so she ended up pushing me and I PR'd. It was a cool bonding experience for her and I.

Yep! By 8 minutes.

I've done Big Cottonwood, Mt Charleston, Canyon City, and Mt Hood. For me, this was the best course out of all of them, with 22 miles of downhill, at an easy on your body grade. Definitely the fastest course out of those I've done.

I run 4-5 days a week, about 5-6 miles, with a 13 mile run once a month. I also do strength training classes with lots of squats. They help so much with hills!!

Can't think of anything.

Spent time with family who live in Phoenix.

4/5 Stars

All my pre-race preparations went smooth, albeit a little last minute due to work commitments. Bizarrely, my right calf got hurt on my easy 15 minute shakeout on Friday. I nursed it with stretches, rolling, heat and compression. It felt pretty good in the morning.

It was a cool start, with lots of hills at 8000 feet. I took it easy, knowing I could blow the race here trying too hard. As has happened in many of my marathons, the left calf muscle on the front tightened going up the starting hill. When I crested it eased up so, it was still sore, but I knew it would warm up with an easy start. Perhaps in response, my right calf started to grab. At the 6 km mark I was 5 minutes behind my goal average pace for that distance, as expected.

I tried running through the calf soreness but by km 15 I could tell it was about to seize up. Had it been a training run I would have packed it in. But this was a day where I was consciously not obsessing. Rather than trying to nail down exact splits my approach was general: lose 5 minutes early, get it back by running each km close to or under 5:00 per km.

So I committed to getting through this; nothing worthwhile is easy. I babied my calf the rest of the way. Because this was a long downhill, dropping 5000+ feet, I knew I could rely on gravity for the speed, I just needed my legs to catch me and hold me up. I adjusted my stride so I landed on my right midfoot and just rolled off my toes, rather than pushing off, to preserve my calf. It meant my left quad was taking a beating. I took the speed when it was easy. I walked through water stops because even 10 seconds of walking helped my calf. My nutrition plan was flexible and worked perfectly based on how I felt and understanding what I needed. I got some Deep Blue on my calf at mile 21 and it helped.

My sole brain cramp occurred when I reached the final 2 miles. My splits look consistent but they were anything but. I had been gauging my progress by average pace. I knew when I reached 5:05 min/km I just needed to maintain that pace to reach my goal. When I got to 5:04 I had time to spare. When I got to the flat, I looked at my overall time for the first time. I saw 3:21:XX. My foggy brain said less than 4 minutes to run 3 km? Where did I go wrong?

I dug deep because I wanted to go down swinging, but I was pretty pissed off. I was passing people, but I had increased the effort too much, too fast. Soon I had to walk. I had just started running again when I saw the 3:35:00 pace bunny standing at an intersection holding his sign indicating there was room to spare. Duh, my goal was 3:35, not 3:25.

I sprinted the last 1/2 km and arrived in 3:34:03.9. BQ, PR (by 12 min), 5 min negative split, 4th in my age group. And a new mental toughness. Pretty satisfied.

And the scenery was spectacular!

Yes, yes I did, by more than 12 minutes. And i am 56 seconds under the BQ time for my age - fingers crossed!

Spectacular scenery. I drove the course the day before and I was concerned that I would waste energy braking on the steeper hills, but no, it was all very manageable. Loved it.

I had a very good training program through Runners Connect. I was better prepared than ever for a marathon. I live in a flat area, so I took the opportunity on a trip through the Rockies to do a 22 km easy run, mostly downhill. It probably was not enough to affect my training, but the experience of running a long downhill at altitude was good for the mental prep. 1 month ago I got a cold and then came back too soon which lengthened the effects - that played on my mind a bit.

Go easy at the top, the hills are not killers, but hills at 8000 feet can be. Lots of chance to make the time up on the downhill. Be early for the buses - saw some runners running for the buses in a panic because of the bottleneck to park cars. (You are probably on this, but may I suggest at least - instead of filling the parking field back to front, send 2 cars to the back, 2 to the middle, 2 to the front, etc - should help alleviate the stalled traffic)

I found that as I tired later in the race I increased my effort to maintain the same pace, as usual. But you also have the bonus of descending to a lower altitude where the air pressure is better which helps you maintain the effort.

Layers of disposable clothing for the start of the race. I wore the dollar-store socks as arm sleeves for about 10 miles. The last thing to come off was a thin neck buff at about 20 miles!

Next time I will wear compression sleeves on my calves, both for warmth at the start line and for the support as you stress your legs on the downhill.

Chatting with people on the bus and at the start line is great - don't underestimate what an important part of the event that is. The beer tent is great, too. Shame you can't buy another round!

We came from Slave Lake, Alberta (about 3 hours drive north of Edmonton). We are combining this with a vacation where we are sight-seeing, visiting local museums, playing golf, trying local food & beers. After a week in Tucson we will move on to Fountain Hills and do the same, also adding hockey and baseball games.

4/5 Stars

I loved the scenery. It was surreal. This was my first marathon ever. I had no idea what to expect. Busses and traffic delayed the race, but it worked out.

Yes. This was my first marathon.

The altitude was the hardest part. Once I got towards the end, I actually got faster.

Since this was my first marathon and the longest I had ever run in my life was 4 miles , each week I broke new ground on my distance running. Once I completed my 20 mile training run, that’s when I realized “Hey, I think I can do this “

Get plenty of downhill and uphill training. Flat ground training will help, but you’ll get gassed out towards the end.

I was motivated to finish most by knowing I was going to have Kneaders French Toast at the finish line.

4/5 Stars

Good run. Second half faster and easier than first

No. PRed years ago!

Beautiful scenery. Smooth.

Whatever the minimum I can do!

Keep on running

Visited some friends. Traveled from Colorado.

5/5 Stars

Chilly, nervous, and exciting.

Yes. By about 30 minutes.

Umm, down.

Peaked around 35+ miles per week. Tried to fit in weekly hill training.

Start slower going through the first few miles of undulating terrain. Save your legs for the 20 miles of straight downhill.

None. We are from Gilbert and stayed at a grandparents’ house the night before.

5/5 Stars

The course was fantastic. The aid stations were well stocked and staffed. The bus on the way up had a bathroom!

Yes. I PR'd by about a minute and a half. I qualified for Boston with 23 minutes to spare.

Gorgeous.

I used Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger. I trained to the terrain and ran several training runs downhill. My training was excellent.

Train your quads to handle the downhill.

I came from Northern Utah. We went to Saguaro National Park. We loved it.

5/5 Stars

Beautiful fast fall race.

I am old and slow-but I was able to take 20 minutes off my previous 14 halfs.

Beautiful, fast, fun, easy to navigate. Appreciated the aid stations, water, cones and police to guide us.

Year round-then 3 month graduated walks leading up to the race.
I do 3 halfs a year-so it is continuous.
I do 2 Sprint Triathlons so that adds bike and swim and a women's bike ride, plus core training.Do it!
It is pretty much daily.

Drove the course, Colossal Cave tour, carb load at Trattoria Pina (excellent), San Xavier Mission and Casa Grande on the way home to California.