5/5 Stars

My very first Revel, my first down hill, my first far away marathon. Beautiful scenery, great volunteers. LOVED IT!!!

Yes, my PR was 4:26 from OC marathon. My new PR from Lemmon is 4:08. I still need to work on BQ but very happy with my new PR.

Bit hard at the beginning and 2 miles to finish. But overall great down hill most of the course.

Did some down hill training at Azusa but wish I had done more.

Prepare for the up hills and down hills. Some of my teammates had high altitude issues so be aware if you are not use to high altitude. It got hot towards the end so might need to dress in many layers.

Not much because everyone was pretty much focused on the race.

5/5 Stars

Tough climbs in 3 of the first 4 miles. After that, it was great!

No PR but I did qualify by more than 6 minutes, and ran 1 minute faster than Revel Canyon City eight days before.

Stunning scenery. The last mile wasn't so pretty, but everything else was.

I trained using the Advanced Marathon plan from Revel Online Coaching, which focuses on downhill racing.

Pace yourself early and account for a slowdown up to mile 4, then make up for lost time gradually over the next 22 miles.

Traveled from Austin, TX.

5/5 Stars

It was fun and easier than I expected.

Yes, it was my first half marathon

It was beautiful, watching the sun rise was pretty neat. The dead skunks on the road were a bit smelly.

I did crossfit, nothing specifically for running.

5/5 Stars

Early rise, nearly an hour bus ride up the mountain, race announcements, run! Post run party and pictures at the finish line.

Yes! Only my fourth marathon and was injured during two of them. Set a PR by 27 minutes and a BQ by 8 minutes!!!!

Gorgeous! Pine needles at the top, followed by oak trees, then the beautiful cactus. Road was in good shape for running. The views were incredible.

Six months of intense training with 40+ miles per week during the last two months. Also weekly yoga and personal training concentrated on core work. Ran hills almost every Sunday and also did two, three-week hill training circuits.

Work on your core and quads. My hamstrings gave out at mile 24 (previous injury) but I was not going to be denied!

Stayed nearby at the Tanque Verde Ranch, which is very scenic. Did not ride horses due to race! Was fortunate to have a good friend in Tucson so we had dinner post-race with his family. My wife ran the half marathon and also got a PR. We are from Dallas.

5/5 Stars

Getting off the bus at the start looked like there was a crowd of aliens all wrapped in tin foil.

I did not PR, but was satisfied with my 1:55 half marathon time considering I had one 3 mile training run in the prior 3 months.

Excellent. The grade was not steep and I found it just right.

Virtually zero

Be ready for an awesome race.

Stayed at a resort about 12 miles away.

5/5 Stars

Yes, by 10 min. Fastest before that was revel canyon city.

Beautiful desert scenery. Starts with mountain scenery and rock formations and transitions to saguaros as it descends down the mountain.

Running canyon city the weekend before. Running hill repeats.

This is an affordable destination race. We stayed close to the start line and it was very affordable and the neighborhood was really nice.

We came from Los Angeles. We also went to farmers markets and the east saguaro national park.

5/5 Stars

Such a beautiful run!

I did not PR, however this was my 3rd endurance race during a span of one month. I plan on coming back next year with the intent of taking time off.

I would describe the course as beautiful but tough. As a flat lander I thought this was the hardest race I had ever run and it took me a full week to no longer be sore. I am hoping to train properly for the downhills next year.

I was very fit and had a great season of running, but I was not prepared for the downhills. I jumped into this race on a whim because I love Mt. Lemmon. Next year I will come properly trained.

Give this race a try. It will change you.

I have a relative in Tucson so we just chilled. Went to a farmers market and a winery. It was a very short trip. I traveled from Beloit, Wisconsin.

5/5 Stars

Great inaugural race! Buses and waiting location for the start of the half were well handeled. A little tight space for getting in a warm up but got to stretch the legs a bit more on the short segment to the start. Terrific finish support. The volunteers went above and beyond. Kids were running ahead to get drop bags for the marathon finishers. Their kindness was very much appreciated.

Surprisingly so. A 1:16 was even beyond my "what if I have a great race expectations." Not too shabby for a 50 year old. ;)

Fast, fast, fast, and beautiful. Loved the sun coming up to the East as we dropped down the mountain.

Incorporated downhill repeats (0.5 to 2 miles) at slightly faster than goal pace, which turned out to be race pace. The training worked well.

4/5 Stars

Everything went quite smoothly in the marathon, from the bib pick-up, transportation, aid stations, porta potties, to the finish. The negative point of the race was the uphills for the first 4 miles which in some parts were very steep. I was not prepared for such a long series of uphills, it was a surprise. Also, I would have wanted a photographer to take a picture of me with the finisher medal at the finish. What I really enjoyed was the beautiful scenery and dry weather. Overall, a very well organized race.

Yes I did PR by 2 minutes, but did not BQ which was my objective. But I was happily surprised to

The negative point of the race was the uphills for the first 4 miles which in some parts were very steep. I was not prepared for such a long series of uphills, it was a surprise and it hurt my chances of better run in the second half. What I really enjoyed was the beautiful scenery and dry weather.

It is necessary to train the very long and steep uphills of the start and probably run much much slower in the beginning to have your legs ready for the faster downhills and the last 2 miles which will seem much longer as it is flatter.

SLOW start is the best advise I can give for at least the first 4 miles. It is cold at the start so it is important to have warm clothing. Also, they took away our mylar blankets (which was given with the bib package) a few hundred feet from the start so some runners were freezing right before the start. Also, bring everything you need for the race as the Expo only have very few items. I stayed at the Sheraton which says it has a 24 hour grab and go coffee shop but its not true. I asked to have some bread to have toasted for breakfast and the reception lady said "No". Not a runner friendly hotel.

I came in from business trip from Tokyo and left the next day for my home in Paraguay, South America. I could not find an activity in Tucson.

4/5 Stars

Overall, a really fun day. Parking and transportation were easy. The bus ride to the start was fun (I made a new friend), and the course was very scenic.

No. Not even close! I didn't qualify for Boston either.
I was well on pace to do both, but the heat finally got to me. I missed qualifying for Boston by 5 minutes, but lost 15 minutes in the last 3 miles. :(

The first 4 miles were much harder than I expected. Some of this was probably due to the elevation. I was concerned about the downhill being too steep for me. But it wasn't. I never felt like I was putting on the brakes. And the scenery was amazing!

I don't train :)
I run and then jump into races. I'm never out of shape, but I don't target specific races and try to be at peak for them.

Head to Tuscon a few days early and explore. It's a great area!

I hung out in the shade with other runners. I got a slice of pizza and some pie, but I wasn't really in the mood for either.

I came in from Albany, NY specifically for the race.