4/5 Stars
The course was beautiful and fast. Start was well organized.
I didn't PR, but I did qualify for Boston.
The course is beautiful and fast except for the last 1.5 miles. The sunrise was spectacular! I would've preferred a straight path at the end instead of the zig zag towards the finish. I cramped up in my calves at the end too, which probably made it rougher than it should've been.
I'm from Colorado so the elevation didn't effect me. Hindsight I should've trained at a faster pace since running down that grade naturally propels you at a faster pace (which probably was part of the culprit to my cramps). I had just run a marathon a month previous so didn't do a ton between except to maintain speed/endurance. My training up to my other marathon included hills and speedwork along with my long runs of course.
Include speedwork since you will run faster with the grade and you want your legs to hold up. Dress for the warm weather at the bottom. Most of the run was comfortable but it did get warm (70's) the last few miles.
I have family there, so spent time with them just hanging out. If people haven't visited the airplane museum/boneyard, that is neat. I just flew down from Colorado for a very quick weekend.
5/5 Stars
I PR'd, by nearly ten minutes with a 1:20:17 finish, got first in my age group the day before I turned 30, earned first place team, the views were beautiful, the weather was perfect. Nothing could've been better.
I was aiming to finally break 1:30, and I earned a 1:20:17! I cut 9:52 off of my PR! I qualified for the NYC marathon and half with that result!
Absolutely beautiful, fast, brutal downhill course. You can go as fast as your body will take you, if you're ready for it! It starts up in the trees, quickly opens up to valleys along the mountain, and descends into Tucson as you get a view of the city from above as the sun rises.
I run races almost every weekend.
Be ready for the downhills!
Parking and shuttle to start was flawless. The Half start area porta potties were plentiful. Race provided gloves and heat sheets were awesome for helping to keep warm before the start. The Half course was fast and beautiful!
I did not PR, but had I trained would have done so easily. Coming back next year to try and PR for sure.
The half course was beautiful and fast. I’ve run all the Revel courses now, and it’s by far my favorite, even more than Mt Charleston.
Training? What’s training? Just kidding, but I mostly run for the enjoyment and not to win or place.
Definitely sign up for this race! Bring layers to shed at the start. Save a little bit for the flat part at the end. Wear sunscreen!!! Do some hiking after the race to work out the soreness that will hit later.
I came from the Seattle, WA area and stayed with friends from WA and CO in a lovely VRBO house.
Everything was great, could use more volunteers, the finish was the biggest disappointment.
No
Gorgeous!
Was not in great shape don’t run as well in the summer do to the heat!
Be ready for fast!
From Vegas, had dinner and slept.
Need a better finish area, more foods.
The Revel people put on a great race.
Nope, and I was disappointed, but the first 4 miles - at altitude - ensured that I wouldn't.
Aggregate surface is hard on the legs. Severely cantilevered doesn't help. Not deal killers but just be prepared for a workout. Not factors for the half marathon, but 26 miles of pounding punishes the legs.
This was my 27th marathon so I know what I'm doing, BUT I should have put in more miles.
Train for the course you will run, i.e., hills (up and down), at altitude (if possible), run faster/longer in training.
Ha, ha. Tucson is not exactly Las Vegas.
Great downhill course if you can survive the road surface and cantilever.
I loved the views, the change from ponderosa pine forest, to pinon/juniper and ultimately to sonoran desert flora. The aid stations were well stocked with fluids and volunteers who all did a great job.
No I did not, but I was suffering through some plantar fasci issues that had slowed me down and impaired my training late in my running season.
A beautiful, fast course with a lot of steep downhill. The elevation was only a thousand feet above where I live so elevation wasn't an issue. The last couple of miles generally slow you down a bit as fatigue and the flat grade got me a bit. I absolutely love the scenery.
My training for the race was inadequate. I injured myself on a trail run a few weeks before, causing a mild tear in my plantar fasci. The downhill grade put much less pressure on my heel than an uphill course would have. But I wasn't at my best, having not put in as many miles as I would have preferred.
My advice is to run this race. Run happy and fast. Go see Saguaro National Park while you are down there. Dress in layers because the start is cold and the finish is warm.
Hiked around Saguaro National Park and went to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant down by the University. I traveled from Tooele Utah, and I caught two National Parks (Grand Canyon and Saguaro) as well as took pictures of Glen Canyon and other beautiful sights. A great running trip for me to close out my running season.
This was a very fast course. I started towards the front of the pack (top 20) and made my way to the 6th position by the end of the second mile. Passed another runner around mile 4 or 5 and then another one around mile 9 to finish 4th overall.
New PR on the half marathon by about a minute. This race as I expected allowed me to qualify for the New York marathon (I had already qualified for Boston on the marathon distance during the Revel Big Cottonwood canyon marathon)
I love downhill racing, so this course was for me. It is very fast but could be even faster if not for the last 2 miles
I was not in top shape for this race but I never really stop running. Mainly, I ran about 2 tempo runs per week on the treadmill and a long run outside on the mountain trails on the week-end.
For the half maintain a consistent speed downhill without trying to save too much energy and try to hang on for the last mile.
It was so cold at the start, I did not try to do anything but conserve my heat. After the race, I ran back up the canyon to get my wife
My race day was epic
Yes by 20 minutes
The course was amazing and true to being an all down hill course. The scenery was beautiful
Training was good
Train going downhill to avoid soreness
My favorite race by far
Very informative from start to finish. Small race feel on this one but big time fun. Great pre race buzz, well supported and commidating finish.
Yes...New PR for me. Was definitely expecting this due to nature of downhill course. None the less I was pushing it the whole way.
The course was beautiful! Extremely disappointed in the marking of course though. USAT marks course at tangents, this is virtually impossible to run perfect. I finished with 13.2 miles as well as a number of runners I spoke to. I was 3 seconds better than projected time on my watch but 33 seconds slower on course time. I will definitely try to run rangers as close as possible next time.
South Mountain and Mt Lemmon trips for long runs. Wise choice for anyone doing this race!
Downhill training is a must!!!
Chatting pre race us always fun, hearing others strategies and such. Post race music, massages and pizza are a nice gift after the pounding of Mt Lemmon:) Made the well worth trip from Glendale Az.
Perfect comes to mind
No, but fastest in almost 6 years
Speedy
Law of gravity is on your side, left - right - repeat
Saguaro National Park, Desert Museum, El Charro restaurant
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