Red Rock Canyon Marathon, 1/2, and 5K

The folks at Calico Racing know how to run a no-frills but wonderful race. The course starts at the southern end of a scenic loop drive and runs an out-and-back horseshoe. Just wonderful views. Don't worry about your time; this isn't a PR course. Just enjoy the setting. 2023's weather was great. About 30 degrees at the start, but it warms up quickly as the sun comes up and you gain altitude starting around mile 2.5. You are sharing the road with cars, but the course is very well-coned and the cars aren't traveling fast at all. Plus, it's only one-way for drivers, so you can see them the whole way. You share the road with half-marathoners who start at the other end of the horseshoe. Everybody is super encouraging as you pass. Nice medal and shirt, and they even had a photographer at the finish. Shuttle to/from the start/finish to the free parking lot was easy. Overall, fantastic race, highly recommend!

What an awesome marathon. I chose it because of the comments regarding the scenery. I was not disappointed. The Red Rock Canyon is breathtaking. I come from the Montana, so the desert mountains were gorgeous with all the color in the red rock. It is a VERY challenging course. The race director is top notch and the volunteers were wonderful. Thank you to all who made this marathon possible. My quads and calves are still sore (a week later) due to the all up and down hill running. I highly recommend this marathon.

The marathon it self was one of the most scenic you could ever ask for. The down side was the bus that picked us up had no heat, the driver was new and got us lost and almost in the ditch. Upon arriving to the cold desert the director should have provided a heated tent with some hot coffee/hot chocolate before the race. I'll pronably do it next year because the course was phenomenal, just a little tweaking at the start would make it the perfect race. I do recommend this race.