Mesa Marathon

This was my 30th marathon and I ran a 3:33 PR at the age of 47 (female). EXPO: small, easy to navigate. You don't need to plan on spending much time here. START AREA: absolute perfection. Bus loading was very quick and efficient. It was a 30 minute ride to the start area where you were allowed to wait on the bus. There were so many portapotties, I never had to wait more than a couple of minutes to use one. There were many heat lamps, and standing around one, I got to meet other runners which was fun. In the start chute, because it's not a super big race (2500 in the full) I wasn't far from the start line even though I was lined up at the 3:35 sign. The announcer at the start line was hilarious, and the fireworks added to the element of excitement. THE COURSE: There was a lot of downhill but it was very gentle. The uphill portion was also very gentle and I had no trouble staying on my pace at all. There were not a lot of turns, but when there were, you'd see signs well in advance, to help you run the tangents. What everyone says is true, the first half is beautiful/scenic and the second half is boring (and not many spectators throughout) but for a fast road race, you can't really beat this one. The water stations were very easy to navigate and I did see volunteers handing out gels at several aid stations. Also tons of portapotties on the course. It was a very very warm day, but we were running away from the sun the whole time, which really helped. I wore a hat but not sunglasses and was fine. I finished shortly after 10 a.m. and it REALLY got warm at the finish area. FINISH LINE: as soon as I crossed the finish line I was handed a cold towel which felt AMAZING. There wasn't as much food as other races, but still, they had water, chocolate milk, bananas, fruit cups, frozen treats, cookies and pizza. My favourite part of the finish area was spending 10 minutes in the Rapid Reboot which felt incredible. This should truly be at the finish line of every marathon, for real. When I went to the result tent I was given a card with all my stats on it, as well as a BQ luggage tag for qualifying for Boston. A nice touch. My one and only complaint about this race, is the hotels. The race didn't give information about hotel deals until very very close to the actual race. The two hotels near the finish line (the Hyatt and the Sheraton) were almost as expensive as staying at the finish line of the Boston Marathon! I stayed at the Sheraton, so it was nice to be close to the buses and fairly close to the finish, but not a good area for restaurants or shopping. Overall I would 100% recommend this race, especially to anyone looking for a BQ or PR. I think the fact that I set a PR at the age of 47 on a hot day (and my 30th full) says a lot.

The organization of this race is top notch. One of the best I've ever seen. Aid stations were plentiful, pre-race communication was great, and every part of the organizing was top notch. The course was mind-numbingly boring. Endless miles of suburban sprawl. Given that it is Phoenix metro, that is pretty much unavoidable. The weather was brutal after the sun came up. No shade and just unrelenting heat. Flying in from a city with 6" of snow and 10° temps made the heat feel even worse. Factors that race directors control were great, uncontrollable variables drag the race down a bit. Still a good option for Arizona.