Shiprock Marathon

Great event with great support. Aid stations and port-o-johns every mile. As the temperature went up later in the race, ais stations handed out cold wet towels.

The Shiprock Marathon was a truly one-of-a-kind experience - it's no wonder it was just ranked as a top marathon by USA Today! The marathon is relatively small, with less than 200 runners. Quite a few more run the half. Positives: -Fantastic communication from the race director in the weeks leading up to the race. -All around stellar organization, from easy parking to absolutely on time start(to the second!) to plenty of portapotties at the start and along the course. -Incredibly supportive community. So much positivity all along the course and at the expo! -Water stops every mile(!). All water stops had gatorade and water, and many had pickle juice, pretzels, gummy bears, oranges and gels. -A small but nice expo outside at the start/finish area. Free massage and free medal engraving at the race end, several different food stalls in addition to the free pizza and snack box for all runners. -Music wasn't all set up on course when I went out with marathon (presumably was for half marathon runners who went out a little later), but what was on course was great. -Starting the half marathon 30 minutes after the marathon made for an easy, congestion-free start to the marathon. -Hearing the national anthem sung in Navajo was really special, as was the traditional music and prayer. -Beautiful views of Shiprock an the way out. -Closed course, with car lanes blocked. -Awesome finisher medal and age group medal, too. And the first time I've gotten one of those - amazing that they go 3 deep in each age group for a small race. Negatives -Tough! The altitude, dry air and a warm day made this a very challenging run. -Not necessarily a negative, but I had expected a flatter course. I actually liked the rolling hills, but was not totally prepared for the fact that most of the course was either uphill or downhill. -I don't love an out and back course, although I understand that the logistics wouldn't work well to do this one differently. It was also a bummer not to be able to see Shiprock on the way back. Again, I don't think that the organizers could do anything about this, but it did make for a less scenic return. All in all, this is a terrific marathon. Not easy to get to Shiprock, but absolutely worth it. A huge thank you to everyone who makes this race so incredible!

A scaled down race due to continuing COVID concerns, so only about 150 of us ran the marathon; about 450 ran the half. It was also on a different course than previous years: an out-and-back on 491 and N13 with the turnaround near Shiprock Mtn. It's quite scenic once you turn on to N13 (if you enjoy high desert scenery). The day started out nice, but the heat and wind picked up after the first two hours. We had headwinds most of the way back on N13, which slowed many of us already slow runners. I've never gone through this much water in a race. Temps were in the mid-80s with high winds when I finished in my slowest time ever. The course support was amazing. Lots of music on the course, and aid stations every mile with water, gels, Honey Stinger waffles, and other food choices. Navajo Rangers and EMTs regularly checked on anyone who was struggling. A few folks needed medical help, but I think most of us finished, though with a lot of walking in the last miles. One guy walked it in 9 hours, by which time the temperature and wind must have been brutal. It was an amazingly well organized race whose volunteers handled the conditions very well. A surprising amount of fan support, too, along 491. Definitely a race worth doing, and has peaked my interest in the other races in the Navajo series.