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Marathon Details - Phoenix Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > AZ > Mesa > Phoenix Marathon

Phoenix Marathon

Phoenix Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K

Mesa, AZ USA

February 8, 2025

http://www.thephoenixmarathon.com

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Race Details

The course offers a gentle downhill route with spectacular Arizona vistas. This is a fast Boston Qualifier.

Contact Information

Name:	Jamie
Address:	3850 E Baseline Rd #106 Mesa, Arizona 85206
Phone Number:	480-215-7859
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

We Take Care of Our Runners (10/5/11)

Hyrum Oaks

The Phoenix Marathon has the fastest and arguably the most scenic marathon route in Arizona. We take feedback from our runners very seriously. We make changes from runner feedback to improve our event, and offer the highest quality marathon experience. Thank you for considering the Phoenix Marathon for your next running adventure.

Runner Reviews (47)

Course 4.0

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.4

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Number of comments: 47 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

A. M. from BC, Canada (2/13/2022) "Awesome overall experience" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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.
M. M. from Chicago (2/13/2022) "Great organization, boring course, brutal heat" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
W. W. from Los Angeles (2/11/2020) "A Well Organized Event" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The marathon is officially named Mesa-PHX Marathon. It is a well organized median-sized race, about 2000~3000 full marathon runners in 2020. Half Marathon and 10K are also held on the same day. THE ORGANIZATION The expo was held in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Many vendors set up their tents there. Many free stuff. The bib pickup and T-shirt pick up was smooth. The event is a point to point race. You may park your car at the finish line. Shuttles took the runners to the start line. The boarding was quick and orderly. There were traffic police guide the traffic in the morning. Traffic was slow but moving orderly. There were fire lamps and fire pits along the start road. This was my 50th marathon. Each one was a different one. Mesa Marathon is the most human event. They kept the runners warm before the start. In case you'd like to sit in the bus, all buses were parked on the side. You may go back to sit in the bus if you prefer. The start did not have waves. All runners went to the starting 'waves' around the pacers where the time fits individuals. There were plenty of aid stations. All aid station had Gatorade in front and following with water tables. Quite a few aid station supply energy gel, banana, and orange. The finish area had plenty water and food. It would be better if signs are provided. You have to read the map or ask others to find things around, such as checked bag pickup etc. THE COURSE The course had been a mainly down hill. However, the 1.5 mile uphill from mile 4.4 to mile 5.9 was a long session of climbing. The road quality was reasonable. All were on wide asphalt roads. The event started at 6:30am when it was still dark. The day light broke near 7:00am. Not every section had light. You may consider to use headlamp or flashlight. There were mile marker along the road. However, there were no clock along the way. There were time recording points at mile 6.5, half way, mile 20. The signs at turning points are large and clear. Except at the finish area, the spectators along the road were sparse. The were some fun signs alone the road, especially in some well organized aid station areas. THE RUNNING CONDITIONS Phoenix area has desert climate. In February, it was cold before sunlight. It was sunny and no shade along the way when it is day time. It has a very low humidity. I had to water my head each time I pass a water station after I passed the halfway point. The locals may have their 'home advantage'. Overall, this is a well organized fun event.
R. B. from Arizona (4/5/2019) "Beautiful, fast course with reat volunteers&finish" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Phoenix Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2019 Mesa Phoenix half marathon was fast with great weather, scenery, support, medal and finish line area. I have run over 30 full and half marathon. Mesa Phoenix has the best support people, organization and finish line area. The 1st 20 miles of the marathon are great temperatures but it does reach the 60s by the finish. I would love if it started a half hour sooner. The earlier start date this year helped.
Danielle Bourgeois from Saskatchewan, Canada (3/4/2019) "Course to Attain PR" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I went into this race hoping to BQ or at least PR as it has a net downhill. The race does have a very nice downhill in the beginning 8 km and then an uphill for about 3 km and then back down a slight hill until around halfway. The second half is very very flat. I found that the gentleness of the hills did not adversely affect my legs in any way but the flatness of the second half is relentless. The race is extremely well organized. The expo is a nice size and very efficient to get your bib and shirt. I really liked the ladies shirt- a simple black mesh tank with the Mesa Phoenix logo on the front corner. This is a shirt I will definitely wear. The expo offers marathon branded gear, different foods to try, socks, running belts, etc. Parking is adequate as you park at a shopping complex and then take a heated bus to the starting line. We were able to stay in the bus until 30 min prior to the start. Outside they had fire pits that threw off a lot of heat but I did not care for the smoke. The also had heat lamps but I found they did not throw of much heat. The temperature at the start was about 4 degrees Celsius with little wind. I wore a hoodie and a large bathrobe standing outside while waiting the last few minutes. I discarded the robe at the start ( discarded clothes go to the local shelters). I discarded the hoodie half way down the mountain. The mountain we ran down is very scenic but too bad we started out in the dark so that you could not really see the beauty of it. It was dark enough in the beginning (start was at 6:30am on Feb 9) that I was happy to run close to someone wearing a headlamp for the first few kilometres. The sun is behind you when running so sunglasses are not really necessary. I really lucked out this year as the temperatures were cool, little wind and it was cloudy that day. The signs along the route are very amusing but not many people out cheering until you get close to the finish line. The finish line experience is fantastic. Plenty of volunteers handing out waters, medals, etc in a nice long corridor where your u can cool down and stretch. There is a PR bell that you can ring and get a picture taken with (which I did -YAY!). Plenty of food handed out at the end too including a fabulous french toast from Kneaders. It looked like they had plenty on hand for the rest of the racers too. Although I did not get the BQ I was able to shave 11 min off and get a new PR. I would recommend this race for the scenery and the beginning downhill as well as the organization but warn that there is a significant uphill partway through and the second half is very flat.
S. S. from Minnesota (2/9/2019) "Great course. Terrible organization." (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Phoenix Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 First of all this is one of the best race courses that I have ever run. I've done it two years in a row. However the race organization is not conducive to having a great race. We got to the shuttle location 30 minutes early and proceeded to wait in a single file line for 30 minutes while they loaded one bus at a time. After that we got to the start and proceeded to wait in line for 30 minutes for the bathrooms. By the time we got out of the bathrooms apparently the race started without an announcement and we only noticed because they set off fireworks. By the time we got to the start everyone was gone and then we had to pass a lot of people on the side in the dark. Also water stops had Gatorade, gels then water and not very many volunteers handing out water. Things you need to set you up to have a great race are highly lacking and make for an overall disappointment. While I have recommended this course to friends in the past, based on this year I would not recommend this race which is too bad as the course lends itself for a great time.
S. W. from USA (2/9/2019) "Crowded Course in Late Miles" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Just ran the race this morning and have mixed feelings about this race. It is without a doubt a PR course, and I PR'd myself, however doubt I will run this race again unless changes are made. The marathon, half marathon, and 10k are all run on the same course and start at the same time. As you can imagine, slower participants in the half really clog up the course in the later stages. I found myself unable to run tangents, having to weave through other participants, and I couldn't get a drink at one aid station due to the crowds. This also makes for a very congested finish area. I would not recommend this race unless they alter start times.
Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA (4/25/2018) "Downhill in the Desert" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:18:47. The Sprouts Mesa-PHX Marathon was my forty-eighth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a perfect day for a marathon: weather at the start line was 36 degrees, 64 percent relative humidity, calm and clear. Owing to the earlier baseball spring training season, our earlier wilderness area start at 6 a.m. was in the dark without the benefit of street lamps the first 1.9 miles, where we entered into the eastern limits of Mesa. The first ten miles of the course took us down a total 632 feet in elevation in a mostly residential area. The descent was interrupted by a 100-foot, 1.7 mile climb beginning just past mile 4. The remainder of the course was a 249 foot drop, almost half of it between miles 11 and 14, on easy-to-navigate, straight streets as we headed in a generally west-southwest direction toward Mesa Marketplace. Finish line temperature was 51 degrees, 33 percent relative humidity, with wind from the west at 3 and partly cloudy. ORGANIZATION: Well executed event. The expo, held under the tents in the parking lot of the Mesa Marketplace, was efficient. The school bus transportation from the Mesa Marketplace to the Usery Mountain Recreation Area ran smoothly; the drivers allowed us to stay on the busses all the way up to the start time. Fire pits and heaters were present at the start to keep us warm. Traffic control was well done. SPECTATORS: Humorous signs were placed in the Red Mountain Ranch neighborhood between miles 9 and 10. Otherwise, mostly quiet. No bands to speak of. CONCLUSION: Great weather and an easy course made this an enjoyable marathon to participate in. Well done, Mesa.
G. I. from Arizona (4/3/2018) "Fast Course-now even better with earlier start" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Kudos to organizers for listening to runners and moving up the start time to 6am. This race just keeps getting better. Now they moved up the date by 2.5 weeks, increasing chances for perfect running weather-thanks! Fast, downhill for most of first half; flat second half. Timid crowd support. Excellent organization. Most runner friendly course I have ever run, good job MESA-PHX!
M. C. from CT (3/11/2018) "Good organization - Course is just so-so" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Race Expo meets everyone's needs. If you want to stay for a while and shop...you can. If you want to get in/out...you can. I really like the T-shirt....no ads....just a quality shirt with simply race logo with reflective print. My one complaint...what's with a 6:00 AM start for a mid-size point-to-point race? You have to wake up at 3:30 to get the bus in time to make it to the start! Only to find it's 34 degrees at the start! Thankfully they let us stay on the buses. Better not be on one of the last buses....because the porta potty lines are WAY long by that time. I was excited to run through the desert since I am not from the area....but alas, the sun didn't come up for about 45 minutes after the race started...so you couldn't see a thing. By the time the sun came up I was into neighborhoods. The sign posters were hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times. There a few sections where you run past 20+ signs (one after the other). One funnier then the next. I can't comment on the post race food as I needed to catch my return flight, so I went straight back to my hotel to shower. Crowds were not horrible. I'm not one who needs huge crowds. But I would agree with other posters that there is not huge turnout from the locals.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]



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A. M. from BC, Canada (2/13/2022) "Awesome overall experience" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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.
M. M. from Chicago (2/13/2022) "Great organization, boring course, brutal heat" (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
W. W. from Los Angeles (2/11/2020) "A Well Organized Event" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The marathon is officially named Mesa-PHX Marathon. It is a well organized median-sized race, about 2000~3000 full marathon runners in 2020. Half Marathon and 10K are also held on the same day. THE ORGANIZATION The expo was held in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Many vendors set up their tents there. Many free stuff. The bib pickup and T-shirt pick up was smooth. The event is a point to point race. You may park your car at the finish line. Shuttles took the runners to the start line. The boarding was quick and orderly. There were traffic police guide the traffic in the morning. Traffic was slow but moving orderly. There were fire lamps and fire pits along the start road. This was my 50th marathon. Each one was a different one. Mesa Marathon is the most human event. They kept the runners warm before the start. In case you'd like to sit in the bus, all buses were parked on the side. You may go back to sit in the bus if you prefer. The start did not have waves. All runners went to the starting 'waves' around the pacers where the time fits individuals. There were plenty of aid stations. All aid station had Gatorade in front and following with water tables. Quite a few aid station supply energy gel, banana, and orange. The finish area had plenty water and food. It would be better if signs are provided. You have to read the map or ask others to find things around, such as checked bag pickup etc. THE COURSE The course had been a mainly down hill. However, the 1.5 mile uphill from mile 4.4 to mile 5.9 was a long session of climbing. The road quality was reasonable. All were on wide asphalt roads. The event started at 6:30am when it was still dark. The day light broke near 7:00am. Not every section had light. You may consider to use headlamp or flashlight. There were mile marker along the road. However, there were no clock along the way. There were time recording points at mile 6.5, half way, mile 20. The signs at turning points are large and clear. Except at the finish area, the spectators along the road were sparse. The were some fun signs alone the road, especially in some well organized aid station areas. THE RUNNING CONDITIONS Phoenix area has desert climate. In February, it was cold before sunlight. It was sunny and no shade along the way when it is day time. It has a very low humidity. I had to water my head each time I pass a water station after I passed the halfway point. The locals may have their 'home advantage'. Overall, this is a well organized fun event.
R. B. from Arizona (4/5/2019) "Beautiful, fast course with reat volunteers&finish" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Phoenix Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2019 Mesa Phoenix half marathon was fast with great weather, scenery, support, medal and finish line area. I have run over 30 full and half marathon. Mesa Phoenix has the best support people, organization and finish line area. The 1st 20 miles of the marathon are great temperatures but it does reach the 60s by the finish. I would love if it started a half hour sooner. The earlier start date this year helped.
Danielle Bourgeois from Saskatchewan, Canada (3/4/2019) "Course to Attain PR" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I went into this race hoping to BQ or at least PR as it has a net downhill. The race does have a very nice downhill in the beginning 8 km and then an uphill for about 3 km and then back down a slight hill until around halfway. The second half is very very flat. I found that the gentleness of the hills did not adversely affect my legs in any way but the flatness of the second half is relentless. The race is extremely well organized. The expo is a nice size and very efficient to get your bib and shirt. I really liked the ladies shirt- a simple black mesh tank with the Mesa Phoenix logo on the front corner. This is a shirt I will definitely wear. The expo offers marathon branded gear, different foods to try, socks, running belts, etc. Parking is adequate as you park at a shopping complex and then take a heated bus to the starting line. We were able to stay in the bus until 30 min prior to the start. Outside they had fire pits that threw off a lot of heat but I did not care for the smoke. The also had heat lamps but I found they did not throw of much heat. The temperature at the start was about 4 degrees Celsius with little wind. I wore a hoodie and a large bathrobe standing outside while waiting the last few minutes. I discarded the robe at the start ( discarded clothes go to the local shelters). I discarded the hoodie half way down the mountain. The mountain we ran down is very scenic but too bad we started out in the dark so that you could not really see the beauty of it. It was dark enough in the beginning (start was at 6:30am on Feb 9) that I was happy to run close to someone wearing a headlamp for the first few kilometres. The sun is behind you when running so sunglasses are not really necessary. I really lucked out this year as the temperatures were cool, little wind and it was cloudy that day. The signs along the route are very amusing but not many people out cheering until you get close to the finish line. The finish line experience is fantastic. Plenty of volunteers handing out waters, medals, etc in a nice long corridor where your u can cool down and stretch. There is a PR bell that you can ring and get a picture taken with (which I did -YAY!). Plenty of food handed out at the end too including a fabulous french toast from Kneaders. It looked like they had plenty on hand for the rest of the racers too. Although I did not get the BQ I was able to shave 11 min off and get a new PR. I would recommend this race for the scenery and the beginning downhill as well as the organization but warn that there is a significant uphill partway through and the second half is very flat.
S. S. from Minnesota (2/9/2019) "Great course. Terrible organization." (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Phoenix Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 First of all this is one of the best race courses that I have ever run. I've done it two years in a row. However the race organization is not conducive to having a great race. We got to the shuttle location 30 minutes early and proceeded to wait in a single file line for 30 minutes while they loaded one bus at a time. After that we got to the start and proceeded to wait in line for 30 minutes for the bathrooms. By the time we got out of the bathrooms apparently the race started without an announcement and we only noticed because they set off fireworks. By the time we got to the start everyone was gone and then we had to pass a lot of people on the side in the dark. Also water stops had Gatorade, gels then water and not very many volunteers handing out water. Things you need to set you up to have a great race are highly lacking and make for an overall disappointment. While I have recommended this course to friends in the past, based on this year I would not recommend this race which is too bad as the course lends itself for a great time.
S. W. from USA (2/9/2019) "Crowded Course in Late Miles" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Just ran the race this morning and have mixed feelings about this race. It is without a doubt a PR course, and I PR'd myself, however doubt I will run this race again unless changes are made. The marathon, half marathon, and 10k are all run on the same course and start at the same time. As you can imagine, slower participants in the half really clog up the course in the later stages. I found myself unable to run tangents, having to weave through other participants, and I couldn't get a drink at one aid station due to the crowds. This also makes for a very congested finish area. I would not recommend this race unless they alter start times.
Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA (4/25/2018) "Downhill in the Desert" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:18:47. The Sprouts Mesa-PHX Marathon was my forty-eighth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a perfect day for a marathon: weather at the start line was 36 degrees, 64 percent relative humidity, calm and clear. Owing to the earlier baseball spring training season, our earlier wilderness area start at 6 a.m. was in the dark without the benefit of street lamps the first 1.9 miles, where we entered into the eastern limits of Mesa. The first ten miles of the course took us down a total 632 feet in elevation in a mostly residential area. The descent was interrupted by a 100-foot, 1.7 mile climb beginning just past mile 4. The remainder of the course was a 249 foot drop, almost half of it between miles 11 and 14, on easy-to-navigate, straight streets as we headed in a generally west-southwest direction toward Mesa Marketplace. Finish line temperature was 51 degrees, 33 percent relative humidity, with wind from the west at 3 and partly cloudy. ORGANIZATION: Well executed event. The expo, held under the tents in the parking lot of the Mesa Marketplace, was efficient. The school bus transportation from the Mesa Marketplace to the Usery Mountain Recreation Area ran smoothly; the drivers allowed us to stay on the busses all the way up to the start time. Fire pits and heaters were present at the start to keep us warm. Traffic control was well done. SPECTATORS: Humorous signs were placed in the Red Mountain Ranch neighborhood between miles 9 and 10. Otherwise, mostly quiet. No bands to speak of. CONCLUSION: Great weather and an easy course made this an enjoyable marathon to participate in. Well done, Mesa.
G. I. from Arizona (4/3/2018) "Fast Course-now even better with earlier start" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Kudos to organizers for listening to runners and moving up the start time to 6am. This race just keeps getting better. Now they moved up the date by 2.5 weeks, increasing chances for perfect running weather-thanks! Fast, downhill for most of first half; flat second half. Timid crowd support. Excellent organization. Most runner friendly course I have ever run, good job MESA-PHX!
M. C. from CT (3/11/2018) "Good organization - Course is just so-so" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Phoenix Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Race Expo meets everyone's needs. If you want to stay for a while and shop...you can. If you want to get in/out...you can. I really like the T-shirt....no ads....just a quality shirt with simply race logo with reflective print. My one complaint...what's with a 6:00 AM start for a mid-size point-to-point race? You have to wake up at 3:30 to get the bus in time to make it to the start! Only to find it's 34 degrees at the start! Thankfully they let us stay on the buses. Better not be on one of the last buses....because the porta potty lines are WAY long by that time. I was excited to run through the desert since I am not from the area....but alas, the sun didn't come up for about 45 minutes after the race started...so you couldn't see a thing. By the time the sun came up I was into neighborhoods. The sign posters were hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times. There a few sections where you run past 20+ signs (one after the other). One funnier then the next. I can't comment on the post race food as I needed to catch my return flight, so I went straight back to my hotel to shower. Crowds were not horrible. I'm not one who needs huge crowds. But I would agree with other posters that there is not huge turnout from the locals.

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Marathon Details - Phoenix Marathon