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☰
Tucson Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Tucson Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 2.3
Number of comments: 233 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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R. J. from Georgia, USA
(5/2/2008)
"Nice, but no longer fast" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Tucson Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This race used to be popular for those wanting to BQ; it was fast, relatively flat, and gradually downhill. No longer. The inclusion of a tough, hilly section from mile 10 to 14 in the new route makes it quite difficult, as this section really saps your energy with 12 miles to go. Then there are some uphills in the last two miles that make the finish really tough. This is no longer a fast course. It is still a very good race. It's a nice run through beautiful desert scenery, well-organized, and well worth doing. I would recommend it to anyone, but not as a BQ or PR course. The only other drawback is the cheap, white race T-shirt, which seems to be a tradition for this race. | |
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Scott Busch from Burlington, Canada
(2/17/2008)
"A Perfect First Half" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had never run a foot race before this event. My race experience came from cycling and multi-sport events so I am limited in my ability to compare to other running races. What I liked... - scenery (WOW!) - the terrain was friendly although the inside shoulder was uncomfortable - sparse hydration stations - the kids handed the kits to you almost before you asked for it - great work! What I disliked... - late entrant registration was challenging (location / process / venue) - base camp was a long way from the start and finish - the a.m. bus to the start was long and surprisingly cold; thankfully we were allowed to stay on the bus - finishing chute/area was oddly configured and tough to get back to, to cheer on the other racers (I had to hop a fence) Overall, this was a fun first race. There were a lot of really nice people on the course and on the sidelines. Thanks, Tuscon, for being my first! - 'Canada' | |
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Shane Cole from Florence, Mt.
(1/27/2008)
"nice scenery/misleading course" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Like most everyone else I have both negative and positive comments. First the negatives: - I do not see how race directors can boast a fast course, including elevation charts and race map all year long, and then a few weeks before the race have a sudden change with no apologies or even justifications for the changes. My wife and I signed up for the race early on after reading about the course, including going on vacation and driving the course, only to find out a few weeks before the race that it had been changed. Very disappointed in that. After driving the old course and running the new one, I definitely think the old course would have been faster (though my quads would have taken that much more pounding). Not sure which would have been better without running the old course. - The new elevation chart did not adequately show those hills between miles 2-4 and 10-14. - Only having one gel station is definitely not enough for a marathon, but it was advertised as being just that. I brought my own and glad for it. - Parking area too far from finish. - I could complain about lack of spectators, but I already knew about this after reading other years' comments, so I was not taken aback by this. It was much harder on our family that wanted to see us than it was on us. - Very long wait on bus before race, but they did allow us to stay on board. Now for the positives: - Very scenic, if you like the desert. Mt. Lemon in the background was beautiful. - Perfect weather. Glad we did not have the rain and wind the 2-3 days prior. - Adequate expo for small race. - Everyone keeps complaining about cotton shirts, but for an extra $5, you got a tech shirt. Would have preferred a long-sleeve shirt (for a Dec. race). Also, the logo should have had "Marathon" bolder than "Half" and "Relay." - Post-race was adequate. - Very friendly volunteers and race staff. - Love the city. - Also, people complained about running on the shoulder. Although this is tough on people with IT band syndrome, it was stated in the profile. Same with car exhaust. I would probably run again if I didn't want to experience other marathons around the same time of year. | |
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B. D. from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
(12/24/2007)
"Beautiful Scenery" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 For a runner from the Canadian Prairies (-25 C the day I left for Tucson), this was a real treat. The scenery was astonishing. There were no spectators, true enough, but the blue skies, stark hills and desert backdrop more than compensated. The new route DID have some unexpected hills from miles 10 - 14, but I did not find these horrible. The Tucson Marathon does not come with all of the perks and organization that one might expect in a larger marathon (I am comparing it to Twin Cities, Boston and New York), but I rather liked the informal feel of it. Some examples: the Race Director (Pam Reid?) told us we'd be turning left, then right at the end of the first decline "just because," then said, "Ready, set, go..." to start the race. I do not expect a great deal of support on the marathon route - if there is enough water, I'm happy - but I would strongly suggest that the elevation map should more accurately reflect the actual topography. My Garmin profile did NOT match what was on the website. Would I run this one again? In a heartbeat. Thanks, Tucson. | |
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J. P. from the USA
(12/23/2007)
"Disappointing" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 You would think that this would be a fast course looking at the elevation chart. It's not. The first mile downhill is pretty fast but that's about it. Miles 10-14 roll up and down. After that it's relatively flat with oncoming traffic at 65 mph and lots of carbon monoxide. The course finishes with a small uphill grade at the end. Not sure why everybody has to sit on a bus for an hour and a half before the start of the race. The bus back to the hotel after the race was a nightmare. Instead of dropping us off he drove by the hotel and went to the public drop off areas, every other hotel he could find, and then back to the two host hotels last after almost an hour of driving around from the race finish area - which was only a few miles from the finish area. Simply awful. Thank you to all the volunteers for your hard work and great work at the water stations. Low spectator rating as the course doesn't lend itself to having any spectators anyway. If you need lots of spectators then this is not your course. Sorry to be so negative; I've had this race on my list of "to do" races for a couple years now and it's mediocre at best. | |
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D. S. from Utah
(12/16/2007)
"Very deceiving" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The website advertises the course as gently downhill. It's very deceptive on their part. As a result, I won't return and won't encourage other runners to run this. There are a lot of things wrong with this marathon. They run it along the shoulder of a busy highway with traffic coming at you at 60 mph. Down at the bottom there wasn't sufficient traffic control at intersections. Some intersection didn't have anyone monitoring them and I almost got hit by a car at one of them. The aid stations had some sports drink that tasted like crap. I quit drinking it after about mile 10 because it was making me sick. Get some Gatorade. Only one aid station had Gu, and as I recall, it was fairly early on. Plus, because we were on the shoulder of a highway, when someone stopped in the aid station to get a drink, it would cause a traffic jam with runners being bottled up. The marathon ended in a dirt field. There was no crowd support and very little food. Overall, this was a disappointing marathon and I don't plan on returning. | |
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K. P. from Denver, CO
(12/11/2007)
"Bring back the old course." (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Tucson Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I was extremely disappointed with the new course changes. Granted, it has been changed before, but not so drastically. It is no longer as BQ "friendly" as it once was. The parking logistics (to/from) remain a major inconvenience, and please explain why the 1/2 marathon started before the marathon, forcing marathoners to sit on the buses for 1 1/2 hours. There are many other more scenic and runner friendly marathons in December to choose from.... And what is with those cotton T's? | |
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J. S. from Colorado
(12/10/2007)
"Fast course, no frills" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Tucson Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, I beat my 2006 time and ran a PR. Both times were BQ. People are whining about the hills but they should be grateful as it gave your quads a welcome break. If you train correctly, on declines, you will run fast here. No frills at the expo but that's not why you come to Tucson. You come for the weather and a fast course. Organization was fine and the spectators, though few, were enthusiastic. | |
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M. C. from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(12/7/2007)
"About what I expected" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 For my second marathon ever, I thought it was a nice course. There were no really big hills, and the ones there were occurred halfway through and broke up the decline nicely. I took 31 minutes off my Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon time run in the heat and humidity of early October, in large part I am sure because of the perfect Tucson December weather. The aid stations were adequate, and the finish area had the essentials, if no free beer (props to Milwaukee on that). I sort of had a hard time figuring out the start and end of the course the day before when I wanted to drive it the day before. The expo was similar to Milwaukee's, which had twice as many runners. And from mile 14-22 the course had wide open views and a good decline. | |
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A. M. from New York
(12/6/2007)
"Very well organized, though not very exciting" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tucson Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 * Very inconvenient locations for the start and finish - both outside of the city. * Totally non-existent spectators anywhere on the course, except a woman with the poster reading, " Down with Bush ." * Totally non-existent entertainment. * A good place for a PR due to a predominantly (with a few very tough exceptions) downhill course, which means total devastation for your quads, but you will probably feel it already AFTER the race, not DURING the race. * A perfect excuse to come to Tucson to see the magnificent Saguaro National Park and the Kartchner Caverns. |
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