I've done nine marathons which includes doing this marathon twice. This is by far the fastest course I've seen. Most of the entire first half has a slight downgrade and the only ascent to speak of was removed when they modified the finish this year.

Both Saturday before the race and Monday after the race were miserable rainy days. However, fortune smiled upon us on race day. It was cool, dry and that much faster!

For those runners that induce significant others to accompany them to distance races, I might suggest other 'destination' marathons. Truth is that Tucson has very little to offer if the sun isn't shining.

On the other hand, Tucson is a destination marathon for hardcore runners looking for a late season chance to qualify for Boston or improve upon a PR.

Only suggested improvements might be:

>Some electronic clocks on the course.
>Significantly improve the mile-markers (too small/too low/not easily seen).
>'Walkers' a hazard in narrowed confines of the last 300 yards.

This is a quaint race and very easy to PR. It WILL shred your quads though... It might be for the more experienced just because it is not saturated with aid stations. They had volunteers on bikes monitoring everyone though. It is a very quiet marathon but I thought it was beautiful and well organized.

There aren't many spectators at all but there are just enough when you need some. I brought my walkman and had some tunes to keep my mind busy. This race is not chaotic like the bigger races but it is charming.

It was overcast and so the sun was not a factor.

I think if you are dressed right and prepared, you'll be successful in this race. THE HILLS ARE A KILLER!

The medal was a cool cactus in place of the regular circles. Loved it!

I've run 9 marathons, including Boston, the last two were in Tucson. Tucson is my favorite. There are no surprises, it's just as advertised.

It's a desert run, so don't come here expecting northern US weather. Historically, record temps have been recorded in the low 80's - not 90 and not on any race day. If you like cold weather, don't come. Although, this year it was 35F at the start. Glad they didn't start any earlier.

The race is mostly downhill, just as advertised. If you don't like a gentle downhill (never steep), don't run it.

It's a point-to-point race, like Boston, so you have to take a bus. Last buses leave at 6 am. It's a 40-minute ride, which leaves only 50 minutes to use the potties and get warmed up for a 7:30 sharp start (not that much time).

But if you love the desert and cacti, with breathtaking views of mountains capped with snow, and the beautiful sunrise above the mountain tops just after the race starts, you will get hooked on this race.

The support along the way is excellent. It's a small enough race where you can start near the front and not have to wait 10 minutes to reach the starting line. But it's big enough to always run with others, front back, and side by side if you like to talk. The race passes by and finishes within 5 minutes of a huge medical hospital for those who are not prepared to run a marathon. (Definitely not wilderness!)

As for myself and for those I talked with at the race finish, it's a great race, well organized and just as advertised, no surprises! And I'll probably run it every year that my legs can carry me.

I loved this course and I did qualify for Boston but it did get very warm towards the end causing me to get dehydrated and NO ONE seemed to be able to monitor or check finishers to see if they needed medical attention. The 'medical help' in the tent was non-existent. NO IV FLUIDS available, therefore I had to take a very expensive trip to the hospital just to get IV fluids which I should have been able to get right in the medical tent!! Bad, bad, bad. I heard one of the medical tent doctors tell another participant, 'we are just a couple of doctors in the wilderness - we're not equipped to help with serious problems'!! He really said that!! Are we concerned about malpractice or what???? I have NEVER heard of a medical tent with no IV fluids available with trained people to administer them. Many many people took unnecessary trips to the hospital. There is absolutely no excuse for this.

Also lack of spectators was tough, but for me the qualifying time was the most important thing. I did do that! Thank goodness! Otherwise I would be saying a lot more bad things about this race.

My 7th marathon, 1st Tucson, finished 3:27, 2nd fastest ever. I'm male 34, 195, 5-10. (Commentors: why don't you give your time/age/weight so that others can tell if you're elite or a five hour marathoner?)

Well, I've had a long time to reflect on this race.

0)Missed expo - delayed flight.

1)Pre-race AM: Mandatory bus ride was way too early. Thankfully, runners were allowed to stay on buses to keep from freezing. Suggestion: Have buses leave 1/2 hour later ('Hurry up and wait' is OK but can the wait be reduced a little?) OR just start the race a 1/2 hour earlier to compensate for high temps at finish.

2) Course: (Better described by other postings). Had quad cramping due to downhills and heat. I specifically trained for downhills approx 2 months. There may be only so much a Clydesdale can do.

3) Support: How can anyone be other than grateful for volunteers?!? THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! Curious about the responses that are less than positive about the first half lack of fans... I'll take no fans the whole way as long as there are some people lined up along the last mile cheering the way they did! There was a lack of quantity of water stations the last 6 miles when it's needed most (even if only for dumping over your head). Every mile 'on the mile' or half mile is easiest psychologically. My father (as my support crew) supplied me with 2 Gatorade jugs at around mile 19 and 22 that made all the difference.

4) Finish: Adrenaline compensates for the steep (in marathon terms) uphill finish. No one appeared to be checking the condition of finishers up-close. It may have happened but I don't recall. No good places to stretch (but lots of dirt area), nor many shaded areas (definitely needed). Nothing compelling at finish for which to stick around. How about some music a bit away from the finish line?

5) Overall: Marathons are always special. Tucson was no exception. GREAT RACE! Complaints usually accompany bad performances. (And praise from good ones?) From reading prior postings, Tucson looks like it's improving every year. Weather, as in ALL races, is the biggest factor. Strongest endorsement is repeat business - I hope I can run Tucson 2004 for a PR.

I ran a 3:11 in the 2003 race (tied my PR). Before the race, I drove and studied the whole course with an altimeter (no, I'm actually not an engineer). :-) Here are my impressions:

The Good News: The course is net 2,000 feet downhill. By my best estimates, this will speed up the average person by about 5% (takes about 10 to 15 minutes off your time). Miles 1 and 3 are full of rolling hills and are net flat, mile 26 is actually uphill, but the other 23 miles are all downhill, anywhere from 50 to 200 feet each, and most of it is a gentle downhill grade, which is perfect for running fast. Except for miles 1, 3, and 26, there is essentially no uphill. The official race elevation graph is not misleading (the way those graphs often are for hilly races that want to appear flat), but it is off for the first three miles, where it shows mile 1 to be very downhill & mile 2 to be flat (the opposite is true).

The Bad News: The race is run at altitude (starts at 4,700 feet and ends at 2,700 feet). Altitude has been scientifically demonstrated to impair marathon performance in a predictable manner. At 4,700, feet the damage is 5%, and at 2,700 feet it's between 2 & 3%. So on average, the altitude effects will slow you down by about 4%, offsetting most of the benefits of the downhill. In addition, the course leaves you very exposed to sun and wind. The sun is over head an hour into the race, and it gets hot (and there are not enough water and aid stations to keep up). Also, the race is a point-to-point course (the first half runs east & the second half heads south), so you are at the mercy of the wind direction. Usually, the wind is out of the east, so you have a tailwind the first half and then a cross-wind the second half, but the day I ran, the wind came from the southwest at 12 miles per hour, which made for an oblique headwind the whole way. This had a pleasant cooling effect, but at great energy cost, which made for a slow day for most runners.

So in summary, the downhill speeds you up, but it is offset by other factors. For me, I'm going to stick to flat races at sea level in cool conditions.

I was trying to qualify for Boston at this event. I ran a 15-minute PR, but the event is not what you might think. My watch recorded temperatures during the event. The temperature at the start was 45, at the half was 70, and at the finish was close to 90. As soon as the sun comes out the road heats up and you are toasted, literally. There is no protection from the sun anywhere on the course. The website says 50-60's, very misleading.

I was running at the front of the pack, so I had aid. But for the slower runners - they ran out of water at the first aid station, I was running with a bottle, and I had to fill it up myself, aid station volunteers did not seem to know what they were doing. They need to switch to Gatorade. Sponges would be nice after the half to get the dry sweat off of your face. You have to be prepared for dehydration during the second half of the marathon.

This is the first marathon where I was not congratulated at the finsh. I was just handed a medal and told to exit the area. The medal is very plain compared to most events. There were lots of people suffering from heat exhaustion, but no one seemed to be monitoring the finishers to escort them to the medical tent. We were taken to the start 2 hours before the 7:30am start time. There were limited bathrooms at the start and on the course. The finisher shirts were not very atractive and were just plain T's. I usually get a wicking shirt at marathons. I stayed at the Holiday Inn next to the start and it was quiet, cheaper, and easy access.

Overall - the course is a PR course, the race director has cut his costs and the event is no thrills - so leave your event expecations at home. I only saw very limited spectators on the course. So if you are looking for a boost of energy from the spectators, don't plan on it.

I was trying for Boston, but the downhill caused severe leg pain, mostly in the quads even though I trained specifically for the downhill. Much warmer than expected or advertised, therefore not nearly enough aid stations. The Comp1 sport drink was disappointing, stick to Gatorade. The fans that were there were very supportive, but not enough. The route was psychologically challenging, you see the mountains that never get any closer.

I stayed at the hotel that was the race headquarter, and that was very convenient since the race is a point-to-point marathon and there was bus transportation to the start provided right at the hotel. The pasta dinner was above average and worth the $15.00. The bus ride to the start was nice and we left at 5 AM, arriving just before 6 AM. It was warmer than normal, but still cool when we arrived, so I am glad that we did not have to get off the bus until just before the race started. Throughout the day the weather was perfect, and was just beginning to get warm when I finished. The only real problem, and it was minor, was there was no water at the first aid station. I don't think this affected the race at all, and there were more than enough water stations late in the race, maybe too many. The scenery, for someone from the East, was just spectacular.

The generally downhill course presented some new challenges. I got blisters on both feet, the first time in years, and my quads were very sore before the end of the race. More so than is usual after running a marathon. The uphill finish is a challenge, similar to the finish of the Marine Corps Marathon. Post-race was nice, lots of water and other drinks, but not a wide variety of food. I really like the cactus finisher's medal! All in all it was a great experience, I would recommend it and would do it again. As a matter of fact, I plan to do it again.