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May 6, 2024

Tucson Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.8

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.3

Number of comments: 233 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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M. S. from Wyoming (3/20/2011) "Really not a fast course" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Tucson Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I have run 13 marathons and this race twice. I don't really understand why they claim it is such a fast course when the steep hills in Oro kill you as well as the ridiculous hill at mile 24.5. It's a race that has a few spectators, and a nice place to be for a destination marathon (what could be nicer than Tucson in December?!). However, I agree with most comments here. The worst thing about this race is the post-race expo. Set-up was poor, there was nowhere to sit down (in the blazing heat no less), and the bus ride back to the hotel took 30 minutes (our hotel was 3 miles away). I am motivated to run again because it is an easy race to get to, but I would suggest looking elsewhere for better options. I definitely agree that this race is $50 overpriced.
J. B. from California (2/1/2011) "Going downhill..." (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Tucson Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This is my third time running this marathon and most likely my last. I think it is an ok marathon overall. Pros: Weather in AZ in December Downhill course Cons: Expo SUCKS! NO clocks/timers on marathon course Somewhat boring run - beautiful desert, though No 3:00 or 3:10 pacers I would run this once as a marathoner who hasn't run this. I would recommend staying at the OMNI, as it has a cold bath in the spa and an amazing spa that is included in the $100/night stay. A bargain for such an amazing resort. I look forward to staying here more than I do the marathon!
Brian Edmison from Carrollton, TX (1/15/2011) "Drink the water" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The aid station volunteers were great - very enthusiastic, and all called out what they were holding. The problem was that there seemed to be no pattern to the positioning of water and energy drink. At some stations one was first, at some the other, and at a couple, folks seemed to be standing in completely random order. As I said, yes, they called out what they held. But I don't slow down at aid stations - in fact I speed up, so I am going to grab whatever because I don't want to miss out. Normally, even this is no big deal, because I can handle most any flavor of Gatorade. But the stuff being distributed was XOOD, and for lack of a better description, the stuff tasted awful. I don't even know what flavor it was supposed to be other than some kind of pink melon something. Taking shots of that stuff to wash down my lemon-lime GU was just gross. I understand it's some kind of locally-made or -owned product, and that's great, but I would really rather have something familiar. The medal is a good one, with a full-color ribbon and heavy bronze medal depicting cacti under a partly cloudy sky. The post-race food included bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels and maybe some other things I didn't see, but a strong point was the selection of at least a dozen different varieties of flavored waters and Muscle Milks, more than I'd seen anywhere else. Drop bag pickup and hotel shuttles - OK, school buses- back to the hotels were close to the finish. The goody bag had a trial box of Wheaties Fuel - far better tasting than regular Wheaties - but other than that, not much. The event shirt is a boring, white, cotton T, but I also bought a gray tech T at the expo, where a good variety of event merchandise was available for reasonable prices. I sort of just skimmed through the rest of the expo, but it seemed to offer a small but thorough selection.
D. E. from Bay Area, CA (1/9/2011) "Harder than expected" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The good: * Nice course with long stretches of downhill running. * Enthusiastic volunteers at aid stations. * Beautiful (although slightly unvaried) views. * Friendly runners (at least in the back where people weren't obsessed with BQ times...). Can be improved: * Buses should leave later. Sitting in the bus for almost two hours before the start was pretty boring. * Cotton t-shirt. * Food selection at the finish was pretty poor. * Finishing on sand. * The course profile doesn't show the rolling hills at miles 2-4. Sure, they weren't that severe, but if the hill at mile 25 is shown, why not show the earlier hills? Other comments: * Although there was a slight camber on the shoulder where we ran, it was nowhere nearly as severe as other races I've run (for example, Big Sur). * Because of the sun and heat, the last seven miles were pretty hard. I managed to keep the same pace throughout the race, but a lot of people had major problems. * I finished the race almost an hour slower than CIM two years ago. This course may be faster than a lot of other races, but I think both St. George and CIM are faster. Of course, the temperature and sun may have had something to do with my slower time.
H. K. from Phoenix, AZ (1/1/2011) "never again!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Tucson Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was my second and last Tucson Marathon. They need to rethink so many things. Starting the half marathon before the full is just stupid - obviously, the runners doing the full need the earlier start. Busing runners to the start 2 hours before the start is, I'm sorry, STUPID. They have got to figure out something different there. There is no need for people to be on a bus at 5 a.m. for a race that doesn't start until 7:30. Most of the course is along a busy roadway and you are breathing in fumes and diesel and there's no oxygen. The course is banked, on a narrow shoulder - absolutely awful. I will NEVER do this marathon again.
M. D. from Canada (12/24/2010) "A good, fast course... and an enjoyable event." (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 First, the course: I give top ratings to this course. There are a few short up and downhill segments in the first couple of miles, some rolling hills on the Biosphere Road, and then, finally, a few short, uphill stretches in the last few miles. BUT, aside from these, most of the course is slightly (almost imperceptibly) downhill for many miles at a time; therefore it's easy to get into a good pace and rhythm. Weather conditions this year were, in my view, very good. Very little wind to speak of, and I found temperatures to be almost ideal, though verging on being a little warm in the last hour of my run Overall, this course did not feel overly challenging to me, though it may have been because I'd done a fair amount of hill training in preparation. I certainly did NOT find the downhill stretches to be overly harsh on the legs - the longest downhills are very gradual, and the few steeper downhills on this course are very short. All in all, I found this to be a fast and, for me, perfect course. I was able to do better than I expected, achieving a PR and a BQ! The last 30 feet or so, turning onto the finishing mat, were on sand (though I'd been told it wouldn't be); however, this wasnt a problem at all. Regarding the start: I agree with other comments that the buses probably arrived at the start earlier than they needed to, which made for a very early morning. (I was up by 02:45, though that was partly necessitated by my personal pre-run routine.) Scenery at the beginning (near Oracle) was spectacular. Porta-potty issues were the usual, with long lines, though I think one just gets used to this in such events and just get in the line early. Regarding the expo, it was small, and nothing special. As others have mentioned, the goody bag was limited, and the t-shirt (white cotton) is not a keeper. Transportation (though, as mentioned bus departures were earlier than needed) was very well organized. Aid stations were generally good, and well staffed with volunteers, though at least one station did run out of water. The Xood seemed weaker and much more diluted at some of the aid stations. As an aside, there was one aid station - I think around mile 19 or so - that was serving energy drink that was ice cold. What a pleasure at that point! (Thank you, folks!) Security (keeping runners on course, and safe from traffic) was very good all along the route. Food at the finish was okay, though there might have been a bit more variety. Also regarding the finish, results were posted quite quickly. However I believe there was supposed to be an awards presentation, and I waited some time without anything happening, while runners continued to leave on the shuttle buses. Finally I just collected my age award from the desk and departed. (One particular note: some shuttle drivers did not seem to know the area very well, and seemed confused about where to go to get participants back to hotels or parking.) Probably the largest set of photos I've ever received from an event. Regarding staying in Oro Valley, its a good area with not a lot of traffic, good access to shopping and pleasant hotels... a warm and pleasant December escape, for a northerner. All in all, while (as noted) a few logistical aspects could be improved in this event, I came for the fast course, and got what I came for. I can certainly recommend this run for someone aiming to achieve a fast time.
E. O. from Colorado (12/23/2010) "Pros and Cons: Overall would not recommend" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I spent a lot of time researching a good marathon for my 2nd BQ attempt. Tucson was the best choice based on its advertised speedy course, ease of travel from Denver, and climate for December. First the good: I thought the course was pretty and I enjoyed the views. I also enjoyed miles 14-23; the gradual downhill grade was awesome. My mom and I REALLY enjoyed staying at the host hotel and it was nice to be able to sit by the pool after the race. The volunteers were awesome as well, and they made the race experience. The bad: I registered a month out and had to pay about $115. When I got to the race, I could not understand why this race was so expensive. This was the absolute worst t-shirt and schwag bag I've ever gotten - I'm sorry, but I was pretty disappointed. Give us a copy of a magazine, or Chapstick or something at least! The on-course feed stations were not sufficient. I brought two water bottles with mix, but felt bad for those relying on XOOD and the few gels they gave out. That's just ridiculous! If you're going to use a mix that's not readily used or available, at least send out samples or something to allow people to try it without having to buy a huge thing of it. I was prepared, but would have preferred not to have carried my own stuff. The porta-potties at the start were not sufficient; admittedly I was one of those who opted to use a bush instead of wait in line for who knows how long. When the gun went off, the porta-potty lines were still multiple-people deep! The last hill at mile 24-25 was really pretty steep and the road surface was bad. Several people were walking up this hill and they were <3:40 racers. This caused me to register almost a minute slower finish time - and I ran up the thing! The finish area didn't have much protection from the sun and the food was not acceptable (rolled tortillas with peanut butter). Granted, after finishing, I didn't feel like eating much. But, for that steep of an entry fee we should've gotten better food options and even items we could've taken with us. Ultimately, I'm not convinced the course is that fast and I don't think I got my money's worth. I did just barely get a BQ, so I'm super psyched about that. But I probably won't be back unless some changes are made.
R. B. from USA (12/19/2010) "Not that great!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Sorry about the negativity here, but I ran the 2010 marathon and found a few problems with it. 1. Zero camaraderie! I've run marathons before and maybe the difference was that this one was a Boston qualifier but despite the fact that it was huge and we were all herded onto buses, which might in other circumstances provoke conversation and friendly exchanges. Here, the other racers weren't particularly friendly. There was an absence of the fun, energetic esprit de corps I've seen in other races; instead, they were all worried about BQ this, BQ that, and so on. One woman even remarked, "I'll be SO GLAD when this is over." Uh... then why are you running? You're spending tons of your life training for something you can't wait to be over? This seemed a genuinely sad attitude to have, but it also seemed to be shared by many people, which I found disappointing. Obviously this isn't the race organizer's fault, but if folks are looking for a race where ordinary people like me (read: non-elites) are looking for a great time, the Tucson Marathon probably isn't your best choice. On the whole, I'd avoid races that are BQs and look for marathons that DON'T promote a personal record. 2. I had to get up at 4 in the morning to make the shuttle bus by 5... but the race didn't start until 7:30. The shuttle buses had us at the start line something like an hour and a half or more before the actual start time. Nothing to do for an hour and a half... fun! 3. The porta-potty lines were incredibly long. I must've seen something like 50 people giving up and just urinating in the desert because they couldn't afford to wait forever in the porta-potty lines. This wasn't the best way to start. 4. The out-and-back section at Biosphere 2 is psychologically depressing - it comes at a difficult point in the race and is a series of rolling hills, so you're really going "uphill both ways," or so it feels. Other people may feel differently, but out-and-back sections always make me feel like I've run a lot to get nowhere. 4. Why the heck do they call it the Tucson Marathon? Not one square foot of it - not the race, not the hotel accommodations, not anything actually occurs in Tucson! It starts in Oracle and ends in Catalina... it doesn't even make it to Oro Valley, much less Tucson proper. 5. The course cuts off in Catalina, right before the highway runs past the most stunning views of the Catalina Mountains. Instead, you get fairly depressing, uninteresting desert through Oracle and along Oracle Road... and I speak as someone who loves the desert and lives in the Southwest. It's not the most attractive course out there. 6. Worst SWAG ever. Cheap t-shirt and a bunch of coupons... and that's it! Pros: Really nice folks at the aid stations!! Friendly and helpful throughout! Good distribution of bathroom facilities along the course.
c. F. from san bernardino, ca (12/19/2010) "A Mixed Review" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Tucson Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This is a must-do race. With that said, there is the good and bad. GOOD: Organization is a well oiled machine. Pam Reed is an awesome race director. Great bus shuttle to start, with ability to sit on the bus to the end. Love 2010 course even though it is hillier than advertised. Super job at finish getting gear, wonderful medals, cool shirts, and good finish support! BAD: Not enough water stops. With a day in the 80's, I thought I would see more people falling over from heat stroke. At times, 3 or 4 miles passed with no water! (Bring your own water if you run.) What's up with the 7:30 a.m. start? Fix the time; 7:30 is too late. Hills were significant. If you do not have mountains to train on, good luck... you will have a hard time. And XOD??? My girlfriend puked several times from this junk. Get a better sport drink. All in all, great job, Pam Reed! I am hungry to do it again since the heat kept me from my PR. PLEASE make start time earlier!!! Then this race would be a 10 out of 10.
W. T. from Dallas, TX (12/19/2010) "Quite an elevator drop, be careful" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tucson Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Loved the course and organization, but struggled after starting the 1st half too fast! I'll learn someday, but the toll the hills take mount up and cause issues at the end.

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