Marathons: Paul #20, Leah #10, State #6 : Phoenix Marathon 2013
2nd March 2013, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Finish Time = 3:48:51
This was a fantastic marathon from start to finish, I cannot recommend this race highly enough. Note that this is NOT the Rock N’ Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix, this is “The Phoenix Marathon”.
It was a point to point course, so we started off with a daunting shuttle ride from the finish line back to the start, which means a 1 hour bus ride on a yellow US school bus, in the dark, into the middle of nowhere. Literally, we were dropped off in a place with no street lights in the pitch black, except for the light provided especially for the start area. The daunting part is you know you have to run all the way back the way it took the school bus an hour to drive from.
As the sun started to rise we set off and the surroundings looked spectacular. We were running alongside huge cacti and scenic mountains through Phoenix and the Sonoran Desert.
I think the scenic course helped us to take our mind off a lot of the running and we cruised along at a great pace without even realizing it. We got all the way to 25 miles when I looked at my watch and took a double-take when I saw the time. I showed Leah and said “Let’s finish this thing off!”. We sprinted for the last mile to come in at a new personal best (for me) of 3 hours 48 minutes! I couldn’t believe it and how different it had felt than other, slower times.
Post Race Food
The finish area was to this date still the best we’ve ever encountered after a race. Let’s be clear: I love post-race food. If you don’t see me eating at the end of a marathon, something isn’t right and I haven’t had a good run. Most of the time I have the appetite of a hibernating bear after crossing the finishing line and the finish area of this race was a bear’s dreamland feast.
There was just about every food item you can imagine there for free for the taking, along with ice-water towels you could throw on your head/neck, paddling pools of cold water if you wanted to sit in one, or ice-pack wraps for your legs. There was candy/sweets, savory snacks, hot food, cold food and just about any drink you could want.
This race was so good we seriously considered entering it again the following year even though it wasn’t in line with our goal of running in different States.
To top off a fantastic race we then went and spent the rest of the day and night in the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. It was amazing and a great way to relax after a marathon.
It’s crazy how some just feel more effortless than others!
Elevation Graph from my running watch:
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