Erin Benoit's Staging Area

I’m local and this was my second running of the half marathon. The planning and fanfare are very professional, on par with a major race. But I won’t run this one again unless there are changes – there are far better local half marathons I’ve run like the Lost Dutchman and Rock ‘n Roll AZ. For some reason the pre-race parking has always been a cluster. This year the parking seemed more sensible, near the start – but the exit for parking was so backed up for miles that it was an extra 50 minutes of sitting in standstill traffic which was a bit stressful since it cut into my pre-race cushion (it’s important to note I was on track to arrive earlier than the race organizer recommended). I saw people running on the shoulder toward the start and I felt bad for what drove them to do that – it’s not how you want to start a race. The biggest issue I have with this race is that the course is SUPER boring…simply blah. Personally I like a scenic course and Arizona has great scenery! But there were no mountain views or cacti in the half marathon, just long roads and beige neighborhoods. I suppose people come for the downhill aspect but it’s imperceptible in the half marathon. Clearly the first half of the marathon is the redeeming draw and I wonder if the organizers would ever make that first half the primary course for all distances?