Guillermo Bares's Staging Area

This is one of the most beautiful courses I can imagine. It is absolutely stunning. The race organizers did a good job with preparations. It was particularly motivating to have Navajo veterans in attendance and to hear some traditional Navajo music was really stirring.
However in my opinion race is not for average runners. 5 out of 5 difficult does not express how hard this course is. The first 6 miles or so we’re just what I would expect from a trail run. Hilly terrain with a mix of rough surfaces: dirt road, some sections with pockets of gravel that evened out deep potholes, sheer bedrock, and some shallow sand (couple inches). However from mile 6 to about mile 11 there were long stretches of very fine, loose and very deep sand. Most of those 5-6 miles were sand. There are two climbs on sand dunes / very sand steep paths that will sap whatever life your legs have left. Though both lead you to remarkable views of the valley.

For context I’m an average runner but felt well prepared for my first marathon. To get ready for the marathon I followed a Strava 12 week training plan to the letter and had an achievable race plan/pacing strategy. My goals for the race were modest (1) to finish the race, (2) run the entire distance, and (3) finish slightly under 4 hours. However I was utterly spent before the half way point of this race. After the halfway point the running surfaces were better (no deep sand) but sadly I was exhausted and could only muster running intermittently. Several people along the way spontaneously say this is the hardest thing they’ve done in their life. Overall in terms of placement among finishers I finished in middle of the pack (37 out of 84) so I’d have to think other runners shared my opinion.
If I had to do it all over again I would honestly consider not pushing as hard / or even walking on the sandiest areas and/or go out of my way to do some trainings runs on sandy beaches. Personally i would have benefitted from more detailed information about the terrain and will inform the race organizers about that. In the mean time I hope this review helps some folks out there.

This is event is a fun frolicking run through Maybury State Park. If you’re looking for a professionally timed 5k look elsewhere. It’s a there-and-back jog through the paved walkways of the park. Prerace there was hot chocolate, a few guys wearing turkey outfits and maybe even music(not 100% sure). The finisher medals were nice. This is a nice little 5k that doesn’t try to take itself to seriously. I look forward to running it again this year though I may actually weave through the walkers and pick up the pace this time. 🙂