Hot as Hell Half & Quarter Trail Marathon
Tempe, AZ
- Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
But it’s a Dry Heat… right?! Welcome to Arizona where summer spends the winter, and hell spends the summer! Join us for the Hot s Hell Half & Quarter Trail Marathon in Tempe’s Papago Park. Celebrating the desert one mile at time! What You Get at the Race: The amazing … MORE
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Not meant to be
What a time I had with this race – starting the week prior. For some reason I had it in my head the race was 5/12 and after a night … MORE
What a time I had with this race – starting the week prior. For some reason I had it in my head the race was 5/12 and after a night of short sleep I arrived to the start but was unable to find the run. After attempting different locations I was about to give up when I rechecked the event details and noticed it was actually 5/19. That should have been a sign to just give up and stay in bed.
The morning of 5/19 I again went to the race site and it was packed. The run had sold out, they added a few more spots, and those sold out as well. It was a nice atmosphere with many people there eager to begin the run. Every day I drive by this area and think how I would like to explore those big rocks and trails. That sounds great from the car.
As I lined up the runners were broken into three waves to allow for crowd control. We started up a small incline, through the parking lot, down the street, and into a canal path that led to the trails. By the first half mile I was already feeling it. I have completed the PF Chang half marathon five times, and in that race the entire thing is flat except when the run enters Tempe around Curry Street and suddenly there are hills that kick my butt near the end of the race. This trail run was entirely in that area and it was working its magic on me right from the start. It wasn’t too hot yet, so that wasn’t an issue, but I was definitely way out of shape for those hills. I made it around the two mile mark when I started thinking about how hard I was breathing, how my legs and butt were already sore, and how after finishing the course of 6.5 miles I would have to do a second lap. By mile 3 I decided there was no way I could pull that off, so I stopped and walked back to the parking lot where my car was. At least I got a nice shirt out of it. I definitely need to get in better shape before trying a trail run again.
But if you are in shape, I would recommend the run. The race staff I have run with before and they are great, the shirt was nice, and the medal was fantastic – if only I would have finished and received one. Plus the area is beautiful so it would give a fit person and enjoyable view.