EARN THE BIRD AT THE PHOENIX MARATHON! The Phoenix Marathon returns, building on a powerful debut and continuing its rise as Arizona’s premier distance race. Designed to deliver the scale and excitement of a city-signature marathon with the care, personality, and attention of a hometown event, race day is built …
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EARN THE BIRD AT THE PHOENIX MARATHON!
The Phoenix Marathon returns, building on a powerful debut and continuing its rise as Arizona’s premier distance race. Designed to deliver the scale and excitement of a city-signature marathon with the care, personality, and attention of a hometown event, race day is built entirely around the runner. From industry-leading shirts and medals to unmatched course support and a high-energy finish experience, every detail is intentional, so you can focus on your best run.
The Phoenix Marathon course takes runners on a dynamic journey through the heart of Phoenix, showcasing the beauty and contrast of the Valley of the Sun. From sweeping desert views to a memorable finish near Papago Park, the course highlights everything that makes running in Phoenix unforgettable. Return to the desert this December, rise with the city, and Earn the Bird at the Phoenix Marathon.
Registration Includes:
- An incredibly fast and beautiful race.
- A medal you will be proud to display.
- Best technical shirt ever.
- Great swag that you will want to keep.
- Great food & fun at the finish.
- Generous transfer/withdrawal policy.
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Lackluster Inaugural Comeback
The Phoenix Marathon (formerly the Phoenix–Mesa Marathon) aimed to return with a new scenic, point-to-point, Boston-qualifying course, but the execution fell short. I registered for the half marathon because it … MORE
The Phoenix Marathon (formerly the Phoenix–Mesa Marathon) aimed to return with a new scenic, point-to-point, Boston-qualifying course, but the execution fell short. I registered for the half marathon because it was the inaugural race, and I hoped it would become a staple on my running calendar. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I am reconsidering that idea.
The race was disorganized from the start. Runners were unclear about where the starting line was located, and the portable potties were placed nearly a mile away. There was also confusion over whether the start was at 56th Street and Desert Drive or at 7th Avenue and Glendale.
Additionally, the canal portion of the course was not scenic at all and, in several areas, was too narrow to safely accommodate the number of runners. It quickly became crowded and claustrophobic, requiring constant navigation through groups of people. The climb through Papago Park just two miles before the finish was especially challenging and felt poorly planned.
I hope the organizers take this feedback into consideration and make improvements to the course and logistics for future races.
solid, not special, inaugural race
This was my 36 Marathon in my 26th State...I picked the option for having the bib mailed, but i still attended the EXPO...the expo was what i expected, not super … MORE
This was my 36 Marathon in my 26th State…I picked the option for having the bib mailed, but i still attended the EXPO…the expo was what i expected, not super big but decent…unfortunately it was downtown Phoenix on a Friday, and I had to pay 20 dollars for parking….The race was point to point with a option of taking a bus from near the finish line to the start…Bus loading process was smooth and on time (though i had to wait 1 1/2 at the start. The start line had porta potties and some other hydration, first aid type stuff, some music…probably not enough porta potties…the course was pretty flat other than a bigger hill in the last couple miles….there was probably just enough hydration stations ( Gatorade, water, gels, banana), but 1 or 2 more would been nice….the course traveled through residential/commercial area but mostly on a paved trail on the phoenix area…honestly, the course was a little boring, I would of expected more highlights of the city…crowd support was pretty good for an inaugural race…my family were able to get places pretty easy to support me as well…the finish line was at the Arizona State baseball stadium area….they had the normal snacks, ice cream, beer, chocolate mile….the medals were nice….nice race tech shirt… some vendors and stuff at the finish, not too exciting…I didn’t stay at the finish line for long as it started to get how. The weather started in the low 50’s and finished in the 60-70 range….overall I was a little disappointed in the race, even though it was well produced. I attended the Inaugural Las Vegas (operated by the same company) the year before and thought that was very exciting and more of a interesting course, hopefully some improvement for next year…Logistically, it was easy to fly into Phoenix and get to this race….Also, there was a lot to do in the area. My Family went to Sedona for a day and also went to the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden (Christmas event)…also, a lot of outlet malls and such… I would still recommend the race, but not my favorite
Professional but boring
I had high expectations for an inaugural race. I did the marathon and this was my third marathon. The race was very boring with no entertainment. This means no music, … MORE
I had high expectations for an inaugural race. I did the marathon and this was my third marathon. The race was very boring with no entertainment. This means no music, no groups other than water stations supporting, and the scenery felt like the ghetto. I was not impressed. My last marathon a month ago was 5:22:25.
It's okay
Pre Race: Race email communication and web site were very good providing the necessary information, however I had many problems with the mobile app. I could never get logged into … MORE
Pre Race:
Race email communication and web site were very good providing the necessary information, however I had many problems with the mobile app. I could never get logged into it nor could I ever reset my password using the app. A friend picked up my race bib, so I have no comments on the expo. The participation shirt is a good quality, comfortable fit shirt with a nice design.
Race Day:
Race day weather started mid to upper 50s (F) degrees and rose to the low 70s. I drove to the finish line and was bussed to the start. That part was a mess. I drove from the northeast part of town and found that a road I planned to take a mile away from the prerace parking was closed 2+ hours before the race start. I understand the need to close roads, however closing them > 2 hours before race start seemed excessive: Frustrating! There were two sets of busses: one for the full and one for the half: You needed to make sure to grabbed the right bus. Volunteers pointed me the right way, however it was a somewhat inefficient route to take. When the busses arrived at the destination, police road blocks prevented the busses from getting to the start area (this time 1.5 hours before race start). The bus drivers were similarly confused as you could hear from the radio chatter, and they let us off at the road block for us to walk about 4 blocks to the start area.
My race goal was just to finish. The race started as the sun was rising and for the first two hours or so we had slightly overcast skies to keep the sun at bay. The course started on wide city streets (cement) with ample room. Eventually we hopped onto a cement path along a canal. This path had 8-10 underpasses to cross under roads. The first few were interesting, but they did grow old. Then the route transitioned to a canal section that only had dirt to run on, which went fine. From then on the course was city again (cement and some sections of brick) leading into the final miles (asphalt I think) that were the most scenic. The last mile was an out-and-back before leading into the finish area. In summary, first 7 miles are downhill, then it’s flat along the canals. There are two long inclines around mile 17 (2 mile incline) and mile 22.5 (1.5 mile scenic incline). The mile markers were spot on except for the mile 26 marker which was placed at mile 25 (it was on the wrong side of the road). The course was very well marked with yellow signs with arrows pointing which direction to go.
I thought there were sufficient water stops and porta potties along the course (at the start area are there ever enough?). There were about 2500 marathoners on this run, and I always had people around me though not in a crowded sense. The volunteer support was very good though they struggled to keep up with the water cups in the early miles (not unexpected). There were a fair number of spectators sporadically around the course, but they were relatively quiet until their runner passed.
Post Race:
We were greeted with our medal, a cold towel, chocolate milk, water, and an ice cream bar at the finish. Additional snacks were provided in a pre-filled bag. Bravo on all that! The only thing I wished they had was a shaded area to rest in. Vendor booths populated the finish area along with an area to enjoy your post race beer. It took me a while to find where I parked my car, because when I arrived in the morning it was dark and there weren’t any landmarks to orient myself. Of course I eventually found it.