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@t2oliver
Scottsdale, AZ Raving since 2024 Active 2 days, 15 hours agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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Half Marathon
Marathon
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(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
Marathon + Ultra
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Future Races
Personal Bests (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shamrock Run Portland | Half Marathon | Portland, OR | Mar 17, 2024 | 2:19:39 |
Future Races (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helvetia Half Marathon | Half Marathon | Hillsboro, OR | Jun 1, 2024 |
Past Races (3)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge To Brews | 10K | Portland, OR | Apr 21, 2024 | |||
| Shamrock Run Portland | Half Marathon | Portland, OR | Mar 17, 2024 | 2:19:39 |
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| Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona | Half Marathon | Tempe, AZ | Jan 16, 2022 |
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Shamrock Run Portland
Large St Patty's tradition, lacks org.
Shamrock Run Portland
This is the largest race in the Portland area and takes place every March for St Patty's day. The course starts off along the edge of downtown; the first 2 … MORE
This is the largest race in the Portland area and takes place every March for St Patty’s day. The course starts off along the edge of downtown; the first 2 miles are along the Willamette River where you pass three or four bridges before u-turning. You then run back through the starting line, and end up off the waterfront almost immediately. There are two or three more u-turns which I find to be boring and also hard on my knees. By mile 6 the scenery is prettier and it gets greener as you approach mile 8ish where there is a gnarly hill that makes your training worthwhile. At the top of the hill there were bagpipers (it is a St Patty’s run after all) and then it’s pretty much downhill from there until the finish line.
It was an unseasonably warm and sunny 2024 event but still not a lot of sideline support/enthusiasm. Very little organized support too; it was surprisingly lackluster for such a vibrant city in general. The participants had plenty of spirit though, it was abnormal to see someone not wearing green.
This is one of the least detailed halfs I’ve participated in which is surprising considering its nearly 50 years old. The bib numbers are not assigned to you and there are no organized starting corals – they say you can ‘seed’ in accordingly with the pacers in the line up; the race gear is not a technical shirt (which means I’ll wear it less, for sure); even the map of the course does not have mile markers which made it harder for my friends/family to plan where they were going to meet up with me to cheer me on. All of this is fairly minor but annoying. My chief complaint is they had a ‘strider’ (walking) course that ended at the same finish line as the half. Another running distance didn’t finish in the same place but they had walkers and halfers literally crossing paths at the very end. It was dangerous and frustrating. I had to shout at multiple people as I approached to pass because they were not paying attention. I literally finished within 90 seconds of PRing and it was absolutely due to this hot mess at the end. Overall, if you want to run an event in PDX, maybe you’ll have a better time during a different year. I traveled from out of town for this and would not go out of my way to return.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona
Boring&flat until the end, but home base
Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona
I would argue this is the most popular race in the Phoenix area; it's also the kick off every year for the Rock 'n Roll series. This was my first … MORE
I would argue this is the most popular race in the Phoenix area; it’s also the kick off every year for the Rock ‘n Roll series. This was my first (2020) and second (2022) half marathon experience. I personally find it to be a boring course but sometimes you just can’t beat the convenience of home!
Rock ‘n Roll always puts on a well organized event; from packet pickup to course support and entertainment (they aim for a band at every mile), it’s always well attended. I’ve ran six halfs at the time of this review and this expo has had the most vendors and is seamless as far as picking up your gear. Line up morning of was problem-free both years I attended and the post-race celebration is in a large park, and also walkable to nearby restaurants and bars (very close to the ASU campus). In 2020 I thought the band support on the course was better than ’22 and The Gin Blossoms headlined ’20 which was super cool.
The half marathon course is virtually flat until a modest hill at mile 9, and then the surroundings get more picturesque/ what you are expecting if you’re not from here and think of ‘Arizona.’
Out of towners should be mindful of the weather as it’s usually sunny and can push 70 degrees by late morning. It was rainy in ’23 so obviously there are exceptions but I’ve watched people get sick because they aren’t from here and trained all winter in very different circumstances! It’s perfect for locals though because you can start a typical 12-13 week training schedule just as the heat starts to really subside.