I'm disappointed that Yelp has decided to hide all of the reviews of this year's race, as the experience was truly terrible, and it's something that should be noted for any potential future participants. So, in hopes of this one being posted as well, here goes:
1) Packet pickup: One person was working the packet pickup, which was inconveniently placed in a location that had no close parking (especially because an event was going on across the street in US Bank arena) and because only one person was working, this took longer than necessary. Also on the packets (though not why I run a race, but disappointing: some people received water bottles, some didn't. You just received a sticker, a bag and your number.)
2) Race Start was not marked until 10 minutes prior to the race "start time," which was denoted by a strip of red duct tape on the road. Runners were walking up and down the street looking for the start- which, when it was discovered, was nowhere near where the course map indicated it to be.
3) Start was delayed by 30 minutes, which was blamed on the police department, which seems irresponsible and cowardly on the part of the race organizers. (This was informed to us via bullhorn, by the way.) Also doesn't help that runners also received emails with another, different start time the week of the race.
4) Aid stations were not where they were supposed to be on the course, many did not have gatorade, and the stations were not indicated on the course map. Also, given the heat and humidity of the day, they should have had more than one every 2.5 miles! Had I not had my water bottle with me, I would have probably quit the race.
5) Distance was incorrectly measured. Each mile was .25 off from what it should be, and the last mile was at least .50 off. My guess is this probably had to do with the incorrect placement of the start line.
6) Terrible customer service. The week of the race I posted asking for details about aid stations so I could plan my hydration, and they were not answered. I ended up finding this information on the website by clicking on a link that says "Hydration Station Info Coming Soon" Any complaints about the race have been deleted from their facebook page. This is a cardinal sin for anyone working in social media/ PR (which I do) and they should be ashamed for this kind of behavior and deceiving future participants.
7) "Recovery" station consisted of a tray of a single cut up watermelon, pretzels and a handful of granola bars. Oh and who can forget the jugs of warm watered down gatorade set out on tables.
For a race that boasts focusing the majority of attention to the best race for the runners, they failed in their mission. Will never recommend this race to anyone, much less run it again. This company (tuscon racing) should be ashamed. They must be desperate for a profit.
*Please review the not recommended link for the other hidden reviews of this race- they are not inaccurate!! read more