Fun and scenic half marathon through the streets of Tempe, Scottsdale and Phoenix! The weather is…read moreusually perfect too in January! Not too cold or warm! Perfect for running! I've run this event twice now (2020, 2022), and have had a lot of fun! The race starts at ASU and ends when you run back across Mill Ave Bridge to the finish line!

Rock N Roll knows how to out on a race. The course was good and mostly flat - we did have some…read moreu-turns which is not my preference in general. The one strange thing was how the started us. One at a time with a second pause (about 1 runners across). I know this was to limit the crowd, but it was odd because masks weren't required in the corral, so it felt like an unnecessary addition. Overall though, very fun. Great bands. Great race support and the end of race refuel/refresh was terrific. This was our 32nd state to race in and we're glad we chose this race.

I dont know how many races here are called Phoenix Marathon but there seems to be quite a few,…read morehowever, this race I ran called themselves the 1st inaugural Phoenix Marathon, so Im sticking with that and I'm saying I ran the 1st Phoenix Marathon, but I only ran the 10K! Looks like this run is organized by Brooksee Race Productions. Registration was straightforward with good email information and updates. Bib pickup was easy, but I would recommend not doing it at the Phoenix Convention Center again as the parking is a disaster around there. I got a really nice long sleeve wicking T shirt (cost a little more) but now I have something to remember I did this run! And I can use it for more of my jogs and runs! I really want to thank Yelp for providing complimentary tickets for this race! I used to pay for races but lately in the last 10 years, I just dont bother anymore, the prices for races have skyrocketed and why pay to torture myself? It was fun to meet up with another Elite Yelper, Nicole R, and we both came in to the finish line very close in time. The 10K course was good and I really enjoyed the last 2 miles of the run with beautiful views of our mountains and rocks and the last mile through Papago was really nice! Water stations were about 1.5 miles spread apart and everything went smoothly today. Signage clear where to turn. My only wish was that there were more spectators cheering us on, but that's not something easy to change. Baggage drop was good at the start however it was a bit disorganized when picking up my bag, the line was so slow. And if you know me, I hate queues. So many freebies but its your usual free water bottle, goos, gums, electrolytes, etc. Really fun run on a Saturday morning, close to the holidays! I loved it and thanks again Yelp!!

I beat my 10K PR!!! 1:04:58…read more For this run, I saddled up and drove over 350 miles of sun-bleached, blistered terrain to "The West's Most Western Town": Scottsdale, Arizona. "The Night Run," Arizona's oldest night race and a 25-year tradition in Old Town, beckoned. And I listened. You see, I had four BIG reasons for making this trek: I had yet to run an evening race; Phoenix just so happens to be my 5th through 7th grade stomping grounds; as challenged by Adam Richman, Chompie's had forever been bookmarked; and I wanted--no, I REALLY wanted--that glow-in-the-dark Night Run medal! But to beat my Personal Record in AZ, it wasn't easy... At 7:20pm--sundown in the wild west--it was still a dry 84F. Over 1200 shoe-laced die-hards, armed and necklaced with glowsticks, sidled up to the starting line. There were mosquitos... And at 7:30pm, we were off! The double-looped course for the most part ran alongside the city's streets--red cones separating runners and traffic--but then it also wandered in and around the park and pond of the Civic Center Mall. It was very dark at times, and although volunteers assisted, waving glowing batons, the cars being so close felt a bit dangerous. Maybe it's just me. Yet I pushed. This route was pretty much flat, and I knew I could maintain. I had to. I needed to. I did. Nevertheless, I had great fun, Scottsdale! And I'm sure that next year "Owl Be Back!" =]

The Night Run is an unusual run in a nice setting. Earlier tonight (by this time of night,…read moretechnically yesterday) I participated in the 5k portion of the Night Run for the first time. I've done a lot of races, but this was the first one that I ever did that was completely in the dark. I found it to be a generally good race, but with some important organizational hiccups. Here's the breakdown of what I thought was noteworthy: PROS: - Unusual, novel event, unlike other races - Very family-friendly, with kid-inclusive side events - Good course in a good part of town - Ample police presence and road closures for runner safety - Plenty of volunteers along race route, most with lighted batons and easy to spot - Everyone gets a glow-in-the-dark medal! CONS: - There was a huge amount of disorganization at the event for bib, goodie bag, and t-shirt pickup. I got there more than an hour early and it made very little difference. Extremely large crowds made it impossible to view most expo booths. (Was there some kind of prize wheel? I would have checked that out.) Bib pickup was the worst. There was no real separation of bib pickup into alphabetical groupings. Getting your race packet meant you had to wait a very long time in a huge confused crowd for your bib, then walk all the way around the expo to avoid the bib crowd to go to a separate table for your bag, then get in ANOTHER separate long line for your t-shirt. Amazing. Also, the event confirmation email said to ask the people giving out bibs for a timing chip if you decided you wanted to buy one -- but that was not true. The person who gave me my bib could not even tell me where to get a chip and did not try to help. Turns out that was yet another separate table and separate line! I've never gotten into so many separate, long lines just to assemble the pieces of my packet. It took forever, and no one seemed to know what was going on. - There were two water stations on the route, but the first was completely unmanned. It was just two orange cooler-dispenser things surrounded by cups and a huge crowd of stationary runners, waiting their turn. This does not make any sense in a chip-timed race. I did not get water at the first water station because I did not want to have to completely stop moving, just to wind up standing in another line, in the middle of the race. - There was very little light at the finish line, making it hard to see well enough to even get a medal. To top it off, race organizers or volunteers were spraying everyone with these squirt gun water-tube things. (I saw that they had prepared tubs of water to fill these things with, before the race, so it wasn't just some random person playing a prank. I didn't find out what the tubs of water were for until the end of the race.) This wasn't a mist; it wasn't coming down from above; they were spraying these things at us, pretty much sideways. I wear glasses, so when the water went right in my face, I couldn't see where I was going. It was not helpful, not refreshing -- more like a huge annoyance and a very real hazard. I appreciate that they were trying to do something nice, but spraying water in my face and all over my glasses, when I already can't see because it's so dark, AND I have runners coming down the chute behind me, is NOT NICE. Do you know how disoriented runners are when they come down the finish chute? Seriously, everyone is sort of mentally gone. You just don't do this. IN CONCLUSION: Would I do it again? Maybe, but only if: 1. I carried my own water, 2. I was able to get to the running store to pick up my packet in advance, and 3. I could get some assurance that no one working for The Night Run would spray the race finishers in the eyes with a big squirt gun, as the runners staggered around in the dark in a state of running-induced mental vacancy. The problems with the race could easily be fixed. I'm assuming that the race organizers are good people who want to plan a safe and fun event, so I'm hoping that this detailed feedback is useful to that end.

(My 14th Half this year!)…read more Phoenix, Arizona: my hometown, so to speak, since moving there during my 5th grade year. What I looked forward to most was running alongside a couple of my childhood friends, ones who I've known forever, it seems (and ones whom you could never have told me I would be running a Half Marathon with so many years later.) Nostalgia--as it always does when it comes to my Phoenician classmates--delights. So when a 13.1 came up, one that would bring me back to my cactus roots in the desert, I registered. The Illuminations Half, Arizona--having been its inaugural in 2014--takes place upon the beautifully scenic golf course trails of the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Although it commences at sundown--and, believe me, you'll need a headlamp for this run--there's really no escaping the gorgeousness of the resort itself. My photos--some taken during daylight hours in order to fully illustrate and capture the surrounding areas--stand as testament. The trails, illuminated by glowsticks--hundreds and hundreds of glowsticks--direct runners along the greens, lakes, fairways, and residentials outlining the course. At times, there are bottlenecks and congested impediments, so emphasizing PR's shouldn't be prioritized, but they can be overlooked. As dark as it becomes along this run, one that begins around 6pm, you shouldn't set caution to the wayside. Navigating this run carefully is important: some Halfers neglected the signs, running the 5K mistakingly. There are also times when the route crossed itself, runners having to slow their pace, yielding for others heading toward them. (It's actually quite dangerous.) Only at the race's end are there truly any luminaries; however, the celebration upon the Marriott's fountained courtyards make up for that. Music, food, fire pits, and congratulations await. It's a party, really. Registration bibs provide free chicken tacos and hot chocolate (the deserts are cold in November) after your run. And what is even better is that registrants are offered discounted rooms at the resort, and heated pools and steaming jacuzzis are plentiful. You cannot beat having run 13.1, only to relax and unwind immediately upon completion without having to drive home afterwards. If the Illuminations Half becomes tradition, and I suppose it will be if my friends have anything to do with it, the Marriott--once again--will definitely be included in our trip.

I first ran the Rugged Maniac a few years back and have been hooked ever since. I love this mud…read morerun. Rugged Maniac is an annual obstacle course race that takes place in multiple cities across the United States and Canada. It started in 2010. The course is 5K (3.1 miles) and consists of 25 obstacles along the way. We are fortunate enough to have both a Spring and Fall Rugged Maniac here in the Valley. Obstacles range from crawling through tunnels, jumping over logs set on fire, crawling under barbed wire in muddy water, and climbing a slanted 14-foot ladder wall. They change up the obstacles each year. I've gotten pretty muddy at this event. You can form teams with a team name for the run. Registration includes a shirt, a finisher's medal, and you get a free beer after the run. The event itself has a DJ on hand and fun events like a beer stein holding competition and pull-up bar contest. One nice thing is that they have photographers on hand that take photos of you during the run that you can download later. Rugged Maniac partners with the American Cancer Society.

The Soma Triathlon is just one of many events put on by the Red Rock Company. I've done several of…read moretheir triathlons and I've always been impressed. The company is extremely organized and their volunteer staff is incredible... In the 2008 Quarterman, my 2nd Soma event, everything was well-marked and the volunteers were incredible! The volunteers working to help athletes out of the water were amazing, and the wetsuit strippers were like icing on the cake! They stuck to the schedule and although my swim could've been better, the race was a lot of fun for everyone (well, at least for everyone I spoke to about it). Soma is an annual event that takes place each October (for the past 5 years) - it's a great way to wrap up the season, and it's supposedly one of the best triathlons in the country! I believe that close to 1800 athletes participated in Soma this year, including some of the top athletes in the US! The beauty of the course is that it's flat and you'll see first time triathletes participating as well as pros! Sponsors of Soma go above and beyond... included in the fee to participate is a goodie bag with great quality gear such as a visor, shirt, powerbar, gu, and more! Plus, this year's event featured a Monti's La Casa Vieja catered lunch for athletes. I hope to train more seriously for Soma 2009 and beyond. Maybe we can even get a Yelp team together?!

This year, the Red Rock Company eliminated the Quarterman and only offered the Half Ironman…read moredistance. Worked for me! This was my first SOMA event, my 3rd or 4th event put on by the Red Rock Company, and my 5th triathlon this year - woot! woot! Now, I love the SkirtChasers event they do but this one wasn't a 5-star experience. A half ironman distance is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. It started at 6:30am, and my number 7 wave didn't start the swim until closer to 7am. Therefore, when I finished around 1:00pm it was HOT!! Some people I saw on the course were struggling. And in the past, other event organizers made sure there were cold sponges available or at least someone with a hose offering to spray you down. There was only one sprinkler, and the gatorade was warm. I would think that keeping athletes cool in 89 degree weather would be a priority. Anyway, the volunteers were great and the finish line was great and every thing else was well organized and the negatives would never discourage me from doing another event. Oh, and the swag was great! It just would have been a little easier if I was hosed down!

Really fun half marathon, I got to run along the Gilbert Day Parade near the finish line! All the…read morespectators were lined up to see the parade, they cheered runners passing by. I gave high five to so many kids along the way. Since so many people were there, I ended up running faster than normal. Course here is very flat. One of the easiest race ever. If you want your PR, try this race. Race packet pick up: they offer three times. Thursday at the Road Runner in Tempe. Friday at expo in Gilbert. Saturday on the race day at the start line. Race pictures are available to download for free. They do really good job capturing the moment and nice to be able to download for free. Parking is available at the start line. They will bus you back after the race. Pretty well organized race overall.

3.5* rounded up…read more Packet pick up was a breeze the day before, and they had the extra medal and shirt I'd ordered for my Mom. It literally took 10 minutes to peruse the vendors, snap some pics and be on our way. They were giving out water samples, some type of alcohol, donuts, and Orangetheory was offering a free class with your email/cell info, too. Parking was plentiful, and free. Porta Potties were available by start/finish line. The Half Marathon started just 15 minutes before the 5K, but both starts went smoothly. The MC had the crowd pumped, and the whole vibe of the all woman event was empowering; lots of support amongst the ladies on the course. It was a fast course, flat, and well supported by Chandler PD, some volunteers, and residents, with a hydration station just after 1.1 mile marker for the 5K. I was on track for a PR until spotting a stray dog in traffic and trying with another runner - in vain - to secure him. Sadly, after 20 minutes, we weren't able to help more than getting him off of a very busy road where drivers nearly hit us! :::sigh::: Medals and long stemmed roses were presented at the finish, there was hydration, bananas, cake, protein bars, and a stretching booth. My only gripe was the long line to get photos after the race, they only had one printer, but organizers announced several times that they would get more for next races. All photos on the website are watermark free=super! Otherwise very organized, and I'm looking forward to future 131 Production events. I'm a fan!

Had registered for the half very much in advance of race day, and when I registered they shared…read morethere was an option that I could transfer to the virtual option for a small fee. Come closer to race day, I end up needing to work that time, tried to transfer to the virtual option. Was told I couldn't transfer, but I could re-register (for 2x the registration fee!) for the virtual option.