The Sedona Marathon

The Sedona Marathon

The Sedona Marathon

( 20 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Sedona,
    Arizona,
    United States
  • February
  • 3 miles/5K, 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

A B

Arizona, United States
28 32
2017
"I prayed for the Sag Wagon... I'm glad it didn't come"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
A B's thoughts:

Sedona is an amazingly scenic place in Arizona. Between the iron-laced sandstone of the red rock formations, the natural/neutral colors of the architecture in the city, the snow and greenery, and friendliness of the people, it's a must do for locals or anyone visiting the state.

I had set a goal to do a marathon a month, following the footsteps of Angie Berka- and Sedona wasn't on my original plans (I had January covered with Rock N Roll, and February with the Phoenix Marathon). But, after seeing the challenge and all the excitement from BibRave.com reviews, I decided I wanted to try it.

If you have followed my journey at all, you know I don't do hills, and I'm not exceptional at distance running. My whole thing is just to finish, not to be fast. So, I journeyed up the hill the two hour drive at the end of January to get some hills in, and after just 10 miles I was toast... so my expectations were pretty realistic going into the race.

Packet pickup took place Friday night for most people, and Sedona put on a great event and pasta dinner for about $20. I would definitely recommend taking part in that event because I heard stories for days. I, however, had to teach and coach and couldn't get up the hill in time. I had to make other arrangements to get my bib and swag. Parking was very easy at the high school about a half mile away, and the shuttle picked people up about every 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it only sat 9 and there was only one running that I knew of. If I would have realized it was so close to the start I would have walked.

When I was dropped off, I got to walk vendor row where locals had set up tents of goodies. I wish I was running a shorter distance or faster time in order to check it all out and make purchases. I met up with other BibRave Pros and we took a selfie where I looked a fool as usual. Then, we all went our different ways. Marathon runners were first, so Jeremy, a killer BibRave Pro and November Project runner was somewhere toward the front. I made my way toward the back with 5:30 club (I would have went farther back if I could have).

We were off and running, and we made our way through residential neighborhoods before heading off to Dry Creek. The hills began about two miles in. Mostly downhill, but some pretty good uphills, too. We passed over a running creek, and then along some parking lots... the half marathon runners began to catch me and pass me. Yay! I want to note that every aid station had water, energy, and bananas, and most had Gatorade... the best aid stations ever! By the time I was at mile five, Chris passed me coming the other way for the half marathon. Zoooom...

After mile 6, the pavement ends and the dirt begins. This was my first time trail running. I learned that road shoes are not good trail shoes. After just about two miles, I could feel every single rock and pebble I ran over. No big deal, just 18 miles to go. I think I made it to about mile 11 and Jeremy was zooming back the other way... he looked strong still and was ahead of the 4:15 pacer. Holy cow! Every downhill I enjoyed reminded me I would eventually have to climb. At 4,000 feet, the elevation didn't bother me, but these hills were incredible. At the turnaround, you enjoy about 200 yards of downhill before having to go right back up it. I had plenty of energy- Glukos never let's me down. Unfortunately, I was enjoying serious cramps in both calves and my quad (my calves were a mess for about four days after this).

At about mile 16 I found a lady that was walking slowly- she was dirty and bloodied. She had fell at mile 15 and her arm was clearly injured. There were so few of us at the back of the pack that no one had reached the aid station to alert them of her injury yet. They did have ATV's driving on course to monitor, but the timing just wasn't with her. She made it to the aid station and I fear she got a DNF even after all she poured into it. My heart breaks for her.

At mile 19, I was seriously hoping the sag wagon would get me. Everything hurt. I think my downfall and the biggest reason for the extraordinary cramps was dehydration. I had drank a gallon of water in the 5 hours leading to the race and about another half during the race- but we all know hydration starts the days before (I didn't due to work and coaching), and by drinking so much water, I flushed my electrolytes (my water didn't include the usual Nuun).

The wagon never came, but I limped my way to the finish, along with another guy that never lost his running technique. Apparently the van to parking had stopped because a few people had been waiting for quite some time (we were slow in all fairness), so I just walked to the parking lot. So... would I do this again? No... not doing the marathon again without some SERIOUS hill training. I would do the half, though. My only frustration on the course was the car traffic kicking up dust as we were running, and later on it was ATV's kicking up dust, and that the finisher medal is the exact same whether you run a 5k or a full marathon. I hope the amazing people at aid stations, the awesome vendors, and the friendly atmosphere all make their way back next year!

Loading Comments...

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Latest reviews

Loading Reviews...