Enjoyable, well-managed race!

The Race: The loop course took us around a residential area. I actually ran the course prior to running the race, so I felt confident about the course at least. At any rate, the course started at Sabino High School, took a lap around the track, then went out the gate to Bowes Rd. For being in this area of the foothills, the course was surprisingly semi-flat. Since I’ve lived here the majority of my life, the scenery is really pretty vanilla to me. Although I will admit the mountains looked pretty spectacular with the sun rising. There were two bands playing music– one at the start of the course and one mid-way through. Water stations were every couple miles and the course was well marked. As always, law enforcement did a great job stopping traffic and keeping everyone safe.

The Bling/Swag/Shirt: I was happy that finishers received a medal, but was slightly disappointed to see it was a generic medal with runners and a sticker (I think) of the race name and the American Flag. Really nothing special. On that note, the shirts were pretty average too. I’m not a fan of white shirts and disappointingly the shirts were white (read: see through) and long-sleeved (also a frustration because there are all of five days of the year we Arizonans can were anything with long sleeves). They were a tech fabric though which sorta redeemed the long-sleeve decision of the race management. No other swag, except the free lip balm and Energy Beans at packet pick-up.

Post-Race: I usually don’t (can’t) eat after a race, so I didn’t partake in the food. It looked good and plentiful, however. There were also massage tables (also didn’t partake). There was plenty of seating and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a giant jumping castle for the kiddos, as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this race and would probably do it again next year if my race calendar allows. I would recommend this race to others, but probably would not travel to do this race specifically.

For a detailed race review/recap complete with pictures, please visit my blog! https://sarahwithanh.org/2016/11/19/everyone-runs-tmc-veterans-day-14-marathon-recap-or-back-to-high-school-for-this-sabercat/