The Phoenix Marathon is one of my favorite races. 2015 was only my 2nd full marathon to date and it was a fabulous experience. The expo and packet pick up was smaller than some other races I've been to (especially when compared to a RunDisney Expo) but there was an adequate number of vendors and offerings. The 2015 race shirts were amazing! I love that the women received tank tops as opposed to tech t-shirts and the black space dye is very nice. The bonus arm sleeves were much appreciated as well.

The race itself was great - it's a point-to-point race so you take busses up to the startline near Usury Mountain Park. They had plenty of bonfires, heaters, and port-a-johns to meet the needs of the runners while waiting for the start. The fireworks at the beginning were a really nice touch - I've only ever seen those at RunDisney, so good job Phoenix!

The course is a nice gradual downhill with only 1 uphill worth mentioning around mile 6, so it's a great course to get a PR or even BQ. I was hoping for a BQ this time, but I went out a little too fast and I paid for it in the final few miles - I ended up finishing 1:32 over my BQ time, but I got a marathon PR and there's always 2016! The course isn't necessarily picturesque or anything - you run through the city of Mesa, so you don't really have grand vistas or anything, but what it lacks in views it makes up for with it's elevation chart.

The finish line area was wonderful - they had free massages, a BBQ truck, muscle milk, and other food stuffs available. It was one of the best finish line areas I've experienced as well. Phoenix definitely puts on a good race.