I am going to run my first marathon (outside of an IM) and I was hoping to get some more information on the Tucson course. The profile looks ridiculously downhill, is this really how it is? Is there any “tough” section to it, anything to watch out for? Also, I can’t decide what kind of shoes to wear. I am 5’8", 150 lbs and am aiming to run a sub 3:10. Racing flats or light trainer or even a cushioned trainer? I currently train in a Mizuno Wave Maverick. ANy tips would be appreciated. Thanks.
The race is all downhill but never steep. It is quite gradual. However, I found that by mile 18 or so my quads were dead. They felt as bad as they do when I do a Grand Canyon run to the river and back. The other thing to keep in mind is that it will be quite cold at the start. You will take a school bus to the start (the town of Oracle if I recall) and then wait around for a while. Make sure you have a garbage bag or clothes you can throw away. Good luck!
bro,
You need to invest in the garbage bag wardrobe. I’ve done tha half a few times and could not run for 7-8 days after w/o pain. The last 5k is flat with a small hill about .2 in length about .5 from the finish. They usually don’t have tents or shelter at the start and it can be real cold. Living in Tucson I’ve noticed that Dec is hit or miss. Could be sunny and 60 or cloudy and 35. All in all a real quad buster!