Mesa Marathon: Mesa, Arizona, February 4, 2023 – Marathon #8
Wow, I sure do love Arizona! So, of course, when I had the chance to run the Mesa Marathon in the middle of winter while I was freezing in Kansas City, I jumped at it. Plus, it was the week before the big game—Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles—and I couldn’t resist soaking in some of the Super Bowl buzz while I was there. Oh, and did I mention that my beautiful daughter, Brittany, was able to sneak away and come with me? I don’t get to have a traveling buddy very often, so when I do, I get so excited. Brittany is the best planner. She knows how to pack so much fun into a short trip and is a wizard at finding deals that keep everything reasonably priced.
Now, I did go to Mesa to run a marathon, but as you can imagine, we definitely made the most of our time there. We had lunch with our friends, Pat and Molly Cahill, who also came out to cheer me on during the marathon. Molly met me at the 13.1-mile marker, which was so cool and a huge boost! We also had the chance to catch up with Herb and Andy Hodes, and they helped us take in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl experience—what a treat.
In addition to all the marathon stuff, we managed to squeeze in a lot of great activities. We hiked the Piñatubo Summit Trail, where I may or may not have accidentally used J.J. Watt’s shoulder to help me off a rock (I had no idea it was him until later when I saw a photo he posted from the same trail on the same rock!). We also visited Hole in the Rock, taking some epic photos. And of course, no trip to Arizona would be complete without a climb up South Mountain. It felt like a crime not to!
Oh, right, I also ran the Mesa Marathon! And it was amazing. The race starts early in the morning with buses taking us up to the mountain. Watching the sun come up as we were getting ready to start was breathtaking. The descent into the city was beautiful, and the course itself was challenging but scenic. One of the coolest features of the marathon was the app. As you run, the app gives you the history of significant places you’re passing, which was both informative and motivational. It really helped bring the whole experience to life.
If you’re looking for a beautiful and challenging marathon course, I’d highly recommend the Mesa Marathon. It was everything I hoped for and more—and the bonus Super Bowl excitement definitely made it a trip to remember!