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A course strategy – and overall race strategy – is a must for optimal performance on race day. Whether this is your first Mesa race, and your goal is simply to finish, or you are Mesa veteran aiming for a PR or BQ, you should have a well-planned strategy for how you intend to manage the Mesa course!
The head coach of the Mesa Online Coaching Program has prepared a detailed description of the Mesa Marathon and Half-Marathon courses.
Managing the Course Based on Segments
A critical component of your race strategy is the course profile itself. Where are the sharp descents? Where are the climbs? Where does the course “flatten” a bit?
You want to plan your race with course segments in mind, and with an overall strategy for varying paces throughout. Your varied paces will be dictated by the elevation losses and gains, and you want to know before the race where those variations will occur.
The Mesa Marathon course can be divided into five sections:
Miles 1-4: Fastest 4
Miles 5-6: The Climb
Miles 7-18: Steady Downhill
Miles 19-24: Flatten Out
Miles 25-F: Downhill Finish
The Mesa Half-Marathon course can be divided into three sections:
Miles 1-5: Fast Start
Miles 6-11: Steady Middle
Miles 12-F: Downhill Finish
You can study the marathon course and half-marathon course yourself on the Mesa Marathon website. You can zoom in, use the interactive elevation chart, and get a feel for what lays ahead of you on race day. If possible, you should drive the course before race day to get a feel for what the segments look and feel like. Knowing what to expect, and when, is helpful when preparing your course strategy.
The marathon and half-marathon courses are summarized below based on the segments described above.
The Marathon Course
Miles 1-4: Fastest 4
Starting at more than 2,000’ elevation, the first 4 miles of the course are the fastest of the day. The course loses 425’ up to mile 4, with an average loss of more than 100’ per mile. The downhill grade, which is -2.0% overall, is an excellent boost to start your race.
You need to manage the downhill opening miles by easing into your pace, settling in for the long haul, and letting gravity pull you along at a comfortably fast pace. You should not feel as if you are running “too hard” or “too fast.” If you do, then you should ease back a bit and aim for a “comfortably hard” pace. Likewise, you do not want to concern yourself about runners passing you along the way. It is easy in a race to get caught up with the pace of other runners. You still have many miles to go, and you want to conserve your energy for the miles ahead.
Miles 5-6: The Climb
The first 4 miles of the course trends south/southwest or west. Just past mile 4, the route turns sharply north/northeast to loop around the Las Sendas community. The next 2 miles are almost entirely uphill, making this the slowest part of the course. From miles 4.1 to 5.8, the steady uphill is almost 200’ total, with a grade of 2.3%.
Expect to run slightly slower than your goal pace over this segment. Don’t let yourself be panicked by other runners passing you if that happens. Run your own race! You still have many miles to go and want to conserve your energy for the remaining distance ahead. Pay attention to your breathing and heart rate. If you feel yourself working too hard on the climb, then simply slow down.
Miles 7-18: Steady Downhill
This 12-mile section is where you should find it easier to run your overall goal pace. The total drop over these 12 miles is 529’ for an average of just under -1% grade throughout. The key to this section is to maintain a steady pace that mimics the steady drop in elevation. Other than mile 7 (which drops 157’), there are no steep or fast drops, but also no hard climbs. As the course gradually drops, you want to maintain a steady level of effort to hold your pace.
Miles 19-24: Flatten Out
After mile 18, the next 6 miles will seem totally flat. There are some minor downhills, but the flatter terrain will make it feel like climbing even when you are running slightly downhill. You don’t want to “push” yourself to try matching the faster paces that you held in the preceding more downhill miles. Late-stage cramps can be common when runners push harder than their muscles are able to work! Keep fueling, keep hydrating at aid stations (there are 4 of them in this section), and keep fighting to hold your speed at or near your goal pace up to mile 24. When you hit the mile 24 marker, you have 2.2 miles of downhill remaining, and you can tell yourself to “run downhill to the finish!"
Miles 25-F: Downhill Finish
Miles 25-26 together lose 53’ overall, which is significantly more than the previous 6 miles. You will notice that it is easier to hold your goal pace with the gradual downhill finish. You might even find a “finishing kick” in mile 26, which loses 40’ total.
Summary of the Marathon Course
The Mesa Marathon course loses 865’ of elevation from start to finish, which is a comfortable and gradual downhill course. You likely will surprise yourself with your "faster than normal" pace on the more downhill segments, but you will need to show patience and persistence is managing the flats and climbs. Remember that gravity is your friend on the downhill miles of the course, and that you want to take advantage of the benefits of downhill running. In that regard, it makes sense to run as fast as you can comfortably run on the downhills but start the race with an expectation that your paces will vary depending on the elevation losses and gains.
The Half-Marathon Course
Miles 1-5: Fast Start
Starting at 1,357’ of elevation, the course drops almost 100’ from the start to mile 5. That is a comfortable and manageable descent as you warm up your legs. You will need to resist the urge to chase people if they pass you. While you want to take advantage of gravity throughout this course on the downhills, you need to manage the gradual drops by easing into your pace, settling in for the long haul, and letting gravity pull you along at a comfortably fast pace. You should not feel as if you are running “too hard” or “too fast.” If you do, then you should ease back a bit and aim for a “comfortably hard” pace.
Miles 6-11: Steady Middle
Miles 6-11 will seem totally flat. There are some minor downhills, but the flatter terrain will make it feel like climbing even when you are running slightly downhill. However, you don’t want to “push” yourself to try matching the faster paces that you held in the first 5 miles. The key to this section is to maintain a steady pace. It is likely that you will notice a slight slowing of your pace at times, and that you cannot increase your pace without an increase in effort. This is due not only to the normal and expected accumulating fatigue at this point in a race, but also due to the lower amount of elevation loss per mile.
Miles 12-F: Downhill Finish
The last 2.1 miles together lose 51’ overall, which is significantly more than the previous 6 miles. You will notice that it is easier to hold your goal pace with the gradual downhill finish. You might even find a “finishing kick” in mile 13, which loses 32’ total.
Summary of the Half-Marathon Course
The Mesa Half-Marathon course loses almost 160’ of elevation from start to finish, and you likely will surprise yourself with your faster pace on the downhill segments. Remember that gravity is your friend on downhills, and you want to take advantage of the benefits of downhill running. In that regard, it makes sense to run as fast as you can comfortably run on the downhills but start the race with an expectation that you will (1) be slightly ahead of schedule for the first 5 miles, and (2) slow down on the flatter portions of the course.
Author Paul Carmona is the coach for the Mesa Online Training Program and has designed training plans for runners across the United States and internationally for more than 17 years. Coach Paul has run 75 marathons and is an 11-time Boston Marathon finisher. He has also run ultramarathons, finishing in second place in a 100-mile ultra. Coach Paul paces half-marathons throughout the year.
