Hello Run Tucson friends! Baseball season may be winding down, but marathon season is in full swing.

For those planning on a Fall marathon event in Arizona or elsewhere, below we offer some training advice on how to use our upcoming races as preparation.

On our end, we still have about 100 spaces available in the October 19th TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon, Cigna Healthcare 4-Miler, and 1-Mile.

But our own fall marathon, the October 25th Grand Canyon Trail Marathon, Trail Half-Marathon, and 5k is almost sold out.

And there's plenty of room to join us at the November 22nd El Tour de Tucson 5k Run/Walk!

Thanks all,

Randy and Tia Accetta

randy@runtucson.net | tia@runtucson.net | www.runtucson.net

On October 19th, run or walk A-Mountain, with start/finish and race day festivities along Cushing Street, near the Mercado Annex

No matter your fitness, we've got you covered with four races!

TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon

Cigna Healthcare A-Mountain 4-Mile Run/Walk

SAR's Free Fitkidz Mile

Run Tucson Family Mile

See race maps here

Are you interested in using the TMC A-Mountain events to prepare for an upcoming marathon like the New York, the Garmin Tucson Marathon, the Phoenix Women's Marathon, or the Tucson Marathon?

Here are four suggestions:

1) Use the TMC Half Marathon to practice goal marathon pace. The uphill mile and downhill mile at Sentinel Peak might throw off your pacing, but Miles 3 through 13 are a rolling flat, a perfect way to lock into your cadence and form at goal marathon pace. With bathrooms and aid stations, the out-and-back along The Loop and Grande Avenue is a perfect way to practice your race day effort.

2) Do the Cigna Four-Miler as an all-out race. A shorter race gives you a chance to attack the distance. Racing the uphill part of the 4-Miler will increase leg strength and mental toughness, while the downhill will let you air it out and see how fast you can run.

3) Practice your race day experience. Wear you racing shoes and race day kit, practice your pre-race routine, and experiment with race day nutrition. Practice your positive mantras and visualization techniques. Using a race as a tune-up is a great way to gain confidence in your planning and preparation.

4) Do a shorter race as part of a longer training day. Wrap an extended warmup and cool down around the race distance at conversation pace and you'll have an enjoyable longer run, with food, drink, music, and friends to keep you motivated.

If you're training for a marathon, do a 3-4 mile warmup, then run the half-marathon, then do a longer cooldown. This will give you a safe, social place to get in a 17-20 mile morning run.

If you're training for your a half-marathon, do the same sort of thing with the 4-Miler -- do a 2-mile warmup, then a 2-mile cool-down, and you've got a demanding but pleasant 8-mile morning.

Remember: always be sure to take post-race recovery days to ensure that you don't over-do it.

Remember, too: we'll have Skratch on the course, but you might want to bring the food/drink that you'll use on your goal race day.

Not training for anything special? No worries -- come on out and have fun -- enjoy the scenery, snag your souvenir shirt and medal, and have a happy morning with a thousand like-minded runners and walkers!

Planned Race Week Schedule

Wednesday, October 15th: Registration and Packet Pickup at the Mercado Annex area

5:00pm - 6:00pm at Petroglyphs, a Tucson Emporium, 160 South Avenida del Convento, Suite 156, Tucson, AZ 85745

Saturday, October 18th: Registration and Packet Pickup at The Running Shop

10:00 am - 1:00 pm, at The Running Shop, 3055 North Campbell Ave

Sunday, October 19th, Race Morning Schedule at the race staging area on Cushing Street near Avenida del Convento

5:30 - 6:15 am Registration and Packet Pickup

6:30 am: Sunrise Start TMC Half-Marathon and Cigna Healthcare 4-Miler

Ongoing: Vendor Expo and race staging activities, with discounted drinks at Westbound Bar and Bottleshop in Annex

8:15 am: FitKidz Mile and Family Mile (approximate)

9:30 or so: Awards with prize money and age group awards from The Running Shop

10:30 am: Finish Line closes (approximate time, providing four hours to complete the half-marathon before the Tucson Police Departments needs to open the roadways)

Pricing:

$90 for the TMC Half-Marathon

$50 for the Cigna 4-Miler

Free SAR FitKidz Mile, with all FitKidz goodies

$5 Run Tucson Family Mile, with official time but no souvenirs

Race Info, Schedule, and Registration Details: https://runsignup.com/TMCAMountainHalf

COMING UP: GRAND CANYON TRAIL RACES

Come visit one of the most beautiful places in the world and meet us in Northern Arizona for a beautiful run along the Coconino Plateau in the Kaibab National Forest

Colorful long sleeve shirt for all registrants
Unique three-D souvenir finishers medal
Free beer for all registrants, along with a fundraising pancake breakfast, local tourist discounts, local lodging discounts, prize money, age group awards, and more!
Discounted lodging at the Red Feather Lodge, steps from the start/finish line
Local Artisan Fair, with tribal art and jewelry

Produced in partnership with the Town of Tusayan, raising funds for the Tusayan Fire District and the Grand Canyon Food Pantry.

Planned Weekend Schedule

Friday, October 24, 2025

4:30 - 6:00 pm Packet Pickup and Last-Minute Registration at IMAX Theater, 450 AZ-64, Tusayan, AZ 86023

Saturday, October 25, 2025

7:00-8:15 am Packet Pickup and Race Check-in at IMAX Theater

7:30 am: Marathon and Half-Marathon Start, at IMAX Parking Lot

8:00 am: 5k Fun Run/Walk Starts, at IMAX Parking Lot

8:00 am: Begin Tusayan Fundraising Pancake Breakfast

8:15 am: Begin post-race snacks courtesy at finish line and beer garden at IMAX. Thanks to Grand Canyon Brewery for donating their locally-made beer.

8:30 am: Begin Local Artisan Craft Fair

10:15 am: All Marathoners need to be through the Half-Marathon point

11:00 am: Tentative time for Half-Marathon and 5k Award Ceremony, with Marathon Awards to follow

12:30 pm: Official timing at finish line closes with breakdown of event site by 1:00 pm, depending on weather conditions and requirements of TFD/Kaibab National Forest Forest*

This means that there is a 5 hour limit for both the marathon and half-marathon.

Current Pricing:

$110 for the Marathon

$100 for the Half-Marathon

$40 for the 5k

$10 for the Youth 5k, ages 14-and-under

Some prices increase October 1st

Capped at 600 participants. Approximately 63 slots remain.

Race Info and Registration Details: https://runsignup.com/GrandCanyonTrailMarathon

COMING UP: EL TOUR DE TUCSON 5k

Once again partnering with the famed El Tour de Tucson bicycle event, Run Tucson is proud to present the 3rd Annual El Tour 5k Run/Walk.

You can walk the 3.1 mile Downtown course or you can race it, with overall winners and age-group winners receiving gift cards to Fleet Feet Tucson. We'll use the same super-fast Downtown course as in previous years, with a finish in El Parque de San Cosmo, steps from the renowned El Tour Expo, with live music and beer garden.

An event designed for all ages, all abilities, and all bodies, every finisher in this chip-timed 5K will receive a souvenir medallion as they cross the finish line.

Want a cool souvenir? You can purchase the nifty El Tour de Tucson soft cotton shirt for $15 as an add-on at registration.

Pricing: $30

Race Info and Registration Details: https://runsignup.com/ElTourDeTucson5K

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