Mt. Charleston Marathon Factoids-

This marathon took place just outside of Las Vegas starting at Mt. Charleston.

For anyone interested in a “downhill” marathon, here are a few facts. One, I have done a few of these and this one has been the nearest to being as close to downhill as you can get. There was a brief incline at the start, then another at 12 miles and an overpass at 24 miles. None were prolonged but it is not “absolutely” downhill.

Two, the course started at about 7000 feet and there were snow flurries for the first couple of miles. Though it started in the mountains, the course did not have a lot of switchback type features and a lot of it was basically a straight shot down through the canyon road leading out of the mountains. That made it easier for me to get into a more consistent pace.

Three, the grade itself was tolerable. I’ve run other courses with steeper descents, and they beat the crap out of me. I actually feel somewhat ok a few days after the event. That’s not to say that I did not hear people at the finish talking about the quads being burned. I reminded myself throughout the race to have a compact, efficient stride and lean a little forward.

Four, I don’t care how good the course is, the weather will always be a factor. There was plenty of cloud cover that day and the sun did not come out until nearly the end. If the sun had been beating down on us from the middle of the race onwards, it would have blown a lot more people up. So even with a great course, the sun can change that in an instant.

I also conducted my own dumb experiment wearing two gps watches: my old garmin 10 and an Epson runsense 810 that I just got off ebay. I barely had time to program the Epson and hoped for the best. The final result was the garmin with a distance of 26.17 and the Epson with 26.19. I understood from some others that gps data coming off a descent can be tricky. So the course measured “short” but I also think the lack of a lot of turns helped keep us on track.

I ended up running the first half in 1:38 and the second half in 1:41 for a final result of 3:19 and change. I can see this race has the potential to become more popular as people chase prs and bqs. The only problem could be the heat of vegas in the second half.

still running with my throwaway goodwill sweatshirt

coming off the overpass at mile 24/25

Very nice even race.  What was the temperature at the end?

Nice!  A bridge at Mile 24 is cruel and unusual punishment!

 When did you finally ditch the shirt? lol

finally got rid of it about the half way point. funny that I felt comfortable but then realized it needed to go soon.

Nice!  A bridge at Mile 24 is cruel and unusual punishment!

Thanks Half-Crazy and D-

We actually drove the last half of the course the day before and were well aware that the overpass was looming. Didn't make it easier but it was not a surprise.

Broseph, do I see you pulling your throwaway up to show your bib for the camera?  Good thinkin'!

Five people from my running club did that race.  Three PRs (one guy had a 10 minute PR 3:15 to 3:05 and another had an 18 minute PR 3:38 to 3:20) and 2 semi-fails.  Both who failed (at their BQ attempts) were battling some niggling injuries.  Speaking with Mr. 10 minute PR Monday night he said the conditions were just about absolutely perfect.  Frankly dropping 5200 feet plus elevation in a marathon is sort of like cheating.  I mean I know it still isn't easy and one should really practice those downhill descents but, I mean, come on.  GRAVITY.  Having ran Tucson Marathon (a net downhill of 2300 feet) I can say most assuredly the downhill course is a big factor.  What this really means for me is that I need to shoot for a BQ -5 for my next attempt in the winter.

Revel seems to have latched onto these course also.  Another friend of mine did Revel Big Cottonwood in Utah (net 5200+  feet drop).  Both of their other races have huge drops too.

Nice race. I'd imagine at mile 24, the highway overpass felt like a mountain.

We had one at 25 in my last marathon; approaching, it looked like Mount Everest.

Nice job, Ric! Do you think the downhill is what kept you so close to even splits, or are you always a pretty-even splitter? (If so, I hate you.)
Did the downhill make it hard to rein yourself in the first half? I'd think it would be easy to burn yourself out - even if it continued downhill, it's still a marathon.

There's a well-known downhill race around here called Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon. Because the first 3 miles are through an unlit tunnel. But after that initial flat portion, it gradually descends 2000 feet over the remaining 23 miles. Website says "It's never steep enough to be uncomfortable; you just feel like you're having a good day." Although it also says it's a gravel trail. A lot of people use it to PR/BQ; I am kind of avoiding it so far, because it seems a little hokey to do it that way. Although I'm probably not too proud to give in, if I continue to come up short by other means.