Phoenix 10K

Around for 40 years, the Phoenix 10K and half marathon may be the oldest race in town. With just under 1,000 participants in the ½ it was busy but not to the point where you felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. This year’s half marathon course started at Cityscape, looped around the Capitol, and then up Central past Camelback before heading back down Central to the finish line at 1^st Ave and Washington. All in all a good, flat course with minimal elevation change that was a good place for my first half marathon.

I ran in my 1^st Phoenix 10k this year, but the 5k distance. I thought it was a great course, especially for my second race. I’m looking forward to it for years to come. I liked that it was a green race with a virtual goody bag, instead of the papers I usually lose. It was well organized and there was plenty of water!

I ran my first Phoenix 10K way back in 1984! I was thrilled to run in the 2011 race even though it was an obvious reminder that I’m not a teenager anymore! The upside, my times are not that for off (sub 40).
I love having the race downtown and all the free goodies after the run make this an awesome event.

I participated in this years Phx 10k and was very impressed. I loved how when racers turned around you can see them on the other side of the light rail. I was able to see my friends as they raced which really helped to keep me going. They also when «green» this year which is awesome! We received a virtual race bag that had all of our coupons and goodies online. I will be participating in this race next year for sure. Might even have to do the doubleheader!

Loved the price, shuttle to the last day of the fair, and cool free swag available after! It was a ton of fun. My only regret was no reward ceremony to show off my BLING and keep me way from studying for finals!

I participated in the Phoenix 10K last Sunday, and while I also was not a fan of the race t-​shirts, I thought the race was extremely well organized, and I had a lot of fun! With over 2000 people racing, there seemed to be adequate staff and volunteers working so that it flowed smoothly.
I’m pretty sure the race started right on time also — I hate it when races don’t start when they say they are going to! Since it was a timing chip calculated race, it didn’t matter that we were not right up at the start line when the official start (gun shot or horn) went off. We finished up at the porta-​potties and walked over and then jumped into the crowd.
I didn’t mind the fact that it was 2 loops… I took the first loop slow and picked it up once I was warmed up for the second time around. Thanks to the guys who were cheering from behind me during that last mile — you did motivate me to pick up my pace, and I was happy with my time even though my BF beat me for the first time ever!
Thanks Marcus for convincing me to sign up for this race even though it was early and cold on a Sunday morning — it was a ton of fun! Thanks also to all of the sponsors, volunteers, and bands that came out to motivate that morning! I look forward to participating again in future races!

We were the band at 3^rd Avenue and Jefferson, Spelunking Tongue. We congratulate all the participants. The organizers were awesome and were very accommodating. If you enjoyed our music, we are available for private bookings. Our website is
, or you can call Erich at 602−472−4634 or Adam at 602−799−1873.
Thanks so much for participating
Spelunking Tongue
Erich — Vocals
Adam — Guitar/​Vocals
Tony — Drums
Gary — Bass

The Phoenix 10K was previously known as the NEW TIMES 10K. Not only did the event go through a name change, but a location change, as well. While I didn’t run in last year’s event, it took place in Tempe and was a single loop of 6.2 miles. This year’s race was in Downtown Phoenix and consisted of 2 laps of 3.1 miles each.
The race was well organized and registration and number/​t-​shirt pick up was smooth and easy. The «timing chip» pick up was also easy on the morning of the event. Still I can only give this event 3-​stars, for the following reasons:
Course Layout — I really don’t like doing «laps» and all I could think about as I came around the first loop was how I had to do the whole thing over again. Ugh!
Water — As I came around Mile 2, I made the mistake of grabbing a cup from the water station. It was possibly the most foul water I had ever tasted. I don’t know what happened, but I know that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. I immediately wished I had just let myself get dehydrated.
Logo — I know I sound catty, but I didn’t like the logo for the event… at all. I’m sorry if the artist is reading this review, but that t-​shirt will only be worn around the house… never out. Sorry.
So, while I really enjoyed the event and am glad I participated, I don’t think it lived up to it’s potential as the largest 10K event in Arizona. I look forward to next year and hopefully giving it 4 stars.