TMC Get Moving Tucson Half-Marathon, 5k and FitKidz Mile

Race Info

Registration for TMC Get Moving Tucson is Now Open!

The TMC Get Moving Tucson Event is Tucson's most popular urban half-marathon with three events to choose from and live music, a vendor expo, children's activities, jumping castle, food trucks, breakfast after-party, and more.

Not just another half-marathon -- rather, a spectacular journey through the Old Pueblo. The chance to catch the magnificent views from A-Mountain and cruise the long downhill off Sentinel Peak is an experience unlike any other, but it is far from the only breathtaking moment you’ll enjoy along the way. The fun begins in the heart of Downtown Tucson, with a route including historic West University, the famed Mercado and Sentinel Peak -- the exhilarating views combined with the saguaro standing sentinel at the edge of the road will surely motivate you to greatness.

Cruise the sweeping downhills and then head past the old Presidio Garden, one of the first recorded sites in Tucson, as you approach the newly updated Santa Cruz Riverpath. A brief out-and-back lets you visit with friends, and the two rock and roll bands along this stretch provide motivation. Speed the last mile into the heart of Downtown, as the finish line band cranks the tunes and friends, family, and other runners cheer your finish.

All registrants receive the free race t-shirt and all finishers in both the Half and the 5k will receive the commemorative finisher's medallion, the third piece in the Goatographer's triptych of the Tucson skyline, designed by famed award company, Ashworth Awards.

Wanna' go the distance? Then check out the TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon.
Flat and fast 3.1 miles more your style? Then cruise the Tucson Lifestyle 5k Run/Walk.
Got kids? Bring 'em to the Cox Charities Free FitKidz Mile for children 12-and-under.

These events are truly for everyone -- from Olympians to Mary Poppins, so come on out and enjoy a beautiful Tucson morning. Plus, the TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon is part of SAR's Running Shop Grand Prix, with prize money and cool age group awards.

Beneficiaries

Proceeds from the TMC Get Moving Tucson Weekend will fund local charities, including Cox Charities, Team Hoyt Arizona, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the BEYOND-Tucson Foundation, and the Southern Arizona Roadrunners.

Schedule

Saturday, October 28 at The Running Shop

10:00 - 2:00 Race Registration and Packet Pick up at The Running Shop, 3055 North Campbell Avenue

Sunday, October 29: Race Morning at start/finish area, Jacome Plaza, 115 North Church

5:30 am Registration and packet pick-up begins

5:45 Early walker start for TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon (early starters are not eligible for age group awards or prize money)

6:30 am TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon -- prize money, age group awards, live music, and more. This event is part of the 2017 Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown and is part of The Running Shop SAR Grand Prix. Unofficial early start at 5:45 am

7:15 am Charity Give -- be on hand to celebrate Team Hoyt Arizona, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and the BEYOND-Tucson Foundation -- courtesy of Cox Charities and TMC

7:30 am Tucson Lifestyle 5k Run/Walk, for all ages and participants with prize money and age group awards. This event is part of the 2017 Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown.

8:30 am Second-ever Costume Contest

8:45 am Cox Charities FitKidz Free One Mile for children under 12 years old -- this event is free and only for children under 12 years old

9:05 Awards Ceremony Begins

Course Closure Times (These are the tentative closure times, with final details to be determined by Tucson Police Department)

8:30 am Water Station at A-Mountain Water Station, Mile 7

9:15 am Water Station at Santa Cruz River Path near Starr Pass Blvd, Mile 10

10:00 Mile 12: All participants routed to sidewalk or picked up by sag vehicle, depending on TPD decision

10:30 Timing at Finish Line Closes

Date and Time

Saturday, October 28

10:00 - 2:00 Race Registration and Packet Pick up at The Running Shop, 3055 North Campbell Avenue

Sunday, October 29: Race Morning at start/finish area, Jacome Plaza, 115 North Church

5:30 am Registration and packet pick-up begins

5:45 Early walker start for TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon (early starters are not eligible for age group awards or prize money)

6:30 am TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon

7:30 am Tucson Lifestyle 5k Run/Walk

8:45 am Cox Charities FitKidz Free One Mile for children under 12 years old

Race Awards

* Runners who break the course record will receive $500, but not the additional $200Rewards For Fast Running: The 2017 Half-Marathon Prize Money Structure

• $100 to first overall male and $100 to first overall female; $50 to top overall Master's (Over-40) male and female

• $200 to the top 5 males who break 1:13 and to the top 5 females who break 1:26

• $500 for course records. Current course records are Scott Smith’s 1:06:23 (2012) and Jennifer Bergman's 1:19:44 (2015)

• $50 to first male and female member of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners

• Preem award of $100 to first male and female runner to the “A” on Sentinel Peak

NOTES:

* A-Mountain preem prize money is only given if the A-Mountain leader finishes the complete half-marathon in under 1:30 minutes for the man and 1:40 minutes for the woman
* Headphones are not allowed in prize money competition; prize money will not be given to runners wearing headphones
* All runners must pass the multiple timing mats on the course. Runners not passing the multiple mats will be disqualified and removed from prize consideration
* Prize money awards are based on "gun" starting time for overall and masters, and chip time for age group.
* Runners who break the course record will receive $500, but not the additional $200

2016 Age Group Awards for both 5k and Half-Marathon courtesy of the Running Shop, 2017 TBD

TMC 1/2 marathon
Overall 1: Cash + sock
Overall 2, 3: $40, $30 gift cert to the Running Shop + sock
Masters 1: Cash + sock
AG 1: $20 gift cert to Running Shop + sock
AG 2: $15 gift cert to Running Shop + sock
AG 3: sock

5K Run/Walk
Overall 1, 2, 3: $30, $25, $20 gc to Running Shop + sock
Masters 1: $20 gc to Running Shop + sock
AG 1: sock
AG 2: $15 gc to Running Shop
AG 3: $10 gc to Running Shop

We are trying to reward performance and local running. So, as an example, if a man wins the race overall in 1:11:01 but is second to the "A" and not a SAR member he will get only $100. If the winning man or woman is first to break the course record, is first to the "A", and is also a member of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, he or she will win $750. When in doubt, join SAR!

TMC Get Moving Tucson Event: A-Mountain Half-Marathon Top Ten Times, Men through 2016

Scott Smith 26 1:06:23 Oct-21-2012
Craig Curley 23 1:07:13 Oct-9-2011
Jordan Chipingama 23 1:08:20 Oct-21-2012
Ian Burrell 28 1:09:14 Oct-20-2013
Andrew Lemoncello 34 10:09:18 Oct-30-2016
Kurt Michels 29 1:09:58 Oct-20-2013
Robert Scribner 34 1:11:03 Oct-30-2016
Anthony Francisco 36 1:11:18 Oct-30-2016
Daniel Wong 23 1:11:39 Oct-30-2016
Craig Curley 28 1:12:57 Oct-30-2016

TMC Get Moving Tucson Event: A-Mountain Half-Marathon Top Ten Times, Women through 2016

Jennifer Bergman 23 1:19:44 Oct-25-2015
Ariana Hilborn 33 1:21:17 Oct-20-2013
Autumn Ray 35 1:21:57 Oct-25-2015
Autumn Ray 34 1:22:06 Oct-19-2014
Amy Cole 30 1:23:40 Oct-19-2014
Maggie Callahan 25 1:23:42 Oct-20-2013
Alicia Shay 30 1:24:35 Oct-21-2012
Tia Accetta 37 1:24:43 Oct-21-2012
Erin Menefee 23 1:25:50 Oct-25-2015
Hanna Henson 22 1:26:13 Oct-21-201

Training Advice

About the Race Director: The TMC Get Moving Tucson Half-Marathon event was founded by Randy Accetta, long-time SAR Board member and past SAR President. Working at the time with Jannie Cox, the first Get Moving 10-Miler was a cross-city race. Over recent years, the race has been brought to Downtown Tucson and includes iconic A-Mountain, the Santa Cruz Riverpath, and Downtown Tucson neighborhoods. The Get Moving Tucson event is on the SAR calendar, with the TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon on the SAR "Running Shop Grand Prix." A former 2:19 marathoner who ran in the 1996 US Olympic Trials Marathon, Randy is a Mentor in Residence at the University of Arizona's McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship and is the national Director of Coaching Education for the Road Runners Club of America. He and his wife Tia live near the UA with their two small children, both of whom are faster than Randy.

Race Hotels

It's UA Homecoming weekend, but our friends at Homewood Suites by Hilton, St. Phillips are offering their special running club discount. At the beautiful Santa Cruz River Path, Campbell and River Road, about a 15-minute easy drive to the race site. Click here to make a reservation and use the code "SAR" and receive special race pricing!! Adjacent to Reforma, Union and other great local restaurants, with a plentiful selection of boutique local shopping.

Beneficiaries

Proceeds from the event will fund local charities, including Cox Charities, Team Hoyt Arizona, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, BEYOND-Tucson Foundation, and the Southern Arizona Roadrunners.

Community Partners

We want to thank a host of community partners for help with this event, including our title sponsor, Tucson Medical Center. Without TMC's support, we could not produce such a large event. We urge all runners and walkers to patronize our sponsors and partners-- check out their logos and links on the sidebar!

Interested in being a sponsor? Contact Race Director Randy Accetta. It's expensive to put on a race Downtown, and we're looking for course sponsors, t-shirt sponsors, and post-event sponsors. Join the healthiest community in Arizona!

Contact

Call Race Director Randy Accetta 520-991-0733 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Registration

Race Fees

TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon -- all participants receive souvenir shirt and heavy-duty commemorative finisher's medallion

$50 Through July 31
$55 August 1 - August 31
$60 September 1 - September 30
$65 October 1- October 25
$70 In person on race weekend

Tucson Lifestyle 5k Walk/Run -- all participants receive souvenir shirt and heavy-duty commemorative finisher's medallion

$25 Through July 31
$30 August 1 - September 30
$35 October 1 - October 25

$40 In person on race weekend

Cox Charities FitKidz One Mile Walk/Run for children 12 and under

FREE for all (no shirt, except SAR FitKidz shirts for children 12 and under)

Please remember that all registrations are final, with no refunds and no transfers. The race will go on rain or shine . . . .

Registration

Register online with a credit card at active.com.
Come down on race weekend -- 101 North Church, the Downtown Library Jacome Plaza Saturday, October 29: 10-2 at Running Shop Sunday, October 30: 5:30 - 7:15 am at the race site, 101 North Church Avenue
Sunday, October 30: 5:30 - 7:15 am at the race site, 101 North Church Avenue

News

Course Info

Race Distances and Courses

The course maps are is shown below. Scroll down for detailed suggestions onrunning this unique Tucson route.

Both the 5k and the half-marathon do the first 3.1 miles through through the West-UA neighborhoods and Downtown. The 5k will end at the Downtown library on Church, while the half-marathoners will head over to A-Mountain and do that portion of the route. The Half-Marathon route will include A-Mountain, the freshly re-paved Santa Cruz Riverpath, and streets of Downtown Tucson.

The Cox FitKidz will do a special loop through the Court Street neighborhood by the Museum of Art.

Special thanks to the Arizona Department of Transportation for allowing us access to the the St. Mary’s Underpass at I-10, and to the City of Tucson and the Tucson Police Department for all their help with the route planning.

Location

101 North Church Street in Downtown Tucson, at the Jacome Plaza by the library and the Old Court House.

There is plenty of nearby street parking. Please see ParkTucson for maps and locations or visit our friends at the Downtown Tucson Partnership for a great map of Downtown parking.

How to Run the TMC A-Mountain Half, a mile-by-mile description of the race course.

Miles 1-3 The 5k and Half-Marathon runners both start in front of the historic Pioneer Building on Stone Avenue. To ensure an accurate and certified course for each race, the course will include a lap of the Downtown library at the very beginning, followed by a straight shot east along Pennington Avenue to Sixth Avenue.

Runners will head to the east side of Sixth Avenue and drop under the rail tracks via the Sixth Avenue Underpass, before heading north on Sixth Avenue all the way up to Second Street. Turn right on Second Street and head towards the University of Arizona for a half-mile or so, then turn left on First Avenue and left again on First Street. This section should be fun – plenty of folks to run with, an easy uphill through the first mile, then mostly flat for a mile, then a very nice downhill all the way through the Sixth Avenue Underpass. There is a water stop just before Mile 2, on Second Street and Fourth Avenue by the park.

Miles 3-4 The 5k will finish on Church at the cross walk of the Old Court House, while the Half-Marathoners will go past the finish line on Church at the Old Court House. From Court House/Jacome Plaza, go north on Church to Sixth Street, then turn left on Sixth. This stretch to I-10 is all a gentle downhill down towards the Santa Cruz. Take advantage of this slight drop. From Sixth/St. Mary’s you’ll turn south on Bonita and have the whole street to yourselves until you hit Congress. Heading west on Congress to the A-Mountain road at Cuesta is a gradual rise - not very noticeable, but still, a bit uphill. You’ll be on the north side of Congress all the way to Cuesta. Again, be patient on this stretch.

Miles 5-7 Once you turn south on Cuesta and hit Sentinel Peak Road you will begin to notice a bit of an uphill. OK, it's a bit more than a bit uphill. Almost the same distance as the famed Saguaro hill, the climb up to the “A” on A-Mountain can be broken into a few sections. Stay to the right side of the road on this whole stretch. The first piece through the neighborhoods is gradual, so try to get in a steady rhythm without working too hard. As you hit the parking lot on the right about a half-mile up the hill, you’ll notice a flattening for a couple of hundreds of yards. This is a good time to re-assess your pace and shake out your arms a bit. Then you have a quarter mile of steepness to the split at the top of the mountain, where the Cross Country team from Sahuaro High School will be cheering and handing out water. In 2015, we'll have Chuckwalla rock n' roll band, plus friends from Muscle Milk. Go through the Muscle Milk arch!

The race route will take you to the right, counter-clockwise, with a gorgeous view of the Starr Pass area to the west and the Santa Rita Mountains to the south. You can see the sparkling observatories of Kitt Peak and the mountains surrounding Baboquivari Peak. The hill softens a bit as you make the half-mile push for the sparkling white “A.” There are a couple of false summits as you approach the top, so maintain a steady pace.

According to mapmyrun.com, the whole climb is about 1.5 miles with a 509 foot elevation gain. Not that bad, right? Once you hit the low brick wall marking the parking areas on the east side, you’re almost to the top. Another hundred yards or so, and you level out for a few steps before plunging downhill.
Miles 7-8 The downhill is probably the hardest part of the course. Enjoy the pull of gravity, but you’ll want to be careful of running too fast - don’t brake yourself, but don’t overstride too much, either. Like with the Tucson Marathon, too much too fast will blow out your quads, so be smart on the downhill section.

Miles 9-10 Once you’re off the hill, the half-mile stretch heading east on Congress is pretty easy. Please stay inside the cones on the south lane of Congress. You’ll turn south on Grande and stay on the right side of the road all the way down to the bike path entrance just north of 22nd/Starr Pass Blvd. You may be tempted to pick up the pace on this stretch, but it’s probably better to be patient here as you run in the morning sunshine below Sentinel Peak. When you enter the Santa Cruz River Path at Grande (just north of Starr Pass Blvd), you'll have a water station, live music, and an ambulance at the dirt lot. At this point you should be in a nice rhythm.

Mile 10-12 Once on the bike path, you will stay on the right hand side of the bike path and head south for exactly 660 yards then do a U-turn and head back north, still staying on the right side of the lane as you pass runners for another 660 yards until the path opens up. (As you can probably tell, we needed this turn-around on the bike path to ensure that the course is exactly 13.1 miles.) You’ll head north on the bike path all the way until St. Mary’s again. Again, stay on the bike path the whole way -- you'll have a water station crewed by the cross country runners of Catalina High School offering water just before Mile 12. We'll also have live music here. You should be feeling good along the River Path, so this is a nice place to step up the pace a bit. There are some shady stretches and you’re getting closer to home on this primarily flat stretch.

Mile 12-13.1 Exiting the bike path onto St. Mary’s is a bit tricky. As you come up the hill off the bike path approaching St. Mary’s, you can either hug the pathway to the right and stay on the narrow sidewalk heading east across the Santa Cruz or you can jump down from the curb to the main roadway. If I were racing it, I would probably hop the curb, but it’s a bit high, perhaps as many as 10”, so be careful here. As you head under the I-10, you’re about 2/3 of mile from the finish line, so it’s time to put the pedal to the metal!! You finish with a long straight-away up Church Street. Save some for the final kick!

Race Weather

Race conditions are typically 63 degrees at race start, and clear skies. We’re a bit worried about the heat, so check out Tucson’s current conditions and forecast so you’ll be prepared!