RunRace USA › Arizona › Mesa
The complete, course-first guide
Mesa
Saturday, February 13, 2027 · Wave schedule — see logistics
N Ellsworth Road near the Rio Salado Sportsman's Club, up Usery Pass northeast of Mesa; point to point finishing at Riverview Park, Paseo Lago Vista and N Riverview
The race in 60 seconds
The marathon is a true point-to-point: its finish sits about 15.1 miles from the start as the crow flies. The modeled line carries about 279 feet of total climb and ranges from roughly 1193 to 2047 feet above sea level. Look for Boeing Mesa (AH-64 Apache plant), Delta Hotels Phoenix Mesa (Phoenix Marriott Mesa), Courtyard Towers, Mesa Grande Ruins (platform mound) in the flyover, with recognizable forms modeled from architectural records.
Fly the course
The whole course, built from the best available published route trace and an extruded model of Mesa. Scrub it, change the camera, or let it play. Nothing here is a video: it is drawing the city live.
Route statusCurrent community course trace cross-checked against the published route. current Usery Pass to downtown course; official site's GPX export endpoint serves no trackpoints
The route line uses the best published course trace available. Public-domain USGS and USDA aerial photography plus USGS 3DEP elevation are baked into RunRace USA, so the flyover makes no paid map API or third-party runtime requests. Buildings, roads, parks and water use OpenStreetMap, ODbL. This is photographic terrain with modeled architecture, not photogrammetry. Bridge approaches, elevations and facade details are approximations; the organizer's published route remains the reference.
The elevation profile
This Marathon profile covers 26.2 miles, ranges from roughly 1193 to 2047 feet, and contains about 279 feet of modeled climb.
- , mile 3.97 to 5.56: 198 feet up, 2.3% average.
The route at a glance
Gold is the selected modeled course; route provenance is stated beside the flyover.
Race-week weather, measured
At the start line, February 9-17 averaged a low of 45°F and a high of 67°F across 2016-2025. The same window reached 84°F at its warmest and 32°F at its coldest. Measurable rain appeared on about 14% of sampled days. Treat the range, not just the average, as the packing list.
Pace it by effort
The profile and grade strip come from the same route currently loaded in the flyover. Use even pace as a baseline, then protect effort on the highlighted climbs and exposed sections.
| Finish | Even pace | Halfway |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 /mi | 1:30 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 /mi | 1:45 |
| 4:00 | 9:09 /mi | 2:00 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 /mi | 2:15 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 /mi | 2:30 |
| Published course limit, 6:33 | 14:59 /mi | 3:16 |
Build your race weekend
The course
Live 3D flyover, synchronized elevation, route map, mile-by-mile shape and local landmarks.
Where to stay
5 mapped places to stay, compared by the endpoint that matters.
Expo and logistics
Packet pickup, the published weekend schedule, transit, parking and current entry tiers.
Spectators
Route-aware viewing anchors and a plan that respects the actual course geography.
The weekend
A city guide built around the places modeled beside the course.
Official race site
The organizer's current dates, entry details and late course notices.
Common questions
How does entry work: lottery, sellout, or first-come?
Nothing on the race's own pages describes a lottery or entry cap; entry is straight registration with escalating change fees. The site's withdraw page lists transfer and deferral deadlines of Feb. 7, 2027, with fees rising the longer you wait, which implies a normal open-registration model rather than a draw. Cap/sellout behavior is unconfirmed.
Are there corrals, and are they enforced?
The official FAQ does not describe corrals or seeded waves at all. What it does enforce is logistics: marathon and 10K runners must ride buses to the start with no parking or drop-off, so your effective start position is set by which bus you catch, not a corral letter. Half marathoners park or get dropped near their own start.
What is the time limit and what happens if I fall behind?
Per the FAQ, marathon and half marathon both carry a 6.5-hour limit from the 6:30 a.m. start, with the finish line closing at 1:03 p.m. because roads reopen to traffic. Marathoners must hold 15:00/mile. The 10K has a 3-hour limit. Roads reopening is the real cutoff mechanism.
The pace numbers on the site don't add up. Which is right?
Contradiction worth knowing: the FAQ states a 6.5-hour half marathon limit but also states half marathoners need "a pace of 30:00 per mile." Thirty minutes per mile over 13.1 miles is about 6:33, so the two readings roughly agree, but 15:00/mile for the marathon and 30:00/mile for the half are stated as separate requirements.
Can I pick up my bib on race morning?
No, and this is the single biggest first-timer trap. The FAQ says that starting in 2026 there is NO race day packet pick-up; packets come from the expo only. You can send someone else with ID and written permission, or elect mail delivery for an extra fee during registration. Flying in race morning does not work.
Can I transfer my bib or defer to next year?
Yes, both, for a fee, and the fee climbs. Transfers to another person or another distance cost $10 by Sept. 9, 2026, $15 by Nov. 11, and $20 through the Feb. 7, 2027 deadline. Deferral runs $15, $20, $25, then $45 at the same deadline. Deferral credit is valid two years and usable once.
Where does bag check work and when does the truck leave?
The official FAQ pages fetched do not cover gear check. A third-party 2024 race review surfaced in search reported a gear check truck leaving around 6:10 to 6:15 a.m., before the 6:30 start, meaning anything handed over late goes with you. Treat that timing as unverified until confirmed with the race.
What about the weather and the downhill itself?
The FAQ confirms the course is entirely paved asphalt and USATF-certified (AZ23023JOE), so it counts for Boston. It gives no temperature guidance. From general knowledge, not the site: a February point-to-point descent in Arizona means a cold, dark, exposed start at elevation and quad-trashing early miles if you bank time.
Can I bring a stroller?
No. The FAQ prohibits strollers on the buses and in the marathon, half marathon, and 10K, citing logistical and liability issues. They are allowed only in the Kids 1K. Earbuds are permitted on course, but the race asks you to keep the volume low enough to hear police, volunteers, and emergency vehicles.
Register for the 2027 Mesa →on the official race site
Course geometry provenance is stated beside the player; elevation profiles always use the same route loaded there. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Aerial imagery is from USGS and USDA; other images carry their own source credits. Weather figures use Open-Meteo reanalysis for February 9-17 across 2016-2025 at the start line. Schedule, prices and expo hours were checked in 2026-08-31 and are the fields most likely to move: confirm them on mesamarathon.com before you book anything. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.