Mesa Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Mesa Marathon is a point-to-point road marathon in Mesa, Arizona, held on a Saturday in mid-February. It was formerly known as the Phoenix Marathon. The course begins below the large white Phoenix sign painted on Usery Mountain, runs through cactus desert with views over the Phoenix Valley, and finishes at Riverview Park in downtown Mesa. The organisers report nearly 1,000 feet (about 300 m) of net elevation loss and market it as a fast Boston Qualifier. A half marathon starts at the corner of McDowell and Norwalk and descends to Riverview Park with nearly 200 feet of net loss. A 10K starts at Fitch Park, winds through downtown Mesa and joins the marathon route, and a free Kids 1K is held at Riverview Park. Races from 2013 to 2020 all sold out. The marathon launched in 2012 with just over 1,800 participants across its events. Brooksee, which also runs the Revel Race Series and the Portland Marathon, bought the race in 2021. In February 2026 more than 11,000 people ran the Mesa Marathon weekend, which sold out all four distances, and the event describes itself as the largest marathon in Arizona.