Results/Photos

Date: February 8, 2025 Participant: Christopher Neil #12972 Race: 2025 Mesa Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles Weather: Perfect running conditions at 63°F, partly cloudy skies, and a slight breeze from the east in Mesa, AZ.

Steady Finish with Opportunities for Consistency Christopher Neil, representing the East Valley Runners, completed the 2025 Mesa Marathon with an overall time of 4:09:41, averaging a pace of 9:31 min/mile. Despite a slow start with an initial split of 16:20, he quickly accelerated to a solid pace of around 8:48 min/mile by the third mile. Notably, his strongest single-split performance was 3:45 for mile 3, showcasing potential for more sustained speed early in long races. In comparison to his previous 2024 Mesa Marathon performance, where he finished in 3:44:54 with a pace of 8:35 min/mile, Christopher's 2025 results suggest a need to maintain energy and focus in the latter half of the marathon. After engaging middle miles with consistent pacing hovering in the 8:45 min/mile mark, a slowdown occurred, particularly from mile 24 onwards. Working on endurance across the final stretches could result in a consistently strong showing throughout the entire race distance.