Results/Photos

Date: February 8, 2025 Participant: Payton Causey #10768 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.

Strong Finish with Negative Splits and Improved Pacing Payton Causey demonstrated an impressive marathon performance with consistently improving splits. Starting the race with a 10:04 min/mile pace, he progressively accelerated throughout, achieving his fastest split in mile 26 at 6:43 min/mile. Such acceleration is indicative of excellent pacing strategy and stamina. Ending the marathon in 3:48:30, Payton maintained an average pace of 8:43 min/mile over the 26.2 miles. He improved his overall placement drastically, especially notable in later miles. For instance, he moved from 1884th at mile 18 to 1202nd by the race finish. His performance placed him 93rd in his M19-24 division out of 3624 total participants. Payton's ability to improve his splits, especially in the latter part of the marathon, shows promise. Fine-tuning early pacing could help him gain an even stronger start, setting him up for future success.