Results/Photos

Date: February 8, 2025 Participant: Matthew Kernaghan #12172 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 Pace with Notable Progress Matthew maintained an impressive pace throughout the 2025 Mesa Marathon, showcasing significant improvement since his previous race. The overall time of 4:07:47 indicates a reduction from his prior finish of 4:15:46, translating to a notable 8-minute improvement. His pace dynamics reveal an effective strategy, with a strong start and consistent pacing between miles 1 through 16, where his pace averaged just below 9:00 min/mile. Interestingly, his fastest split was a 5:30 min/mile at mile 6, which is worth noting for future strategy discussions. However, the later miles saw a gradual slowdown, particularly noticeable in the last 10 miles where his pace averaged around 9:59 min/mile. While he dropped in placement compared to his 2023 race, finishing 1684th overall out of 3624 participants, Matthew still placed strongly within his division, suggesting room to optimize pacing towards the end to maintain the promising position seen earlier.