Results/Photos

Date: Feb. 14, 2026 Participant: Naja Towne #17427 Race: 2026 Mesa Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles

Consistent Start, Slower Finish Naja Towne, from Gilbert, AZ, completed the 2026 Mesa Marathon Half Marathon with an official time of 2:34:34, maintaining an overall pace of 11:48 min/mile. Notably, Naja started strongly, managing an initial pace of 10:21 min/mile for the first mile. Over the next few miles, Naja maintained close consistency with her split paces ranging from 10:03 to 10:37 min/mile. By mile 6, her pace began to slow, with the split recorded at 11:25 min/mile. Her overall placing was 2995th out of 4125 participants, finishing 1509th among female competitors and 104th in her division (F50-54). Comparing this race to the 2025 Mesa Marathon, where she finished with a time of 2:27:06, there's a noticeable shift in the latter half, especially after the 6-mile mark. To manage endurance better, consider incorporating intervals or longer training runs at varied paces in future preparations. Keep up the effort with continued focus on strength and stamina.