Results/Photos

Date: Feb. 14, 2026 Participant: Maddie Firmage #15313 Race: 2026 Mesa Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles

Consistency Against Odds in Mesa Half Marathon Maddie Firmage completed the 2026 Mesa Marathon Half Marathon with a finish time of 2:44:34, maintaining an average pace of 12:33 min/mile. Her early pace at 9:44 min/mile in the first mile was strong, but steadily slowed, reaching 14:17 min/mile at mile 11. She finished in 3,235th place out of 4,125 participants. Noteworthy is the consistency in her pacing, despite the decline through the latter half of the course. Splitting a personal best early on might have contributed to the overall reduction in speed. Comparing with her 2024 performance, where she clocked 2:25:46 with an average pace of 11:07 min/mile, theres a notable difference. It may be advantageous to evaluate pacing strategies in future races to maintain speed throughout. She still exhibited determination by completing another half marathon, and being part of "Moench girls" is bound to provide support and motivation for her to refine and regain speed.