Results/Photos

Date: Feb. 14, 2026 Participant: Brody Bittner #10991 Race: 2026 Mesa Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles

A Strong Attempt with Consistent Pacing Brody Bittner ran a solid marathon at the 2026 Mesa Marathon, finishing with an elapsed time of 3:14:00 and an average pace of 7:24 min/mile. Notably, Brody improved from the previous year, shaving nearly three minutes off his time from the 2025 Mesa Marathon. His initial splits showed a strong start with his first mile at a 6:32 pace, maintaining sub-7-minute miles through the first 13 miles. His placing ranged dramatically, achieving as high as 129th place overall early in the race. In the latter half, maintaining a consistent pace was challenging as it slightly dropped beyond the halfway mark. The most significant slowing was observed between miles 22-25, with paces exceeding 9:00 min/mile. Notably, Brody's overall position improved compared to the previous year, moving up 38 spots. Strategically focusing on maintaining the momentum built in the early miles could help Brody reduce later slowing. Keep up with the training, as the improvement is evident.