Featuring a run along downtown Tucson’s city streets, the Santa Cruz Riverpath trails and one challenging ascent up the peak known as “A” Mountain, the TMC Get Moving Tucson Half Marathon & Tucson Lifestyle 5K Walk/Run takes runners on an out-and-back route through the city as summer is giving way to autumn in late October.
Part of a three-race series known as the Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown — which also includes a 5K race in June and an 8-mile and 5K race on Labor Day weekend — the TMC Get Moving Half Marathon replaced the 10-mile race run in previous years, and the race saw just over 900 runners cross the finish line in the 13.1-mile and 5K events combined in 2016, including 540 finishers in the half marathon alone.
Runners start the race downtown at the intersection of Church Street and Alameda Street, just north of Congress. From there, the half marathoners and the 5K runners and walkers head in opposite directions, with those in the 5K heading south and east along Congress, while those running the half marathon head north along Church Street and then turn onto West 6th Street, and head across the Santa Cruz River.
The course crosses over the bridge over the river and then turns south on Bonita Avenue, bringing runners along the banks of the Santa Cruz for about a half-mile before turning again, this time right onto West Congress Street. Runners continue west down Congress until they meet up with South Cuesta Avenue between the mile 2 and mile 3 markers, which starts the ascent into Sentinel Peak Park and the run up to the top of “A” Mountain.
Once a lookout point for the Spanish settlers in this area, this prominent peak along a ridge in the Tucson Mountains got its current name starting around 1915, when a group of University of Arizona students painted the first large “A” on the side of the mountain, to celebrate their football team’s victory over Pomona College.
