Arizona Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon – The Final Chapter

The Arizona Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon is a jaunt around the Tempe area.  The race is completely forgettable.  Although I do remember the dicey area you run through complete with strip clubs.  This race route starts off through some not so great areas and passes by three of the 21 strip clubs in the area.  I was not aware that there were that many strip clubs anywhere on the planet outside of Vegas.  Ah, Tempe!

The Final Chapter

Some races I am willing to travel across the country to run.  Occasionally, if I’m really pumped about a race, I’ll sleep in dirty hotels, eat crappy food and freeze my ass off just to run.  Deep down, I know that the effort is worth the incredible experience I’m going to have.  On the flip side of that coin, there are some races that just happen to be in your backyard.  When a race is in your backyard and you need a good workout, you go run it.  This is precisely what this race is.  Its a fairly ugly, flat race that no joke, runs right by three of the many Tempe area strip clubs.  Super classy.

I finished the Arizona Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon and some nice person hung a medal around my neck.  Then, I hauled it home.  No more running this race but it fit the bill at the time.  I’ll leave you with a few fun facts about Arizona.  Or, you can just rattle these off at a party to impress people.

• Petrified wood is the official state fossil. Most petrified wood comes from the Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona.
• Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
• Turquoise is the official state gemstone.
• The age of a saguaro cactus is determined by its height.
• Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.
• People from Arizona are called an Arizonan’s.

Make sure to tell your favorite Arizonan “thanks” for the Valentines Day gift in 1912.  With turquoise, petrified wood and saguaro cactus’s, Arizona is truly a gift to all.