Buckeye Marathon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

The start is in the Sun City Festival area north-west of Buckeye at a little over 500 metres. The opening kilometres are the least settled part of the day: after a short drop the road climbs back about 15 metres between kilometres two and four before the long descent begins. From there the course circles the western flank of the White Tank Mountains, mostly on wide roads with open desert views.

Between kilometres five and 13 the route falls steadily by around 60 metres, then a gently rolling middle section runs to about kilometre 24 with little net change. The final third is the fastest: from kilometre 24 to 34 the course drops more than 70 metres again, broken only by a small rise around kilometre 35. The finish is on the airport runway, the same site where the half, 10K, 5K and one-mile races start and finish.

The course is USATF certified and serves as a Boston and national qualifier. Water and Gatorade come roughly every two miles to mile 20 and at every mile after that, with gels at miles 8, 16 and 22. The course closes after six hours.

Pacing Strategy

Run the first four kilometres by feel rather than by the watch: the short rise after the start costs a few seconds that you do not need to win back at once. Once the descent begins, the pace can come up a little without extra effort. The average gradient is under half a percent, so it feels more like an easy road than a downhill.

The flatter middle stretch from kilometre 13 to 24 is where patience matters; the gradient stops helping, and anyone who went out too fast feels it first here. Save your best running for the final section from kilometre 24, where the descent helps most but also loads the quads at the point where your legs are already tired.

Training plan for Buckeye Marathon: 12-week build

The task is an even marathon pace over 42 kilometres, so the classic build of long runs up to 32 to 35 kilometres and tempo runs at marathon pace belongs at the centre. Because the race falls in early January, the main block runs through the winter months; schedule your longest runs for early to mid December.

Prepare your legs for the descent. Put some long runs on gently falling roads and run the last kilometres there at goal pace. Add strength work for eccentric loading, such as lunges and step-downs, twice a week.

Also rehearse fuelling on the race's pattern: a gel at miles 8, 16 and 22, with water or sports drink every two miles in between. If you travel from a cold winter, know that the desert January morning starts cool and warms noticeably by midday; test layers you can shed on the way.