Race Day: Directions, parking, bathrooms, pets, weather, and more details
Location: In 2025, the race staging location will be on Cushing Street, west of the Mercado Annex. We're excited about bringing the TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon and Cigna Healthcare 4-Miler back to the downtown area, on Cushing Street, near the Annex at the Mercado San Agustin. We are grateful to the Rio Nuevo District for supporting our efforts to highlight Downtown Tucson. While there will be no official race activities at the Mercado and the Mercado Annex, participants are encouraged to eat, drink, and shop at these fun downtown-area locations.
Directions: The race staging location takes place immediately west of Downtown Tucson, near Broadway/Congress main routes through Downtown.
From mid-town: Take Broadway west, past Downtown, under I-10.
From Phoenix: Take I-10 east to Downtown Tucson and take the Broadway exit and head west.
From Green Valley/Sahuarita/Nogales: Take I-19 to I-10 west, then take the Broadway exit and head west.
From Vail, Benson, and New Mexico: Take I-10 west to Downtown Tucson and take the Broadway exit and head west.
From 1-10: It is best to take the Congress/Broadway exit and go west for approximately .25 miles. Turn left on S Avenida del Convento. Alternatively, you can find plenty of parking in Downtown Tucson, whether City of Tucson parking garages or streets -- then walk or jog about half-a-mile under I-10 to the race site.
Parking: Please allow plenty of time to arrive on site and get situated for your race.
- Mercado Parking Lots: In terms of on-site parking, the Mercado will charge $5 per vehicle for parking on their three nearby parking lots. Black Knights Security will handle this parking. Cash is faster and easier, but they take other standard forms of payment. Parking is available starting at 4:30 am.
- Street parking: There is nearby street parking, but please be mindful of following all traffic laws: do not block driveways, do not park in red zones, do not park in permitted spots, and be mindful of all traffic and parking laws -- we don't want you to get in the way of the neighbors and we don't want you to get a ticket!
- Lot Parking: Consider the lots on the Bonita/Commerce Loop, about a 10 minute walk from the race start. For additional Downtown parking resources, please see the interactive City of Tucson parking map here.
- SunLink: SunLink service does not start until 8:00 am, but after the race the free SunLink may be a good resource to get back to the Downtown and UofA areas.
Portojohns: Near the start/finish, there will be Stamback portojohns adjacent to the event staging area. For half-marathoners, there will be a portojohn at the entrance to the river path Loop on Grande, near the Mile 4 and thus near the Mile 12 mark. There is also a public restroom just south of Silverlake Road, near the 6 and 10 mile marks and a portojohn near the 7 and 11 mile marks. Thus, you should have access to bathrooms near the 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 12 mile marks.
Race Day Dollar Off: On race morning Westbound is offering all participants dollar off a range of morning drinks. Special thanks to Rebecca for all the support of fitness activities at Westbound.Westbound is part of the Tap & Bottle family of curated bottle shops, offering a wide selection of beer, wine, cider, seltzers, hard kombucha, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Weather: It looks like it will be hot on race morning. We will have water and Skratch available, but if you plan on being on the course for more than 2 hours, please bring your own hydrating beverages, including electrolytes and sodium. Consider a hat and sunscreen.
Strollers: Yes, you can absolutely run or walk with a stroller. Be mindful of potholes, speed bumps, and steep hills. There is a steep uphill and steep downhill on the A-Mountain portion of the route and there are speed bumps on the A-Mountain portion of the route. The routes are closed to traffic, but please be mindful and safe as there is no guarantee that vehicles will not enter the course.
Chair Friendly: Yes, this course is suitable for chair athletes. Be mindful of potholes, speed bumps, and steep hills.
Pets: Unfortunately, while we love pets, dogs and other pets are not allowed in the race itself. Leashed pets and service animals are allowed on City of Tucson property following City of Tucson guidelines, but for safety reasons no dogs or other pets are allowed on the race course.
Headphones: We know that people like having music, but for personal and communal safety we recommend not wearing headphones. If you're interested in the prize money events, please read the headphone policies posted.
Bicycles: We cannot close The Loop, so there may be bike riders on the route, so keep an eye out for our two-wheeled friends.
Terrain: The route is pavement throughout the A-Mountain neighborhood. Be mindful of potholes, speed bumps, and steep hills. The route is closed to vehicle traffic, but please be mindful of errant vehicles, other participants, bike riders, and the like. Along the Loop river path section of the course, you can run on the hard-packed dirt immediately adjacent to the river path -- but you cannot cut the course by running on the dirt.
Difficulty: Aside from the demanding uphill and downhill of A-Mountain, this is an easy course, on a flat and fast paved asphalt surface.
