Mesa Marathon will shut down several streets, reroute bus lines

PHOENIX – A swarm of people hitting the roads Saturday will all be heading in the same direction – toward the finish line of the Sprouts Mesa Marathon.

Full and half marathons and the 10K all start around 6:30 a.m. A 1K for kids will begin at noon. More than 10,000 runners were expected to participate in the races.

Finishers will wind up at Mesa Riverview shopping center.

“We understand the race impacts Mesa residents and their Saturday morning routine for a few hours, so as a city, we aim to provide customized resources for folks who need to get around the race,” Transportation Department spokeswoman Amy McConnell said in a January statement.

Runners in the full marathon will start at Usery Mountain. Some of them could qualify for April’s Boston Marathon with the right completion time.

Runners who are one minute, 39 seconds (1:39) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender will make the cut, according to Boston organizers.

Half-marathoners will take off near McDowell and Greenfield roads and 10K racers will leave from Fitch Park.

Crews will begin barricading streets at 4 a.m. on race day. Streets will be reopened in stages; the last of which will be cleared by 1:30 p.m.

Valley Metro will reroute bus lines 30, 96, 104, 112, 120,128,136 and the Downtown Buzz.

Other city services will also be affected by race activity. Trash and recycle barrel pick-ups will start early. Residents should have those containers out before 5:30 a.m.

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