Mount Lemmon Marathon

So I was just noseying around on the net, and I came across someone talking about running the Mount Lemmon Marathon.  I thought, "huh, how come I've never heard of it before?"  I've lived here for 4 years, I've heard of the famous El Tour de Tucson, and of course the Tucson marathon, but have never heard anyone talk about the Mount Lemmon Marathon.  That's because 2010 is the inauguration of the Mount Lemmon Marathon.  
If you've ever been to Tucson and have had the opportunity to drive up Mount Lemmon, you'll know how crazy this marathon is.  No, the start line is not at the top, but at the bottom!  The course brings you up 6000ft!  There are no rolling hills, it's all uphill.  Tucson's known for having some of the most hard core outdoors people, but this is INSANE!  Here's their blurb:

The Toughest Road Marathon in the World 

The Only Uphill Marathon in the US

6000 ft Elevation Gain

Paved Course Open for 10 Hours

No Qualifying Necessary

Free Tech IN TRAINING Shirt

Registration Limited to 2500 Runners

Group Discounts and Referral Program

Perfect Running Weather

Guest Celebrity: Bart Yasso

To top it off, the temp is predicted to be in the 80's-90's between miles 5 and 15.  Oh, but no worries, it's DRY HEAT.  Then they don't allow headphones.  Why not? So that you can hear falling rocks and listen for mountain lions and black bears, "although we don't foresee any problems with them."  Really?  I've heard stories of mountain lions tracking cyclists down that mountain.

So if anyone's interested, registration is $85 for either the full or half.  They're basically giving you a discount to torture yourself by running the full.  Here we are all looking for a fast course to BQ, then there are people who are simply sadomasochists!  At least they'll get to meet Bart Yasso.