I was exhausted, tired and dammit my feet hurt. I was trudging through dry grasslands not sure of why I had even decided this was a good idea. I was in the foothills of the mighty Santa Rita Mountains South of Tucson, walking along the Arizona Trail bound for Kentucky Camp, under the shadow of Mount Wrightson and just a couple small towns and a few dozen miles from the Mexico border. I had put myself through an ordeal and at the end of the day had absolutely nothing to show for it except a stinging, biting DNF. No, this was not the 2013 Old Pueblo Endurance Run, I am rewinding back to April 2011 when I …
Zane Grey 2013 – Jamil Coury’s Race Report
The Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance Run spans the length of the historic Highline trail beneath the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment on the edge of the Colorado Plateau. The entire Mogollon Rim stretches for over 200 miles across Arizona, but our little run along the highline trail spans a mere 51. While dense Ponderosa Pine forests cover much of the land above and beneath the rim (pretty much as far as the eye can see), the 1990 Dude Fire burned over 28,480 acres of land beneath the rim (affecting many miles of the highline trail between Washington Park and See Canyon), destroyed 63 homes and claimed the lives of 6 firefighters. This fact is important to …
Fluid Sports Nutrition to be Liquid Nutrition Sponsor of Insomniac Night Series
Fluid Sports Nutrition is partnering with Aravaipa Running to provide the liquid nutrition for the inaugural Insomniac Night Trail Running series. Fluid will supply Fluid Performance at the aid stations throughout the night series, along with samples to runners at the race. Fluid Performance Drink combines ingredients that work in unison together and provide more benefit than taking them individually. When consumed during exercise training and competition, Fluid Performance provides the stable energy, electrolytes, and taste you need to perform. Fluid Performance Drink is also easy to digest thanks to its gluten-free carbohydrates, it is dairy free, and contains no unnecessary ingredients. What are the benefits of Fluid Performance Drink? Energy Delivery – Simple & complex carbohydrates …
Black Diamond to Sponsor Insomniac Night Run Series
Black Diamond Equipment has stepped on board to sponsor the inaugural Insomniac Night Trail Running series. Black Diamond will be offering discounted pricing on two of their headlamp units that may be purchased with registration or on-site at each Insomniac events. Lighting is important for all types of night running whether it be on the streets around town or hitting the local trails. Not only is it critical to light your path while running to avoid rocks, curbs and other obstacles, being seen is something that shouldn’t be brushed off. Trail and road running safety at night is as much about being seen as being defensive and a good light will go a long ways …
2013 Crown King Scramble
The 2013 resurrection of the Crown King Scramble did not disappoint in either fast times nor good times. With registration opening just 6 weeks prior to race day, a field of 147 runners signed up for the race from Lake Pleasant to Crown King up the old Crown King Trail 4×4 road. With a total of 6,750 feet of climbing along a point to point course from the Sonoran Desert to the ponderosa pines of the Prescott National Forest, this is a classic and tough ultra. The starting line was moved to the shores of Lake Pleasant, giving runners at the starting line a nice view of the Bradshaw Mountains they would be climbing to the …
The Resurrection of the Crown King Scramble
The road to the 2013 return of the Crown King Scramble was a long one. I ran my first ultra in 2005, the first year the Crown King Scramble wasn’t held since it’s inception in 1987. For some reason it was never on my radar to enter the race when it made its return in 2006 and 2007 under the direction of Gary Culver and the Arizona Road Racers, so I never toed the line. I did run the Castle Hot Springs “fun run” a couple times and even directed it one year, so I was familiar with the first 9 miles of the course. I remember having a conversation with Gary Culver in 2007 after he …
Crown King Scramble Contenders
Once Arizona’s most competitive ultra, the Crown King Scramble is making a big splash in its first year back with a stacked field of runners on both the men’s and women’s side. Here we take a few minutes to highlight some of the amazing athletes that will be toeing the line this weekend. These athletes will be competing not only for the win at one of Arizona’s most historic ultras, but $250 in prize money going to the top man and woman to reach the finish in Crown King. In addition to the $250 to the winner, runners are eligible for a $500 course record bonus. Men will need to break Dermot McGonigle’s 1996 record …