“Stick it : Why Quality Stickers Matter”

Jen LaughlinCommunity, Ultra Thoughts

Where do you put your stickers? Here at Aravaipa, we put them everywhere. From coolers to hydroflasks, the back of our laptops and the back of our vehicles. A quick drive through our office’s parking lot will quickly let you know you’re at Aravaipa Running headquarters because our stickers are everywhere!  We love our races, so why not show the world? But there’s more than just race stickers on our personal items. Looking a bit deeper you’ll see logos of favorite bands and brands, places we love to visit and the schools where our littles were student of the month at. Stickers are so much more than simply a badge of honor that displays a …

MOG 100 As Your First 100? Survey Says: YES

Jen LaughlinPost-Race Interview, Race Report, Ultra Thoughts

The Mogollon Monster 100 mile is not only a notoriously tough race, it’s also Arizona’s only Hardrock 100 qualifier. With around 18,000ft of total elevation gain on mostly technical and exposed trails, this race challenges the most seasoned mountain runners who throughout the point-to-point course will trudge up and down the rugged and steep escapement known as the Mogollon Rim a total of six different times. In a nutshell, the Monster is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not known for being a popular choice for a “first 100 mile”, but there are a handful of runners who beg to differ, and four of them just happen to work here at Aravaipa Running: …

The Sleep Deprivation Puzzle of Cocodona

Kelly PattersonRace Preview, Running Tips, Ultra Thoughts

By Jeff Garmire Cocodona isn’t only a long race; it is a commitment to days of racing. Last year the winner, Michael Versteeg, took over three days to finish. At 250 miles, a sleep strategy is as essential as a nutrition strategy. It is the one thing I entered the 2021 Cocodona with the confidence that I could navigate. The race starts early, but this works in our favor. With a 5 am start, runners can show up after a full night of sleep. The batteries are fully charged, and days of racing don’t seem so bad. But, as the first night comes, the miles of pounding dirt through the first 10k feet of gain …

If I can finish a 250-mile race, then so can you.

Kelly PattersonImage, Link, Post-Race Interview, Quote, Ultra Thoughts

Written by Jeff Garmire I signed up for the Cocodona 250 only a couple of weeks before the actual race. I had never run a 250-mile race. I had never even run a 100-mile race. My racing background was a series of fun runs, middle school track meets (fastest time in the district for hurdles!), and one 50k race. I had no idea what I was doing. My world was FKTs, hundreds of miles of self-sufficient adventures, and untimed long days in the mountains. A 250-mile race was something totally new. That is why I signed up. I entered the race with the fitness and training but lacked knowledge about how the event would unfold …

IT’S PARTY TIME! – Days Away From Starting Cocodona 250

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com The work is done. It’s time to play. All of the energy you’ve put into the past however many weeks of Cocodona 250 training now gets to be unleashed. Let it ROAR! It’s a powerful feeling. Yes, there are more unknowns than known at this point. Especially for me and others that are new to this distance. Get ready to dance with them. I know I am. I’m going to keep this blog short because the taper crazies are for real. It’s a week of trying to leave my work, my apartment, and my cat wrapped up with a shiny bow on top so …

What’s Your Why? – The Motivation Behind Running a 250-Mile Race

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com I remember my first run. Not the first time I ran, but the first time I ran after enjoying all of the french fries, ice cream, and Thirsty Thursdays in college. Discomfort in your own skin, amplified by every jarring jiggly step. For me it was the beginning of discovering self-discipline, the beginning of self-discovery, the beginning of falling in love with running. Ew. Typing that made me cringe. Is it “running” I love? Not in the isolated form of the word. It’s the ability to connect your mind and body in nature. It’s the power of being able to traverse a landscape by …

Training for Night Running

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com Up until age 19 I lived on a nameless dirt road in Stonington, Connecticut. There was one house just past ours, and then about a half a mile further, a seldomly visited gun club that reenacted Civil War stuff. Beyond that it was a power line trail that felt like it went forever (it probably was only four miles, but at the time “10K” wasn’t in my vocabulary, let alone “ultra”). The road was my escape. Get mad at my parents? Run away down the road. Need a place to smooch? The mountain laurel grove down the road. Anyone ever play manhunt …

Shelby Farrell training for Cocodona 250.

Training for the Cocodona 250-Mile Trail Race While Working Full Time

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com “Sooo…do you just run all day?” People look at you like you’re an alien when you tell them you’re training for a 250-mile race called Cocodona 250. Congrats! You’re now the “crazy” friend! Running the race is one thing. The real perplexity is around how to train for something of this physical magnitude, especially when working a full-time job. (And MASSIVE kudos to the ultra parents out there. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about leaving my cat when I go out for a six hour adventure…but I do miss him). A popular question is what my weekly mileage looks like, but …

DRT Series Wrap-up

Noah DoughertyCommunity, This Week In Aravaipa Running, Ultra Thoughts

The 2020-21 Desert Runner Trail Series, or DRT Series as we like to call it, was a wild ride. Aravaipa Running as an organization went through some real challenges with the abrupt arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 that essentially shut everything down. As an event company, the idea of holding large groups of people in one space was daunting to all. Heck, being in a grocery store with a lot of people was daunting for many as we tip-toed through the Spring and Summer.  Our Cave Creek Thriller Trail Runs, typically held on the second weekend of October as the DRT Series kickoff, was pushed back to December 19th. Our Pass Mountain Trail Runs in …

Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs course

Mesquite Canyon: A Rebirth in the Tanks

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Aravaipa’s Social Media Manager, Jen Laughlin. Spring is the season for rebirth. It’s nature’s way of starting over. This anticipated life cycle is obvious in the sights, sounds and scents in the outside world, especially to those who’ve experienced a long, cold winter. Though the turn in season isn’t as dramatic for us Phoenicians, there’s still something especially distinct about springtime in the desert. The air feels different. The temperature is still incredible, yet there’s a subtle sting of lingering heat that hasn’t been felt since the fall. The angle of the sun in the sky has started to shift; the saguaro shadows on the ground are less elongated and their arms …