Desert Solstice 2015 Updates – December 19-20, 2015

Israel ArchulettaPress Release, Race Report

  Ending:  Pete Kostelnick wins the 24 Hour with 163.5 miles (plus last lap distance) putting him 2nd in the world in 2015, and also Top 40 ALL-TIME in history (world) for 24 hours.  This was Pete’s first 24 Hour Race, and first race on a track. Bob Hearn finished 2nd with 149.13 miles, and also broke the 50-54 age group American Record previously held by Ed Ettinghausen which was 144.63.  Ed finished today’s 24 hour in 3rd place with 123.53 Miles. Katalin Nagy though leaving the race at 21 hours with a hamstring issue, she still managed to win the 24 hour race with 129 miles and 100 mile race. Stacey Costa stayed on the track …

2015 Desert Solstice Preview

Jamil CouryRace Preview

Central High School’s track in Phoenix, Arizona will again make history on Saturday, December 19th.  Aravaipa Running is presenting the 5th edition of the Desert Solstice Track Invitational.  This year’s event features 21 of the best endurance athletes in the world chasing numerous national and world records at distances ranging from 20 kilometers to 24 hours.  Previous editions of this event have seen 26 national and 6 world records on this fast red 400 meter oval.  The weather forecast looks ideal for runners with mostly sunny skies with a high of 67 degrees and low of 40. Katalin Nagy, a 36 year old Hungarian turned Floridian, is the reigning 24 Hour World Champion and current …

Aravaipa Cave Creek Thriller 50K Race Report: ALWAYS Pre-Grease Your Butt Crack, and Other Advice from a Tired and Happy Trail Runner

Amber FifieldRace Report, Uncategorized

This is a long post. Here are the top 6 essential cliff notes for those of you too lazy to read the whole thing (you know who you are): Always run long when training for a 50K: 10 miles is not long Always go into a run with the mindset that you’re going to enjoy yourself Push through feeling crappy: we all feel crappy at some point in time, it’s not a reason to quit Watch for Desert Tortoises, they’re awesome Always drink Coke in conjunction with running, it’s amazing Always pre-grease your butt crack: butt crack chafing is unpleasant The Beginning of the Story: My morning began at 3:40am. I slept in my race clothes, …

Aravaipa Pass Mountain 50K Race Report: Hooray for Pizza and Coke!

Amber FifieldRace Report, Uncategorized

Le sigh. My life is a whirlwind of my own making. I keep telling myself the frantic pace will calm down eventually. I am about 95% sure this is true. Of course in addition to my already frenetic life, I must run far. It’s fun. Pass Mountain 50K. Honestly I was in no better condition for it than for the Cave Creek 50K, but I went out to finish it. Why not? My longest training run this time consisted of pacing my dear friend Kathi to her 3rd place finish at the Javelina Jundred K– this was about 15.5 miles. While that’s better than my 10 mile long runs for Cave Creek, it’s not much better. …

Our Commitment to the Trails We Love

Hayley PollackCommunity, News, Press Release, Uncategorized

Aravaipa Running was born out of a deep respect and love for nature: exploring it, finding and overcoming limits within it, and embracing the pain and euphoria it can cause. One incredibly important aspect to this is understanding that the same nature is home to creatures that allow us to share their habitat. While wilderness areas can be roadblocks to creating the ‘ultimate’ event and certain times of the year are ruled out immediately for conservation purposes, even as race directors, we not only respect these limits but know how important the preservation and protection of these lands and animals are to our continued enjoyment of nature as we currently know it. With that said, …

A Tribute to Volunteers

Jamil CouryCommunity, Ultra Thoughts

The whole reason I’m now a race director of trail running events is all because of volunteering. I started helping at events as soon as I started running. I was inspired by the performances and drive of the athletes I was helping. In some small way I felt like I was making a difference for them. As a runner myself, I benefit greatly from the hours of dedication of countless volunteers at every race I attend. Just this last weekend I was helped by hundreds of volunteers at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Europe. They filled my bottles, fed me pasta and were sure to make sure I was OK in my lowest moments. Some …

Javelina Jangover Night Runs Recap – 2015

Hayley PollackCommunity, Race Report, This Week In Aravaipa Running, Ultra Thoughts

I hope to never lose my sense of wonder in dramatic Arizona skies. Our sunsets are unreal, our sunrises too. Monsoon season brings a whole new set of beauty (and, sometimes, destruction) with massive thunderheads and lightning shows to rival 4th of July firework finales. Thankfully, this past weekend at Javelina Jangover, we got the show but not the destruction. All day long, while setting up, the weather was stiflingly hot and oppressive. Not long before runners were due to arrive at the course the cumulonimbus clouds were building higher and higher over the mountains surrounding McDowell Mountain Regional Park. However, we were ready for them! Our experience hosting events in the Arizona summer has …

silverton

Silverton Alpine Marathon & 50K 2015 Recap

Jamil CouryRace Report

The 10th running of the Silverton Alpine Marathon & 50K took place today on the Alpine Loop jeep roads surrounding Silverton, Colorado. This “low key” but spectacular running event rivals the Imogene Pass in beauty and toughness but leaves the crowds behind. The marathon course features a clean, single loop tour of some of the most iconic mining ghost towns in the San Juans: Howardsville, Eureka, Animas Forks and Gladstone. The 50 Kilometer ultra version adds an out and back to the beginning of the route. With the staggered start times, the two fields are completely mixed together by the finish line. 27 runners started the 50K at 7:00am and made their way reverse up …

2015 Silverton 1000 Recap

Hayley PollackNews, Race Report, Ultra Thoughts

The first words I ever wrote about Silverton, Colorado were: “Everything is either magnificent or quaint in a great visual contradiction that immediately makes sense.” And while, At first glance, Silverton meets all the requirements to be called a ‘quaint mountain town’ a little longer look reveals that utilizing ‘hardy’ as the description is nearer the truth. The same adjective can be applied to the runners who showed up to compete in this past week’s Silverton 1000. It was amazing to have a front row seat to this year’s event and the performances that unfolded. I had heard the passion and the stories of the race’s creation from Jamil all year long and I was …

Kendall Mountain Preview

Hayley PollackCommunity, News, Press Release, Race Preview, Ultra Thoughts

If you can believe the write-up about Kendall Mountain on summitpost.org then you “[shouldn’t] feel too proud when you reach the summit of this one.” However, we disagree. The basis for their argument is this race, Kendall Mountain Run: because runners run up Kendall Mountain it is brushed aside. Standing in Silverton, looking up at Kendall as it towers over Greene Street you get your first sense of the injustice done in that one sentence. It is not hard to image how that 1908 bet started… seeing Kendall looming over their town the locals were sure that no one could possibly reach the summit and return within 1.5 hours and the bet was made. Although …