The 15.4 mile Pemberton Trail within picturesque McDowell Mountain Regional Park served as the setting for this weekend’s Javelina 12 Hour night run hosted by Aravaipa Running. This gathering of Arizona’s ultra and trail running community kicked off at 6pm, just as the sun set behind the McDowell Mountains to the west of the park. Runners ranging in age from 15 to 76 set out to tackle anywhere from 1 to 4 loops on the trail. One of the unique features of this trail run is special permission to access the park’s trail system at night (trails normally close at sunset). Although flashlights were needed for the first two hours, the almost full moon eventually …
2011 Javelina 12 Hour Preview
As high temperatures dip into the nineties here in the Phoenix area, we are gearing up for the first race in Aravaipa’s fall race season. Our first event this year takes place in the rolling, mellow valley of Sonoran desert in between the McDowell Mountains and the Verde River. This area was first inhabited by nomadic hunters and later thousands of Hohokam Indians who made their home near the confluence of the Verde and Salt Rivers. Presently, it is home to McDowell Mountain Regional Park and the over 50 miles of scenic trails that meander through hills and across numerous desert washes that drain the McDowell Mountains. The most well known trail in the park …