While the Tucson Marathon is certainly the main reason to travel to Tucson 😉, we highly recommend that you take some time, either before or after the race to enjoy some of the other attractions Tucson has to offer. With average temperatures between 67 and 37 degrees in Tucson in December, it’s a great opportunity to explore some of Tucson’s world class trails or check out one of many museums in the city. Here is our list of top 10 attractions to check out while you’re in town: Biosphere 2 – Along the Tucson Marathon Course you’ll pass the Biosphere 2 Research Center. If you have the time, either before or after the race to stop by (probably not during..) …
Peaks Week!
“Peaks Week” is our way of celebrating the Golden Trail World Series coming to Flagstaff Sky Peaks. Kicking off on Monday, September 19th we’ll be starting the week with a Social Sharing Contest, so keep an eye on @FlagstaffSkyPeaks on Instagram. Participants are encouraged to share a photo of their favorite peak for their chance to win prizes. Winners will be selected at random. Next, we’ll be hosting a Virtual Trivia Night the following day on Tuesday, the 20th so you can join in the fun from anywhere! On Wednesday the 21st we’ll be hosting our first group run of the week with Will for for Beer at 5:30 PM, starting from the Posse Ramada …
Benefits of Trail Running for Marathon Training
Trail Running can have significant positive benefits for your marathon training and here’s why: Benefit 1: Soft Surface = Less Impact Running on the roads day after day can eventually leave you feeling pretty beat up. Maybe your shins, or your knees start to ache? Thankfully there are trails! Trails are typically a much softer surface than roads and sidewalks. Thus, one of the many beauties of trail running is that there is less impact on your body. The surface itself will absorb more of the impact when running so that your body doesn’t have to. Even if you are training for a road race, consider incorporating some trail running into your training routine. Taking …
Five Marathon Training Tips
December will be here before you know it!Our goal is to make your experience at the Tucson Marathon as enjoyable as possible and the training you put in now will have a direct impact on you overall experience come race day. Here are some tips from our very own Matt Feldhake which will help point you in the right direction when it comes to approaching your race training plan. Training Tips: (1) Develop Your Why Arguably the most critical initial step to take when deciding to train for a marathon is to find a “why”.What is the deep, underlying reason for wanting to train for this marathon? Finding the answer to this question will give you a …
Tucson Marathon’s Most Accomplished Athlete: Bassirima Soro
I first learned of Bassirima Soro while searching through some of the history of the Tucson Marathon. Soro’s name came up frequently regarding his 6 wins from 1999 to 2004. I figured Soro was an elite runner, but what I would come to realize is that he is a man of many talents. Bassirima Soro is also a Licensed Practical Nurse and Afro-Pop/Reggae vocalist and song writer under the stage name K-Bass residing in Tucson, Arizona. Soro was brought up by a loving but poverty-stricken family of musicians on the Ivory Coast of West Africa. In a “true example of the strength of the human spirit, [Soro] overcame severe economic hardships, obtained a hard won …
If It Comes Easily, It’s Worthless
A profile of ultrarunner, Keith Munch We often meet people at our races or group runs who inspire us, and whenever possible, we aim to share their stories with you. Meet Keith Munch, a member of the Aravaipa running community. A recent transplant from Arizona to Colorado, he recently finished the inaugural Royal Gorge Groove 60K (finishing with a grotesquely broken pinky finger thanks to misplaced footing on the technical trail early on in the race). He is preparing to toe the line at Ring the Springs 100 Mile in June, sandwiched by two more 100 Mile races in May and July. Without further ado, meet Keith. 1. Tell us about yourself! I was born …
DISCOVER FLAGSTAFF X ARAVAIPA RUNNING
COCODONA 250 Discovering Flagstaff Through the Cocodona 250 By Sarah Ostaszewski It’s no secret that Flagstaff is one of the country’s top high-altitude running meccas. Especially over recent years, Flagstaff has shifted from sleepy mountain town and seasonal training grounds for professional runners and Olympians to full-blown trail running destination with a thriving outdoors community. World-class track athletes and elite-level marathoners are no longer the only one’s training year-round in Flagstaff. Some of the world’s best ultramarathoners have made the high-altitude hub their home. More and more trail runners are considering their own move to Flagstaff, and not without good reason. Easy access to a variety of trails and terrain makes for stellar year-round running. …
The Sleep Deprivation Puzzle of Cocodona
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 …
2021-2022 Desert Runner Trail Series Final Standings
As promised, here are the winners of the 2021-22 Desert Runner Trail Series and a few fun stats mixed in. This was the 11th year for some of these races and a nice little milestone for Aravaipa Running and how far we’ve come. As you all know, a lot can happen over the course of the seven race series, beginning in November with Pass Mountain. Pulling from your three best races keeps things interesting and opens up the top spots to a lot more runners then you may see on a typical race day. You don’t have to win a single race to make the podium in the series. Here are a few fun facts …
If I can finish a 250-mile race, then so can you.
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 …