2022 was my first time running Crown King, so I’ll begin by saying the Crown King Scramble is the most fun 50K race I’ve participated in. Everything from the course itself to the history along the route, to the finish line atmosphere in Crown King all fits together perfectly for this unique point to point uphill 50K.
A little background on the history of the race: First ran in 1981, this route was devised by Bruce Wise as a training run for Western States. At the time it wasn’t an official race, but it would soon gain in popularity until 1987 when the official race was first held. Put together by AZ Road Racers, the event was originally known as the Edna Laughlin 50K, but after the first running of the event was during a particularly wet season, it was it was coined Crown King Scramble. The winner of the 1987 event was Won by Bob Kite, who would go on to win it in 1988 and 1989 as well. Last year, 2022, was the 30th running of the Crown King Scramble.
The race is a 50K point to point route which begins at the shores of Lake Pleasant. The route is entirely on dirt forest roads as runners make their way from Lake Pleasant to the finish line at one of the oldest Saloons in the state located in the historical mining town of Crown King.
The race begins just under 2,000 feet elevation and makes it was up to the highpoint of 6520 feet at Mile 29, before a screaming 2 mile descent to the Saloon. The accumulated elevation gain (AEG) is 6528 and the accumulated elevation loss (AEL) is 2841 feet.
The race kicks off just as the morning sun peaks over the horizon behind you. Taking place in March the weather can be unpredictable. With the variation in elevation, snow and water crossings in the second half of the race are not uncommon but that was certainly not the case last year with high temps reaching over 84 degrees in Phoenix.
This was nearly double the most climbing I had done in a race up to this point so needless to say, I was nervous about the amount of climbing in this race. I tailored my kit to my more conservative approach by using a vest with two soft flasks. I typically run with a single flask in a belt so I ended up doubling my water capacity. I usually avoid vests as they tend to make me feel significantly hotter but I took the trade off and tried to offset the added insulation by using an Ice bandana throughout the race. I think this is one of the reasons I was still able to push later in the race.
It was a warm 66 degrees at the 6AM race start and the front pack of runners went out FAST. By mile 2 I found myself well behind the five or so frontrunners including Pro runner Tim Ferricks as well as Ruairi Moynihan and Austin Horn on the Aravaipa Racing Team.
By the time I had reached Cow Creek Aid (Mile 8.5) I had completely lost sight of the front group and I found myself running on an island in 5th place but I still felt like I had a lot left in the tank.
I ended up moving fast through this aid-station, only grabbing ice for to fill my ice bandana. Although it was still very early on in the race, I was expecting the heat to become a factor sooner than later. I stopped briefly at French Creek Aid (Mile 15) to refill my flasks. After Mile 15 the aid-stations become much more frequent.
The first half of the race is smooth, rolling, and fast as you directly at the Bradshaw Mountain Range that looks impossibly far away. The real race starts around mile 17 when you get into the bulk of the climbing. This is also when the terrain becomes more technical with more rocks and punchy climbs. Between Miles 17 and 28 you’ll climb just over 3000 feet. This is certainly the most challenging 1/3 of the race.
For the first time, in 2022, the forest road was closed to all motorized traffic until the early afternoon which created a whole new incentive to reach the top of the mountain before traffic started to trickle through.
After running through progressively more technical double-track I reached the notorious Fort Misery Aid (Which is run by the rowdy Hash House Harriers). I was feeling the climb at this point but was revived by pickle juice, cheers from the Volunteers and a quick hello from my wonderful girlfriend, Summer, who was volunteering at the aid station.
After leaving Fort Misery you’ll have about 5 miles and 1500 feet 9 of climbing to the final aid station: Oro Belle Aid. This is undoubtedly the crux of the course. These next 8 miles of the course are exposed and difficult. I didn’t feel especially strong by this point in the race but I knew I was close enough to the high point to begin lighting the last of my metaphorical matches.
Soon after Fort Misery I pass the runner in 4th place. It appeared the heat had gotten to him. I firmly believe my heat training and ice bandana was a huge factor in not blowing up during this race as I took in extremely limited nutrition. As is tradition.
Around Mile 25 you’ll catch your first glimpse of the treacherous final climb up to the Oro Belle aid station as it switched back and forth up the hillside Infront of you.
You might find yourself thinking “I have to go all the way up there?” but it will go by faster than you think. If you play your cards right this is an excellent opportunity to push a bit and catch some folks on the climb.
As I turned the corner and saw the climb I saw the third place runner, Austin Horn, making his way up the climb quite a ways ahead of me. I noticed he was hiking the climb and figured I’d push the climb to see if I could make up some ground.
I focused in on my HR and began to push as must as possible without going into my threshold heart rate. Austin is a very talented runner and I knew if I did manage to catch him, I would certainly need some left in the tank to hold on.
I ended up catching Austin and running with him for a bit before making my way to to Oro Belle Aid, where I quickly filled one of my flasks. If you’ve made it this far you can find comfort in that the most difficult part of the course is behind you.
Don’t forget to look around when you get here. The views are epic and you’ll see Lake Pleasant in the far distance. It was really cool to look out over the entire course and take in what you’ve accomplished.
The climb gets less steep after this point and in just 2 short miles you’ll have made it to the highest point of the course. Upon arriving to the highpoint, I passed a local who was spectating from his truck. He told me “Its all downhill from here” and I was flooded with excitement. My legs felt like they came back to life as I crested the final hill and made my way down the descent into town and I was able to drop my fastest mile splits of the entire race.
Once you’ve made it to mile 29 the rest is a non-technical drop into town. The final quarter mile or so is a blast as you rocket through the town and through the finish line at the Saloon to lots of energy, cheers from spectators and a BBQ lunch courtesy of the CK Saloon.
Upon finishing I laid flat on one of the available benches and chugged fluids. My feet were thrashed and Ruairi Moynihan gracelessly offered me his recovery slides. What a guy.
The finish line vibes are a blast and if you have the time to spend the night in-town I’d certainly recommend it. There’s an unofficial beer mile race in-town after the race and the next morning Chris Worden will be cooking up the Sunday morning Crown King Scramble Breakfast.
P.S. Don’t forget to stop by the Cleator Yacht Club on your way back down, just be sure to check any expiration dates on any prepackaged snacks you purchase there! 😊