#WhoWeAre – Jen Laughlin – Birthday “Fun”

Hayley PollackCommunity, Race Report

Jen is our wordsmith; she seamlessly manages all of our social media pages (over 20 of them) for Aravaipa and Run Steep Get High + she’s also the voice behind Squirrel’s Nut Butter. It is not uncommon to hear someone in the office say “just send the idea to Jen, she’ll make it sound 10x better.” Read on to hear about Jen’s experience at the 2015 Hypnosis Night Runs. This is also a race I will never forget…  It was the spring of 2015, and I was preparing to turn the big 4-0. I knew I wanted to go big for my birthday, but wasn’t quite sure what I had in mind just yet. While …

#WhoWeAre – Peter Coury – My Bionic Recovery

Hayley PollackCommunity

Peter is truly Aravaipa’s handyman extraordinaire. Need to rig some new contraption? Peter has you covered! Sometimes I think he wishes he wasn’t at our staff meetings because inevitably someone will have a great new idea and I just turn a quizzical eye to Peter and he simply shrugs and takes on a new project. Beyond that he’s also an incredibly talented businessman and a mentor to our team. We’ve been so excited to witness his ‘comeback’ first hand.  My Bionic Recovery On May 1, 2017 I became bionic.  I underwent left hip replacement surgery.  From that day forward my main focus was to regain my running activities. Two months of physical therapy went well and …

#WhoWeAre – Pati Coury – Steep Camp

Hayley PollackCommunity, Race Report

If you’ve been to any Aravaipa race over the last 9 years, I can almost guarantee you’ve been taken care of in some fashion by Pati Coury. She is our aid station mastermind with a heart big enough to truly care about each and every runner that comes through her ‘kitchen.’ She’s methodical and her attention to detail really can not be matched. She might the the literal mom to a few on our team, but she embraces that role for anyone in need of her care. She’s also a truly amazing runner and that is really on display at Silverton 1000, now Steep Camp!  Steep Camp (aka: Silverton 1000) Seven years ago, I was asked to …

#WhoWeAre and #WhatWeDo – Erin McKnight – San Diego 100

Hayley PollackCommunity

It’s not all fun at games at Aravaipa… wait, who am I kidding?! That’s our lifestyle, our motto, and our end goal. We’re committed to ensuring runners get the most out of our events and in order to do so we have a huge team of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes but who are ALSO adventurers themselves. Office Manager, Erin McKnight brings law and order to our office and the piles of paperwork she handles while never losing her cool. Everyone who works with her agrees that she’s the epitome of calm under pressure. She’s also an accomplished ultra runner and triathlete. Here’s her current adventure-update as she trains for San Diego 100: My husband, …

A Record Year at Whiskey Basin Trail Runs

Jamil CouryRace Report

When I saw him come into the mile 45 aid station at Badger Mountain he was ahead of schedule just as he had been all day. There was some dried blood on his hand and some fresh stuff still running down his right knee but he had a pleasant demeanor as he calmly stepped off the trail up towards us. When approached by the cheerful Squirrel’s Nut Butter team at the Badger Mountain Aid perched atop a juniper covered hillside overlooking Granite Mountain and most of Prescott, Arizona he politely asked if we had a cup. He was hoping for a drink of water. “I lost my water bottle off a cliff back there. Took …

Desert Runner Trail Series Final Standings!

Noah DoughertyCommunity, Race Preview

I mentioned it in our thank you email to the runners who came out to our Mesquite Canyon Trail runs this past weekend but it’s hard to believe we’ve already closed the books on another season of the Desert Runner Trail Series. A lot can happen over the course of the series beginning in October and this series always seems to find a way to bring these changes to the forefront. We had a couple runners finish in first place following their Mesquite effort despite entering the race off of the podium. We also had runners fall victim in the other direction finding themselves out of podium contention despite strong finishes at Mesquite. Here are …

Desert Runner Trail Series Points Standings

Noah DoughertyCommunity, Race Preview

The 2017-2018 Desert Runner Trail Series is once again coming to a close just in time for the weather to really heat up here in Phoenix. The 7th and final race in the series is the Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs on March 17 at White Tank Mountain Regional Park. We thought it would be fun and beneficial to update everyone on the current point standings. Since the final race in the series is worth more points (1250 instead of 1000) this one can really shake things up. In addition to overall awards, we will also have a masters category for runners 40 years of age or older. New in 2018, we are awarding our top Grand Master’s Division …

Announcing the 2018 Aravaipa Racing Team!

Hayley PollackCommunity

It is with great pleasure that we introduce the 2018 Aravaipa Racing Team! Of course we may be exhibiting bias but our team is incredible. Aravaipa is also proud to announce a partnership with rabbit Apparel for the 2018 season. The Aravaipa Racing Team consists solely of Arizona-based ultra-runners who are performing at a high local and national level. However, they are more than just fast runners, they embody the community and values that Aravaipa Running expects of its representatives. Look for the Aravaipa Racing singlet to make appearances at our events as well as races around the country. Help us welcome these athletes who will be representing Aravaipa this coming year: New to the …

DRT Series Standings Update

Noah DoughertyCommunity

As we put 2017 to bed and with our fall series already in the books, it’s a good time to check in on the DRT Series standings before we kick off our Spring Series this Saturday at San Tan. So, let’s see how you speedsters are doing so far! If you haven’t already heard, we’ve added awards to our Quail (short) and Roadrunner (middle) Series for the first time which will keep a lot more runners in the mix as we near the championship at Mesquite Canyon on March 17th. Also unique to this series challenge is the Master’s awards that goes to the top runners 40 years (young) or older. Additionally, we will add …

2017/2018 Across The Years – Final Results

Hayley PollackRace Report

What a night; what a race! The 2017/2018 Across The Years is in the books! 8 National Records, 1 World Best Performance and 1 course record plus many more personal bests and goals met. Thank you to everyone who helps make this event so special: Runners, Crew, Volunteers and Spectators! Ed Ettinghausen could be seen sprinting around the course this morning on a mission. Not just to increase his lead, or secure his 3,000th mile but to surpass Don Winkley’s USATF Men’s Road 55-59 record – previously 450 miles; now the distinction goes to Ed with 455.85 miles. Kenneth Arble reached his goal of 325 miles and carried on to reach 350 and putting him …