2013 Silverton 6/12/24 Hour

Jamil CouryRace Report

A smoky morning greeted runners at this year’s 2nd Annual Silverton 6/12/24 Hour Mountain Runs held at the Kendall Mountain Recreation Area.  The run takes place on a 1 mile loop on the Kendall Trail which was hand built by Rodger Wrublik and Jamil Coury in 2010 specifically for the Silverton 1000 mile challenge. The loop is not easy enough being at 9318 feet above sea level, but also climbs 250 feet up to the top of the ski lift on single track trails and a small section of dirt road. This is no Across The Years! The loop was accurately measured with a Rolotape surveyor’s wheel to be exactly 1 mile and runners aim …

Beating The Heat, or: How to Run a Heat Race

Nick CouryRace Report, Uncategorized

On Saturday I ran the Scottsdale Beat The Heat 11.22k, a race touted to be the “hottest race on earth”.  As a tribute to the record-setting 122 degree record Phoenix heat on June 26, 1990, the race date is chosen to coincide with the corresponding weekend in 2013.  With a prize purse of over $8500 for the top 10 finishers, the field arrives hot and ready.  Standing at the start line with James Bonnett, we feel out of place among the ranks of Andrew Lemoncello (2008 Olympian, 27:57 10k), Nahom Mesfin (2008 Olympian, 13:29 5k), Fernando Cabada (2:11:53 Marathon), and many others. I am under no illusion I will place in the top 10.  When the …

HOM100 – A run to kick some ALS-ass

Jamil CouryRace Report

I first heard about the HOM100 when I stumbled upon Trevor Davenport‘s Facebook page. I didn’t really know what HOM stood for at first or why he would be running 100 miles around a 2 mile loop around his neighborhood, but it sounded interesting and like something I would do myself. Trevor has run many of the Aravaipa Running DRT Series ultra events over the past couple of years including this year’s Mesquite Canyon 50 Mile and is active in the local running community including penning a few articles for Trail Running Club. I spoke with Trevor about the HOM100 when he volunteered at the Sinister Night Run (he was the guy with the rainbow …

Running Scrappy In The Old Pueblo

Jamil CouryRace Report

I was exhausted, tired and dammit my feet hurt. I was trudging through dry grasslands not sure of why I had even decided this was a good idea. I was in the foothills of the mighty Santa Rita Mountains South of Tucson, walking along the Arizona Trail bound for Kentucky Camp, under the shadow of Mount Wrightson and just a couple small towns and a few dozen miles from the Mexico border. I had put myself through an ordeal and at the end of the day had absolutely nothing to show for it except a stinging, biting DNF. No, this was not the 2013 Old Pueblo Endurance Run, I am rewinding back to April 2011 when I …

Zane Grey 2013 – Jamil Coury’s Race Report

Jamil CouryRace Report

The Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance Run spans the length of the historic Highline trail beneath the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment on the edge of the Colorado Plateau.  The entire Mogollon Rim stretches for over 200 miles across Arizona, but our little run along the highline trail spans a mere 51. While dense Ponderosa Pine forests cover much of the land above and beneath the rim (pretty much as far as the eye can see), the 1990 Dude Fire burned over 28,480 acres of land beneath the rim (affecting many miles of the highline trail between Washington Park and See Canyon), destroyed 63 homes and claimed the lives of 6 firefighters. This fact is important to …

2013 Crown King Scramble

Jamil CouryNews, Race Report

The 2013 resurrection of the Crown King Scramble did not disappoint in either fast times nor good times. With registration opening just 6 weeks prior to race day, a field of 147 runners signed up for the race from Lake Pleasant to Crown King up the old Crown King Trail 4×4 road. With a total of 6,750 feet of climbing along a point to point course from the Sonoran Desert to the ponderosa pines of the Prescott National Forest, this is a classic and tough ultra. The starting line was moved to the shores of Lake Pleasant, giving runners at the starting line a nice view of the Bradshaw Mountains they would be climbing to the …

Elephant Mountain Trail Runs 2013

Jamil CouryNews, Race Report

The Elephant Mountain Trail Runs were born out of the unique nature of the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, one of eleven Maricopa County Regional Parks. Spur Cross Ranch is one of the newest Maricopa County Regional Parks and features almost 11.5 miles of trails including the steep and rugged Elephant Mountain Trail, connections with the Maricopa Trail and the Cave Creek trail system within the Tonto National Forest. Spur Cross is a perfect place for an afternoon hike and picnic along the Cave Creek, or a jumping off point for an all day rugged trail run in the Tonto National Forest. The original concept for the race had the start/finish at Spur Cross and …

Jump; Ailes Isnick Win San Tan Scramble 50K

Jamil CouryPress Release, Race Report

February 2, 2013 (Queen Creek, Arizona) – Jay Jump made his Arizona ultra running debut at last month’s Coldwater Rumble 50 Mile, placing second to winner Dave James in a time of 8:03:45. Jump returned this weekend to take on the San Tan Scramble 50 Km, a three loop course in the foothills of the Goldmine and San Tan Mountains near Queen Creek. This year would be the course addition of a new trail – Dynamite which was installed by the park around the time of last year’s race. The original course featured an out an back trip over Goldmine Pass on each loop which is the most technical, steep and challenging climb in the …

’13 Coldwater Rumble

Jamil CouryNews, Race Report

Just days after a cold snap hit the Phoenix area, freezing pools and bursting water lines, we found ourselves with some beautiful above average temperatures in the mid to upper seventies for the inaugural Coldwater Rumble 50 mile & third annual 50 km trail runs. The races are located within the Saguaro cactus studded foothills of the jagged Sierra Estrella mountain range which rises to over 4500 feet in elevation above the sprawling suburbs of Phoenix. Estrella Mountain Regional Park plays host to this race which is also the 4th in Aravaipa Running’s Desert Runner Trail Series (7 race series with 50 km & 50 mile distances). Thirty hearty souls took to the trails in …

Jowl At The Full Moon – Javelina Night Run 2012

Jamil CouryRace Report

What began as an informal full moon night training run for the Javelina Jundred, has evolved into an event all its own.  I ran the Javelina Night Run back in 2005 when it was a completely self supported affair, loosely organized by Javelina Jundred founder and race director Geri Kilgariff.  It was my first true night trail run and I remember the magic and adventure of running around the Pemberton Trail under the full moon with friends. Coyotes were howling, I could shut off my headlamp halfway through the run and there was even a night mountain bike ride going on in the opposite direction we were running.  That was back before I ran my first ultra, …