Training for Night Running

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com Up until age 19 I lived on a nameless dirt road in Stonington, Connecticut. There was one house just past ours, and then about a half a mile further, a seldomly visited gun club that reenacted Civil War stuff. Beyond that it was a power line trail that felt like it went forever (it probably was only four miles, but at the time “10K” wasn’t in my vocabulary, let alone “ultra”). The road was my escape. Get mad at my parents? Run away down the road. Need a place to smooch? The mountain laurel grove down the road. Anyone ever play manhunt …

Shelby Farrell training for Cocodona 250.

Training for the Cocodona 250-Mile Trail Race While Working Full Time

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com “Sooo…do you just run all day?” People look at you like you’re an alien when you tell them you’re training for a 250-mile race called Cocodona 250. Congrats! You’re now the “crazy” friend! Running the race is one thing. The real perplexity is around how to train for something of this physical magnitude, especially when working a full-time job. (And MASSIVE kudos to the ultra parents out there. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about leaving my cat when I go out for a six hour adventure…but I do miss him). A popular question is what my weekly mileage looks like, but …

DRT Series Wrap-up

Noah DoughertyCommunity, This Week In Aravaipa Running, Ultra Thoughts

The 2020-21 Desert Runner Trail Series, or DRT Series as we like to call it, was a wild ride. Aravaipa Running as an organization went through some real challenges with the abrupt arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 that essentially shut everything down. As an event company, the idea of holding large groups of people in one space was daunting to all. Heck, being in a grocery store with a lot of people was daunting for many as we tip-toed through the Spring and Summer.  Our Cave Creek Thriller Trail Runs, typically held on the second weekend of October as the DRT Series kickoff, was pushed back to December 19th. Our Pass Mountain Trail Runs in …

Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs course

Mesquite Canyon: A Rebirth in the Tanks

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Aravaipa’s Social Media Manager, Jen Laughlin. Spring is the season for rebirth. It’s nature’s way of starting over. This anticipated life cycle is obvious in the sights, sounds and scents in the outside world, especially to those who’ve experienced a long, cold winter. Though the turn in season isn’t as dramatic for us Phoenicians, there’s still something especially distinct about springtime in the desert. The air feels different. The temperature is still incredible, yet there’s a subtle sting of lingering heat that hasn’t been felt since the fall. The angle of the sun in the sky has started to shift; the saguaro shadows on the ground are less elongated and their arms …

A Postcard From Steep Camp Sunrise

Scout PhillipsRace Report

In my youth, during our mandatory quiet hour at summer camp, I would struggle to compress the activities of one day into the 3×5 space of a postcard to send to family and friends. Once again, I find my mind so full of things I want to share about our inaugural Steep Camp Sunrise weekend, that I simply don’t know where to start. Perhaps the best place to start is with gratitude. I am incredibly grateful to the White Mountain Apache community for inviting us to their land to create this event. I am equally grateful to all of the runners, families, and friends who chose to make this a most memorable experience. We promised …

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 had some of our largest races to date in the DRT Series and we’re so grateful to have had you join us …

Desert Runner Trail Series Points Standings

Noah DoughertyCommunity, Race Preview

Alright people, it’s time. Mesquite Canyon- the grand daddy of them all- is just over a week away and you’re on the cusp of bringing home some hardware in our Desert Runner Trail Series. Or are you? The DRT Series spans seven races from October through March as it carves its way around the Maricopa County Regional Parks, culminating with the Mesquite Canyon Championship at the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. While the first six races are based on a total of 1000 points, given the toughness of our courses winding up and around the White Tanks, it was determined that the final race would award 1250 points for the winner. Plus, it just makes …

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 …

My Mogollon Monster 100 Experience

Noah DoughertyCommunity, Race Report

The Mogollon Monster 100 is a special race for myself and Jeremy. Saturday, September 16th would be the sixth annual racing of the Mogollon Monster in Pine, Arizona and my nerves were through the roof. This time with the anticipation of toeing the line in my first 100-mile endeavor. The course has acquired a reputation of unparalleled views and incredible single track, but also unrelenting, technical trails that will beat you down everywhere you turn – and climbing – lot’s and lot’s of climbing. More than a few times have we heard runners finish with a, “what the F@#k was that?!” What better 100-mile race with which to start than MOG 100? In 2012 my older …