After a couple of challenging weeks of running (including a Grand Canyon double crossing on September 26, and a 20K Xterra trail race on October 3rd), I was looking forward to a low key “fun run” in the Mazatzal’s hosted by Honey Albrecht and Debbie Hamberlin of the Wednesday Morning Running Club. Though I’ve been aware of this annual event for a few years, I had never been able to make it, and was determined that this was the year I would check out the Mazatzals. I was not disappointed!
The run, which is about 18 miles in the Mazatzal mountains (about 25 mi or so north of Fountain Hills up the Beeline Highway), promised cooler temps at the altitude of around 3500 feet, which was a relief after an unusually hot start to October. As I left for the run in the morning, I left plenty of time for the drive up in advance of the 8am start, even stopping for a bite along the way. This proved a bad idea, as it turned out to be a little further than I had planned. Worse, the last 5 miles or so were along a dirt road that slowly deteriorated from decent to washboard, to “wish I had an SUV instead of this 2 seat convertible with 3 inches of clearance – hey, was that my oil pan?”
My leisurely early departure became an exercise in stress over whether I would make the 8am start. Alas, I would not, and had the double shame of actually driving down the race route through the pack of starting runners as they ran up the road from the start. I pulled to the side and hung my head in shame, as the 35 or so people cruised by wondering who was the idiot that would bring such a woefully inadequate vehicle into the Mazatzal wilderness. Smooth one, Drelick!
I parked at the start, and by the time I got my act together for the run, I was nice & late – my Garmin shows me starting at 8:13. Well, any thought I had about trying to run with the leaders was a non-issue now! In a way, it was kind of freeing – although I wasn’t really looking to “race,” I doubt I would have been able to fight off the competitive urge to do so once the run started. By spotting the field 13 minutes, well, the game now was more a question of could I catch somebody so that I could be certain I was actually on the course.
This was no small matter. I had no map, did not hear any pre-race briefing, and was totally on my own. I figured at worst I would run up the road where I almost ran over the race pack initially, and see if I could figure out what to do from there.
Fortunately, Honey and Debbie had tied ribbons and had some flour markings at turns, so the course was easier to follow than I initially feared. Still, I was running along a fire road in the unfamiliar wilderness, utterly alone. It was pretty exhilarating, but also a little creepy to be honest. Since I wasn’t certain I was on the right track, and there wasn’t another soul in sight, I had a nagging suspicion I was going completely the wrong way. I watched carefully in hope that if that was true, I could at least find my way back!
Fortunately, the course provided a wonderful distraction. The start was down in a ravine, heading up a rugged fire road to a smoother dirt road. But the course was a steady incline for most of the first 6 or 7 miles. I’d estimate the peak altitude to be around 6000 feet, and it was downright chilly. However, as the ascent continued, the flora changed from windswept grasses, to scrubby trees, and finally, to majestic big pines. It’s rare I get to run among actual big trees in Arizona, so the course was proving to be a real treat as I got to the highest elevation. Further, much of the ascent was along the spine of some mountain ridges, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, and valleys and ravines below. This was truly Arizona trail running at its finest.
Also proving to be a treat was the relief I felt when I caught up with my first runner. Actually, it was two ladies that were walking the course, with healthy supplies of first aid. They were just thrilled to be out there, and after chatting for a few moments to make sure they were part of the run and I was going the right way, I was on my way.
I slowly began to catch up with other folks; given my late start, I was taking it relatively easy for me, alternating running with some walking on the steeper inclines. If I had been running with the pack, I would have been tempted to run the full incline, which probably would have been a mistake given my recent runs, and my need to start tapering for the New York Marathon on November 7th. So I was just having fun with my run. I ended up catching around 10 or so people on the ascent; the route then started a spectacular (and fast!) descent through the forest to an aid station around mile 10.
The run brochure had said the aid station would only have water, but Honey and a couple friends were there with Coke, Gatorade, and even some snacks. Not bad for a fun run that asked for nothing more than an optional $10 donation! Honey joked with me about being another “rogue” runner, since I had not checked in at the start – I promised her that if I did get eaten by a bear over the last 8 miles, she should help herself to my signed waiver form that was sitting on my car dashboard!
After the aid station, we jumped on the Arizona trail. After miles of relatively smooth forest service roads, this was a shock. The trail started out rugged, then got a lot worse. Early on I ran with a couple of other guys, spotting a snake (non-rattler variety) along the way. I pushed ahead of them on the merely rugged part, but soon the trail deteriorated into a bushwhacking, route-finding exercise. The ground was so rocky, I found my self walking some parts to avoid snapping an ankle or otherwise brutalizing myself. I generally tend to be pretty wimpy on these kind of technical sections, and the two guys I had left far behind caught me and then quickly blew my doors off. I continued to stagger through the area like the town drunk, swatting the endless spiky vegetation that would eventually leave me looking like I had been doing battle with 1,000 feral cats. A couple more people I had passed miles prior caught me along the way. When I finally emerged from this section, tattered and bruised, I felt like a beaten man. The treachery was over after about 4.5 long, slow miles.
The section stayed difficult for a while, as it followed a dry wash that was littered with boulders, requiring more boulder hopping than actual running. Again, not really my forte. Finally, the trail emerged onto another fire road, and after a mile or so of gathering myself, I regrouped into my quicker, fire road pace. If ankle-snapping trails are my kryptonite, smooth roads & trails are my salvation. Once the road smoothed out, I was quickly on my way, leaving a couple of pursuers behind.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the fire road I was on was the end of the loop that was leading back to the starting line. I was watching my Garmin for mileage, and knew that I was coming up on 18 before too long, so I kicked it in on the smooth road for a brisk finish. I could see a few runners in front of me, and thought I might catch them before I hit 18 miles, but as it turned out, we rounded a bend and there was the finish line! My Garmin, which for whatever reason always seems to clock every course a little short, had the course as 17.2 miles. My “official” finish time was 3:32, 20th of 33 runners. However, my “chip” time (time on my Garmin, accounting for the 13 minutes that I spotted the field) was 3:19, which would have been 12th. Most importantly, the run was fun and I finished happy and healthy, except for the significant blood loss I (and everyone) enjoyed from the 10,000 scratches earned on the Arizona Trail section. Jamil Coury and Laura Encinas were the respective 1st finishers for men and women. Run results available at the following link: http://www.arizonaroadracers.com/Results/trail-runs/mazatzals2010.htm.
At the finish I was able to catch up with several local runners, most of whom I had not seen since the spring races in Arizona. Jon Roig, Jamil Coury and I shared our Western States experiences from the summer. Dave Binder talked about his usual busy race calendar. I told Paulette Zillmer how I had recently discovered and enjoyed her blog. And it was great to talk with Nick & Jamil about their Aravaipa Running Company, which will be bringing 6 awesome trail races to the valley this winter, including a 50K distance at each race. Finally, a true Arizona trail racing season!
After the race Honey shared a pretty funny story – she directed this race a few years ago, and one year they got a few miles into the race and came across a bunch of cops or federal agents out in the middle of nowhere. They were on some manhunt for illegal alien drug smugglers that were believed to be in the area. Honey was told there was no way 40 runners were going to be safe running through that area, considering it was crawling with feds with drawn guns. Not surprising, that year ended up being an “out-n’-back,” rather than the usual loop course. Further, sounds like that is not a rare occurrence; apparently the area is a popular drug smuggling travel route. Which doubly creeped me out as I considered running the first few miles alone & having no certainty I knew where I was going. Sheesh!
So I’ll be scratching that plan to have a couple of quiet training runs up in the Mazatzal’s during the heat of summer next year. But I’ll definitely be back for the event with 40 other like-minded runners next year – the run provided the perfect combination of scenery, camaraderie, and challenge. Great job by Honey & Debbie on this fantastic, low-key event!
The run, which is about 18 miles in the Mazatzal mountains (about 25 mi or so north of Fountain Hills up the Beeline Highway), promised cooler temps at the altitude of around 3500 feet, which was a relief after an unusually hot start to October. As I left for the run in the morning, I left plenty of time for the drive up in advance of the 8am start, even stopping for a bite along the way. This proved a bad idea, as it turned out to be a little further than I had planned. Worse, the last 5 miles or so were along a dirt road that slowly deteriorated from decent to washboard, to “wish I had an SUV instead of this 2 seat convertible with 3 inches of clearance – hey, was that my oil pan?”
My leisurely early departure became an exercise in stress over whether I would make the 8am start. Alas, I would not, and had the double shame of actually driving down the race route through the pack of starting runners as they ran up the road from the start. I pulled to the side and hung my head in shame, as the 35 or so people cruised by wondering who was the idiot that would bring such a woefully inadequate vehicle into the Mazatzal wilderness. Smooth one, Drelick!
I parked at the start, and by the time I got my act together for the run, I was nice & late – my Garmin shows me starting at 8:13. Well, any thought I had about trying to run with the leaders was a non-issue now! In a way, it was kind of freeing – although I wasn’t really looking to “race,” I doubt I would have been able to fight off the competitive urge to do so once the run started. By spotting the field 13 minutes, well, the game now was more a question of could I catch somebody so that I could be certain I was actually on the course.
This was no small matter. I had no map, did not hear any pre-race briefing, and was totally on my own. I figured at worst I would run up the road where I almost ran over the race pack initially, and see if I could figure out what to do from there.
Fortunately, Honey and Debbie had tied ribbons and had some flour markings at turns, so the course was easier to follow than I initially feared. Still, I was running along a fire road in the unfamiliar wilderness, utterly alone. It was pretty exhilarating, but also a little creepy to be honest. Since I wasn’t certain I was on the right track, and there wasn’t another soul in sight, I had a nagging suspicion I was going completely the wrong way. I watched carefully in hope that if that was true, I could at least find my way back!
Fortunately, the course provided a wonderful distraction. The start was down in a ravine, heading up a rugged fire road to a smoother dirt road. But the course was a steady incline for most of the first 6 or 7 miles. I’d estimate the peak altitude to be around 6000 feet, and it was downright chilly. However, as the ascent continued, the flora changed from windswept grasses, to scrubby trees, and finally, to majestic big pines. It’s rare I get to run among actual big trees in Arizona, so the course was proving to be a real treat as I got to the highest elevation. Further, much of the ascent was along the spine of some mountain ridges, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, and valleys and ravines below. This was truly Arizona trail running at its finest.
Also proving to be a treat was the relief I felt when I caught up with my first runner. Actually, it was two ladies that were walking the course, with healthy supplies of first aid. They were just thrilled to be out there, and after chatting for a few moments to make sure they were part of the run and I was going the right way, I was on my way.
I slowly began to catch up with other folks; given my late start, I was taking it relatively easy for me, alternating running with some walking on the steeper inclines. If I had been running with the pack, I would have been tempted to run the full incline, which probably would have been a mistake given my recent runs, and my need to start tapering for the New York Marathon on November 7th. So I was just having fun with my run. I ended up catching around 10 or so people on the ascent; the route then started a spectacular (and fast!) descent through the forest to an aid station around mile 10.
The run brochure had said the aid station would only have water, but Honey and a couple friends were there with Coke, Gatorade, and even some snacks. Not bad for a fun run that asked for nothing more than an optional $10 donation! Honey joked with me about being another “rogue” runner, since I had not checked in at the start – I promised her that if I did get eaten by a bear over the last 8 miles, she should help herself to my signed waiver form that was sitting on my car dashboard!
After the aid station, we jumped on the Arizona trail. After miles of relatively smooth forest service roads, this was a shock. The trail started out rugged, then got a lot worse. Early on I ran with a couple of other guys, spotting a snake (non-rattler variety) along the way. I pushed ahead of them on the merely rugged part, but soon the trail deteriorated into a bushwhacking, route-finding exercise. The ground was so rocky, I found my self walking some parts to avoid snapping an ankle or otherwise brutalizing myself. I generally tend to be pretty wimpy on these kind of technical sections, and the two guys I had left far behind caught me and then quickly blew my doors off. I continued to stagger through the area like the town drunk, swatting the endless spiky vegetation that would eventually leave me looking like I had been doing battle with 1,000 feral cats. A couple more people I had passed miles prior caught me along the way. When I finally emerged from this section, tattered and bruised, I felt like a beaten man. The treachery was over after about 4.5 long, slow miles.
The section stayed difficult for a while, as it followed a dry wash that was littered with boulders, requiring more boulder hopping than actual running. Again, not really my forte. Finally, the trail emerged onto another fire road, and after a mile or so of gathering myself, I regrouped into my quicker, fire road pace. If ankle-snapping trails are my kryptonite, smooth roads & trails are my salvation. Once the road smoothed out, I was quickly on my way, leaving a couple of pursuers behind.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the fire road I was on was the end of the loop that was leading back to the starting line. I was watching my Garmin for mileage, and knew that I was coming up on 18 before too long, so I kicked it in on the smooth road for a brisk finish. I could see a few runners in front of me, and thought I might catch them before I hit 18 miles, but as it turned out, we rounded a bend and there was the finish line! My Garmin, which for whatever reason always seems to clock every course a little short, had the course as 17.2 miles. My “official” finish time was 3:32, 20th of 33 runners. However, my “chip” time (time on my Garmin, accounting for the 13 minutes that I spotted the field) was 3:19, which would have been 12th. Most importantly, the run was fun and I finished happy and healthy, except for the significant blood loss I (and everyone) enjoyed from the 10,000 scratches earned on the Arizona Trail section. Jamil Coury and Laura Encinas were the respective 1st finishers for men and women. Run results available at the following link: http://www.arizonaroadracers.com/Results/trail-runs/mazatzals2010.htm.
At the finish I was able to catch up with several local runners, most of whom I had not seen since the spring races in Arizona. Jon Roig, Jamil Coury and I shared our Western States experiences from the summer. Dave Binder talked about his usual busy race calendar. I told Paulette Zillmer how I had recently discovered and enjoyed her blog. And it was great to talk with Nick & Jamil about their Aravaipa Running Company, which will be bringing 6 awesome trail races to the valley this winter, including a 50K distance at each race. Finally, a true Arizona trail racing season!
After the race Honey shared a pretty funny story – she directed this race a few years ago, and one year they got a few miles into the race and came across a bunch of cops or federal agents out in the middle of nowhere. They were on some manhunt for illegal alien drug smugglers that were believed to be in the area. Honey was told there was no way 40 runners were going to be safe running through that area, considering it was crawling with feds with drawn guns. Not surprising, that year ended up being an “out-n’-back,” rather than the usual loop course. Further, sounds like that is not a rare occurrence; apparently the area is a popular drug smuggling travel route. Which doubly creeped me out as I considered running the first few miles alone & having no certainty I knew where I was going. Sheesh!
So I’ll be scratching that plan to have a couple of quiet training runs up in the Mazatzal’s during the heat of summer next year. But I’ll definitely be back for the event with 40 other like-minded runners next year – the run provided the perfect combination of scenery, camaraderie, and challenge. Great job by Honey & Debbie on this fantastic, low-key event!
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