Arizona has the most distinctive ultrarunning culture in America. Desert single-track, saguaro silhouettes, mild winter racing weather, and Aravaipa Running's calendar of well-organized races. Below: the Arizona races that matter.
The 200-miler
Cocodona 250
250 miles from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff. America's marquee 200-miler. Read the Cocodona briefing →
The 100Ks
Black Canyon Ultras (60K + 100K)
The Western States Golden Ticket race in Arizona. February. Read the Black Canyon briefing →
The 100-milers and longer
Mogollon Monster 100
100 miles on the Mogollon Rim above Pine, AZ. ~21,000 ft vert. October. Notoriously technical sections and long climbs. Local cult favorite.
Javelina Jundred
100 miles in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve outside Phoenix. ~6,500 ft vert. Late October. Halloween-themed race where many runners dress up for at least the first 30 miles. Considered the friendliest 100-miler on the calendar.
The 50-milers + 50Ks
McDowell Mountain Frenzy
50 mile / 50K / 25K + lower distances. November. Mild desert weather, runnable course. Aravaipa-organized.
Across the Years
Multi-day timed event (24-hour, 48-hour, 72-hour, 6-day). Held in Glendale during the New Year's holiday. Iconic for distance-PR attempts.
Black Canyon 60K
The shorter sister race of the Black Canyon 100K. February. Same desert course, half the distance.
Whiskey Basin 88K
88K in Prescott, AZ. April. Underrated Aravaipa race; less competitive than Black Canyon, beautiful course.
The Arizona desert running argument
Arizona's ultra scene is built around two things desert running has that mountain running doesn't: November-through-March racing weather (most of America freezes), and the most photogenic backdrop in the sport. Saguaro silhouettes, red rock, big skies. The races also tend to be more affordable than California or Colorado equivalents.
Where to train
- Phoenix / Scottsdale: McDowell Sonoran Preserve, South Mountain. Runnable single-track at low elevation. Hot in summer; perfect October-April.
- Flagstaff: 7,000 ft altitude training base with mountain access. Many pros base out of Flag.
- Tucson / Catalinas: Mt. Lemmon and the Catalina Highway. Ride or run from desert to alpine in 30 miles.
What these sessions assume you are measuring with
Every pace, zone and power figure here needs something recording it. These three cover running, long days and the bike.
Garmin Forerunner 965 AMOLED multisport with the training-load and threshold metrics most of these sessions assume you can see day to day.
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COROS APEX 2 Series GPS Watch Sapphire titanium and the longest battery in its class, which is the deciding feature once a day out runs past a few hours.
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Favero Assioma Uno Power Meter Pedal Single-sided pedal power, the cheapest honest entry into training with watts rather than estimating from heart rate.
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