Racing the Arizona Trail

Site is no longer active -- archive only.

Visit http://aztrail.home.blog/ for the current site.

Racing the Arizona Trail

Website no longer active

Please consider this website out of date. New website for the AZTR: http://aztrail.home.blog/

Suggested Start Date: Thursday, April 5th, 2018
Choose your poison: 300 miles / 750 miles
300 Start: 8:00am Parker Canyon Lake
750 Start: 7:00am Mexican Border
Rider limit: 74 people, combined, in both events
No entry fee, no prizes, absolutely no support

The Arizona Trail Race is an unofficial challenge that takes place every spring on the cross state Arizona Trail. Two distances are available. The Arizona Trail 300 is a 300 mile event that has been held every April since 2006. The Arizona Trail Race is the complete traversal (Mexico->Utah over 750+ miles) and was offered for the first time in 2010. Both events are run concurrently, starting on the same day, but in different locations and at different times.

This is not an organized or sanctioned event in any way. It's simply a group of friends out to ride their bikes on the same route at the same time. We'll probably compare times afterwards, but more importantly, we'll compare experiences -- the highs and lows the trail and mountains offered us.

All we provide is a route, a suggested start time(*) and tabulation of results. Period. There is no race organization, no checkpoints, no support system, nothing. You are completely on your own, just as you would be if you chose to ride the Arizona Trail, or any other trail, on any other day.

(*) Anyone is welcome to ride the route at any time. We provide a suggested start date if you want others to ride with/against. ITTs (individual time trials) are encouraged and will be ranked with that year's results.

If you want to be included in the "results" you need to follow the rules of self-supported travel set on the rules page. This means things like support crews and water caches are not allowed. This is done in order to ensure a level playing field.

SPOT Tracking

Each year the race is tracked by trackleaders.com, providing a live map, elevation profile and other stats that can be used to follow along. Carrying a SPOT and being tracked by trackleaders is not mandatory but encouraged. Tracking signup link will be available one month before race start, linked here.


Support the Trail

There is no entry fee, and no registration, but all racers are strongly encouraged to join the Arizona Trail Association. Please help support the organization that has worked so hard to construct, maintain and promote this amazing trail across the state.

Membership is only $35. To join, go here:

http://www.aztrail.org/membership/join.html

Contact

Scott Morris - smorris@topofusion.com

First, please consider posting your questions to bikepacking.net's Ultra Forum. There is a yearly forum thread there with common questions asked and answered. There's a helpful community of AZT riders that can help, and that way your questions (and answers) can help others with the same questions. Also Scott will post updates and last minute info there in the weeks leading up to the start.