2016-2017

MT. WRIGHTSON ASCENT - 9/11/16 - 5.2 mi

What a beautiful morning we had at Wrightson Sunday! My plan totally worked. Tell everyone the weather's gonna suck so that the sun will come out. You're welcome :)

From what I gathered, the highlights of the run were the amazing wildflowers and the amount of cool water flowing around and out of the mountain. Just to add to that, highlights for me were getting to see all of your happy faces and playing with Daisy and Kaiser. Thank you Aaryn and Brian for bringing your pups!

I also definitely want to send a big thanks to John Mollenhour and Chris Avery for working so hard to clear trees off Old Baldy the weekend before. You guys rock!!

If you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them. Thanks for making my first RD experience super great! Hope you all had a fun time! And I hope you got dirty enough :)

Rick Mick (32) 1.14.25

Daisy (1 - dog) 1.14.25

Mike Duer (46) 1.16.55

Aaryn Olsson (40) 1.24.32

Corey Keppel 1.29.10

Christine Ferraris 1.35

Joshua Blais (40) 1.36

Brian Edgar (32) 1.37

Mike Wilke (52) 1.37

Dallas Stevens (55) 1.40

Ray Henson (58) 1.41

Brian Janezic (30) 1.41

Jerome Hesse (45) 1.41.18

Fernando Bustamante (50) 1.42

Robert Harris (43) 1.42.50

Raoul Erickson (48) 1.44

Chad Dailey (31) 1.47

Steve Hughes (61) 1.49.42

Mike Walker 1.50

Tammy Kovaluk (42) 1.53

Michelle Ziegler (36) 1.53

Renee Stevens (49) 1.53

Molly Brown (50) 1.53

Patrick Muldowney 1.54

Laura Marshall (32) 1.54.59

Ramon Ortiz (32) 1.55

Marcus Richter (37) 1.59

Merry Dearmon (62) 2.00.23

Rachel Hilgeford (53) 2.11

Linda Whelan (55) 4.75mi up in 1.54

Ron Duncan (29) ran a loop to saddle and down super, didn't summit

Valentine Ferraris (75) went on an awesome hike

SABINO BASIN - 9/18/16 - 13.7 mi

It was another gorgeous morning at Sabino Canyon and we had a great turnout for this early run with 32 runners. It was good to see some first timers and of course many familiar faces as well. Thanks to Joel O'Bryan for helping co-RD & bring out some goodies for all to enjoy. Thanks also to Mike Duer & Kristi for getting many of the supplies organized ahead of time for us before they headed up to crew/pace Ronni to a first place female victory at Mogollon Monster & new course record. Congrats to Ronni on that great 100 mile debut. Hopefully this is a trend for RDs that they win an event shortly thereafter :)

There were a variety of routes chosen by the participants today, although the full Sabino Basin course was the most popular single route. No reports of any critter sightings today. The trail itself was reportedly in pretty good shape up to the switchbacks but a bit overgrown out to the Basin. That didn't stop Sion from setting a new PR for himself and coming within about 5 minutes of the course record.

If you see any substantial mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them.

Full Sabino Basin (Phoneline both ways) - 13.7 miles:

Sion Lupowitz (36) 1.54.46

Rick Mick (32) 2.00.36

Corey Keppel (31) 2.11

Benito Gonzalez (60) 2:16

Charlie Ware 2:32

Collin O'Bryant (31) 2:32

John Mollenhour (60) 2:34

Russell Higgins (31) 2:49

Morey Brown (52) 2:50

Fernando Bustamante (50) 2:50

Raoul Erickson (48) 2:55

Tom Gormley (46) 2:57

Angela Greynolds (32) 2:58

Robert Harris (43) 3:01

Jenny Flynn (47) 3:18

Steve Hughes (61) 3:22

Adam McKelvy (34) 3:37 Blackett's plus Basin - 16.8 miles

Ryan Niccum 3:55 Blackett's plus Basin - 16.8 miles

Kaitlin Kratter (32) 3:31 Blackett's plus Basin, down tram - 16.4 miles

Catlow Shipek (38) 2:21 Basin, down Phoneline to lower switchbacks to tram (and a swim) - 14.5 miles

Dave Hicks (46) 2:51 Basin, down tram - 13.3 miles

Brandon Ball 3:13 Phoneline out and back - 12 miles

Dan Garcia (38) 3:13 Phoneline out and back - 12 miles

Rose McCool 3:13 Phoneline out and back - 11.5 miles

Ethan Hansen (32) 1:40 Phoneline out and back - 9.7 miles

Ott Wischki 1:40 Phoneline out and back - 9.5 miles

Laura Marshall (32) 2:01 Phoneline, down tram - 9 miles

Daniel Harris 2:15 Phoneline, down tram - 9 miles

Andrew Harris 2:15 Phoneline, down tram - 9 miles

Cathy Pearce (54) 2:15 Phoneline, down tram - 9 miles

Lisa Shipek (37) 2:21 9 miles plus two swims

Geoff Schmidt (45) 1:47 Phoneline out and back - 8 miles

MT. HOPKINS ASCENT (AND DESCENT) - 10/2/16 - 23.6 mi

With 17 runners, 2 bikers and a few new faces, we had a great turnout yesterday for the Mt. Hopkins run. A bit of a surprise: there were some early morning clouds and even a chilly rain shower, but warmer temps eventually prevailed. Wildlife sightings include a baby tarantula, a "big and nasty javelina," and grasshoppers galore. It was a good day to be outdoors. Thanks to all who came out!

Full Round Trip to Top (23.6 miles):

Catlow Shipek 3:24

Mike Duer (47) 3:27:37

Corey Keppel (31) 3:40:11

Adam McKelvy (34) 4:03

Billy Oliver (52) 4:11:36

Fernando Bustamente (51) 4:11:36

Ryan Niccum (41) 4:16

Dallas Stevens (55) 4:22

Tim Stackhouse (34) 4:37

Renee Stevens (48) 4:44

Robert Harris (43) 4:52

Michael Salomon (52) 5:03

Yvonne Overson (40) 5:11

Holly Justice (37) 5:11

Erica Hurt (39) 5:11

To Top & Back to Gate (16 miles):

Cathy Pearce (54) 3:05

To Gate & Back Down (16 miles):

Abraham Moreno (27) 3:37

FLORIDA-MADERA-WRIGHTSON DOUBLE - 10/9/16 - CANCELLED

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I must inform everyone that due to a bear acting like a bear in the Madera Canyon area, the trails there are closed and thus the prudent thing for us to do is CANCEL thus Sunday's Florida-Madera-Florida Wrightson Double.

We are looking into rescheduling the run some time in the spring; stay tuned!

Sorry!

GREEN BUG - 10/16/16 - 18.8 mi

We had 17 runners start this year's Green bug run with 10 of them intending on doing the full rout.. Of the 10, 8 made the round trip, the 9th would have but he dropped at Hitchcock in order to help with the locating of his friend who is the 10th and at that point was unaccounted for.. This started a series of conversations about how to best proceed. So we placed people at the two road crossings and waited.. Shortly after the last two finishers finished our long lost soul popped up at Hitchcock were his friend was waiting and he was transported to the finish. Alls well that ends well...

Of note is the run that Rick Mick put in, barely missing the overall record by 4 minutes (+ or -).. It would have been interesting to see what Rick might have done if he had know he was that close. There is always next year.. With the cool start and nice breeze throughout the day, several others set personal bests on the course as well.

Full route 18.8

Rick Mick 3:24

Corey Keppel 3:53

Stephen Woodall 4:28

Dallas Stevens 4:44

Renee Stevens 5:02

Stacey Cochran 5:10

Yvonne Overson 6:02

Erica Hurt 6:02

Marcus Richter pulled at Hitchcock

Travis Spalding was recovered at Hitchcock

Joe Plassman 3:08 - Hitchcock plus - 11.2 miles

Hitchcock 9.7

Angela Greynolds 2:36

Christy Hall 2:47

Dave Hall 2:47

Laura Marshall 3:20

Gene Joseph 3:23

BEAR CANYON LOOP - 10/23/16 - 16.8 mi

We had a great turnout this last Sunday with 25 plus folks, including lots of new faces, coming out to enjoy this Season’s fall Bear Canyon Loop run. The effect of the monsoons was apparent with lots of runners high stepping through overgrown portions of trail largely on the backside of the loop. Despite the grassy conditions there were some pretty fast times, with Charlie Ware topping the list with an impressive 2:09 BCL (my theory is he ran on top of the grass instead of through it like everyone else). Anyways, aside from the unseasonably warm temps and the numerous scratches courtesy of some disagreeable shrubbery on the trail, it was a good day for a run. See times below (please let me know if any corrections need to be made and I apologize in advance for potentially butchering anyone's name, spilled coffee made spelling of some last names somewhat of a guess...).

Charlie Ware 2:09

Mike Duer 2:42

Rick Mick 2:34

Corey Keppel 2:44

John Mollenhour 2:57

William Mickle 3:09

Anne Neuenschwander 3:10

Kaitlin Kratter 3:21

Brian Janezic 3:25

Russell Higgens 3:30

Mike Walker 3:32

Tammy Kovaluk 3:35

Robert Harris 3:35

Larissa Lee 3:37

Marcus Richter 3:39

Ray Henson 3:42

Alfonso Albason 3:44

Josh Blais 3:45

Roger Hernandez 3:45

Mike Salomu 4:15

Bruce Johnson ?

Chris Avery ?

Art Ramon 1 hourish run

Sean Baird Seven Falls (8.5 miles) 1:27

Laura Marshall Seven Falls (8 miles) 2:07

Ramon Garcia 1 hourish hike

Max Niccum (age 1 yr) walked in circles, ate 50% of body weight in bananas & chips (impressive)

Ryan Niccum chased Max in circles, ate 0.5% of body weight in chips (impressive)

MT. LEMMON ASCENT - 11/20/16 - 18.6 mi

Here are the results from this past Sunday's Mt Lemmon Ascent. It was a great turn out and overall a much earlier finish than previous years; all were accounted for by 1:00pm! This included a detour and a swim in Hutches Pool for a few daring souls.

A huge thanks to Matt Tucker who volunteered to drive and took down the first group. I'm not sure how many people you squeezed in your van Matt but I bet it smelled really nice. ;-)

I know not all of you care about your times but for those that do here they are in no particular order.

From Sabino Canyon to the Top:

Catlow Shipek 4:01

Charlie Ware 4:01

Doug Loveday 4:10

Mike Duer 4:12

Aaryn Olsson 4:18

Corey Keppel 4:40

Victor Del Rosso 4:45

Adam McKelvy 5:17

Russell Higgins 5:20

Dallas Stevens 5:34

Jeff Turman 5:38

Stacey Cochran 5:38

Renee Stevens 5:58

Robert Harris 6:04

Jenny Flynn 6:18

Alfonso Albason 6:43

Dave Hall 6:53

Christy Hall 6:53

Fernando Bustamante 6:58

Kathryn Nealy 7:10

Variations of an Out and Back:

"Art" Ramon Garcia

Ronni Rudolph

Morey Brown

Matt Tucker (top to WOR for 7.9 miles) 2:10

REDINGTON 50K - 11/27/16 - 31 mi

Redington 50K lends itself to creative route variations, but this year Ronni Rudolphi and Brian Edgar went over the top. Literally. They started at Prison Camp/Gordon Hirabayashi Campground, used the aid station at Italian Springs Trailhead, then went over Mica Mountain to the Gabe Z Trailhead, where they had stashed a car.

This year was a bit cooler, but sunny. We had an excellent turnout, with an array of variations shorter than the standard 50K. We got people going, then headed toward the aid station. I got to haul Angela Greynolds out to the aid so she could run back to Prison Camp, so we plotted about TTR website design, since she’s taken that on for us. Pete Chagaris was his usual cheery self managing the aid, ably assisted by Gabe (age 5) and Sebastian (10 months). Sebastian taught me the toy drop game while Pete took my fat bike for a spin or two. While I was out on my bike on the Italian Springs Trail, I managed to miss Doug Kelly, who did an out and back to the aid from Molino Basin. And I dropped an iPhone that Mike Duer retrieved and took to Pete for me.

Back at Prison Camp, various adventures where unfolding. People who went out and back before I returned did a great job of recording their times and distances on the results sheet under Mike Duer’s vehicle’s windshield wiper. Matt Tucker turned an ankle and had to cut his run very short. Rogelio and Alberto Hernandez did a prodigal father/son thing when Alberto got off the Arizona Trail, found his way back, then had to wait for his dad who was scouring the upland for his son. I found a shivering Alberto and got him warmed before Rogelio came in, tired but relieved Alberto was there. Mike Duer was the first person doing the full 50K to appear, managing to pass the people who turned at the aid station and “only” did a hard trail marathon, despite having to do some walking in the last few miles. Joel O’Bryan turned up with his dog Cassie, having hiked from further down. A pile of emergency vehicles and first responders showed up to retrieve the climber with a broken ankle.

Here’s Ronni’s thumbnail report of their adventure--

“We ended up traveling 56.5 miles and managed to complete all of passages 10, 9, and 8 (prison camp to Gabe Z). The ice-cold wind on top of Mica, the thorns, and the rocky, pounding descent made it rough, but that's what the AZT's all about. That's why we love it, right? :)

And the views on both sides of Mica are SPECTACULAR!!! Worth every bit!

Big thanks to Ross, Pete, and TTR for being out there and for supporting adventures!”

Thanks to everyone for a good day on the trail.

Ross Z

Redington 50K, Nov. 27, 2016

All times and most distances tracked by the runners

Extended Redington

Veronica Rudolphi 56.5 miles, ~ 14:30 (a few side trips added some distance)

Brian Edgar 56.5 mi., ~ 14:30 “

50K

Mike Duer 6:13:58

Russell Higgins 7:02

Stacey Cochran 7:10:25

Renee Stevens 7:11:24 (new PR)

Marathon (to aid and back)

Dallas Stevens 6:52

Jenny Flynn 7:00

One way, 13.1 miles

Tonja Chagaris Out to aid, ~ 3:00

Bruce Johnson Back, 2:59

Angela Greynolds Back, 3:14

Odd distances

Rogelio Hernandez 24.21 miles, 5:51

Doug Kelly 21.5 mi., 6:03 (out and back from Molino Basin)

Stephen Woodall 22.7 mi., 4:25

Alberto Hernandez 21.25 mi., 3:11

Benito Gonzalez 17 mi., 3:17

Ray Henson 17 mi., 3:29

Leslie Thompson 12 mi., 3:21

Christine Lara 12 mi., 3:21

Josh Blais 10 mi., unknown time

Laura Marshall 10 mi., 3:11:10 (to water tank and back)

Ramon (Art) Garcia 5.5 mi., 1:19

Matt Tucker ~ 2 mi., 1:20 (rolled ankle, walked back)

Brian took this, just before headlamps—

COWHEAD SADDLE - 12/4/16 - 18 mi

Michelle and Steve would like to thank the 36 hearty souls who joined us this morning at the far east end of Speedway Blvd on a very chilly morning that turned into a delightful day.

Many folks came back a bit bloodied from small spills or overgrowth on the trail, but much fun was had by all.

Here are the results. These times are based on the time that you departed the trailhead and the time that you returned to the trailhead:

Cowhead Saddle ( ~18 miles):

Corey Keppel 3:24

Tim Stackhouse 3:30

Charlie Ware 3:30 (did about an extra mile or so re-summitting with Doug)

Catlow Shipek 3:30 (did about an extra mile or so re-summitting with Doug)

Doug Loveday 3:30

Anne Neuenschwander 3:32

Adam McKelvy 3:43

William Meikle 3:46

Morey Brown 3:50

Billy Oliver 3:55

Kaitlin Kratter 3:57

Stacey Cochran 3:58

Weike de Boer 4:20

Melissa Newbrey 4:23

Robert Harris 4:31

Chad Dailey 4:35

Ben Markwart 4:36

Ben Weiner 4:36

Jenny Flynn 4:39

Brian Stark 5:06

Doug Kelly 5:19 (power hiked the entire way!)

Steve Sheldon 5:40

Douglas Springs + (a total of 13.85 miles on his Garmin)

Rogelio Hernandez 2:41

Douglas Springs (~13 miles)

Ramon Billy 2:02

Benito Gonzalez 2:21

Bruce Johnson 2:44

John Mollenhour 2:47

Tammy Kovaluk 2:52

Michelle Ziesle 2:52

Angela Greynolds 3:04

Tricia Aldridge 3:27

Alfonso Albason 3:33

Laura Marshall 3:38

Unknown distance short of Douglas Springs

Keith Kunz 1:51

Amit Benjamin 1:51

LOMA ALTA - 12/18/16 - 22 mi

12 people ran on Sunday 12/18/16. I slept in, but most runners somehow managed not to die. Weather was cool and the bushes were out for blood. Happy Solstice. Happy Gregorian New Year. Let's hope it's a good one.

Cowhead Saddle - 21.7 miles

Mike Duer 3:59:38

Adam McKelvy 4:35:35

Grass Shack - 20.2 miles

Ronni Rudolphi 3:40:00

Billy Oliver 4:29:54

Kaitlin Kratter 4:29:54

Mike Walker 5:29:55

Miscellaneous

Corey Keppel 4:17:59 - Grass Shack & beyond (24 miles)

Chad Dailey 3:47:16 - Nature (16 miles)

Russell Higgins 2:59:51 - Manning Camp intersection (14.4 miles)

Morey Brown 3:00:00 - Quilter (12 miles)

Ryan Niccum 2:11:00 - Quilter (10.5 miles)

Jennifer Strunk 1:55:00 - Quilter (10.1 miles)

CHRISTMAS EVE HONEYBEE CANYON MARATHON - 12/24/16 - 26.2 mi

Thirty three runners came out for the first ever TTR run at Honeybee Canyon, on State Trust Land north of Rancho Vistoso. Even though the trails are completely unmarked, and they were new to most people, we only had a couple people get lost, but they all made it back safely on their own. Thank you to those who drew huge arrows in the dirt at junctions. There were cow, bull, deer, and giant jackrabbit sightings. Catlow BQ'd while also stopping to write Merry XMas in a wash. The wind didn't blow anyone away, but it made the post-run hangout a bit uncomfortable. In total, twelve people were added to the ttrruntimes database because this was their first run with us. It was a great way to kick off the holiday weekend!

Marathon - Full Loop & Badlands - 26.2 miles

Catlow Shipek (38) 3:11

Pete McHugh (39) 4:09 - visiting from Utah

Jason Kyle (39) 4:36

Full Loop - 19.7 miles

Stephen Woodall (38) 2:45

Victor Del Rosso (32) 2:49

Corey Keppel (31) 3:21

Kaitlin Kratter (32) 3:22

Chad Dailey (32) 3:22

Lorey Pro (48) 3:26

Laura Marshall (32) 3:48

Renee Stevens (49) 3:48

Short Loop - 10.3 miles

Rebecca Shultze (38) 1:31

Mike Wilke (52) 1:36

Bruce Johnson (62) 1:42

Rogelio Hernandez (46) 1:42

Joshua Blais (41) 1:42

Steve Sheldon (51) 1:51

Jay Liggett (60) 1:52

Kristen Metzger (44) 1:53

Julie Stark (51) 1:53

Trevor Teeselink (44) 1:55

Ryan Miller (39) 1:55

Audra Miller (37) 1:55

Christy Holliger (43) 1:55

Kate Bindschadler (53) 1:57

Brian Bindschadler (52) 1:57

Melissa Newbrey (37) 2:12

Miscellaneous

Mike Duer (47) 1:29 - about 10 out and back

Wieke de Boer (37) 3:10 - 18.5 miles

Mary Croft (71) 3:23 - 14 miles

Steve Sanchez (46) 3:56 - 18 miles

Sam Aspacher (31) 4:42 - 22 miles

Jordan Wilson (29) No time recorded

WASSON PEAK - 1/1/17 - 14.2 mi.

Full Loop - 14.2 miles

Mike Duer 2:12

John Mollenhour 2:29

Heather Hoechst 2:37

Billy Oliver 2:52

Jason Kyle 2:52 - after doing this he headed back out to get in a total of 19.5 miles

Tammy Kovaluk 3:00

Robert Harris 3:00

Bruce Johnson 3:06

Brian Stark 3:08

Fernando Bustamante 3:15 - probably actually a bit faster but he ran all the way back to Kinney Rd.

Kamran Talattof 3:23

Other Distances

Ramon Garcia 0:54 - 3.3 miles

Rebecca Schultze 1:50 - 11ish miles

Lucas Tyler 2:04 - 13.3 miles

Stephen Woodall 2:14 - 12.4 miles

Diane Harper 2:14 - 9.15 miles

Martha Castillon 2:14 - 9.15 miles

Rogelio Hernandez 2:29 - 12.85 miles

Alberto Hernandez 2:36 - 16.8 miles - Ran the course all the way to Wasson but made turn on to Sendero on the return and finished on road

Joe Plassman 3:00 - 12.8 miles

Ray Henson 2:55 - 14.49 miles

Diane Manzini No time recorded

TORTOLITA MOUNTAIN LOOP - 1/8/17 - 14.3 mi.

A beautiful morning for a trail run for 10 adventurous souls.

Five did the whole route, with a bit more or less depending on which turns they made when, ranging from 14.6 to 15.1 miles.

Benedict Dugger 2:58 (after BCL plus Blackett's yesterday)

Mike Wilke 3:03

Ray Henson 3:17

Chris Fall 3:17

Kamran Talattof 3:31

Five did the Wild Mustang loop, about 9 miles:

Joe Plassman 1:59

Angela Greynolds 2:02

Ben Markwart 2:06 (also did BCL yesterday)

Steve Hughes 2:13

Steve Sheldon did 8.0 miles of that loop with a return through the resort in 2:16 and then headed out for a couple more miles on the road.

WINTER BEAR CANYON DOUBLE - 1/15/17 - 33.6 mi.

We had 15 people show up on a very wet, cold, cloudy ect morning for the BCL double, with two hearty souls going out for a second round of the freezing weather to complete their double BCLs. Aside from the somewhat miserable weather, the views were beautiful, with the clouds descending to maybe about 3500 – 4000 feet (at least that is what it appeared to be from the parking lot). Needless to say, Im pretty sure everyone running was grateful for the hot shower that followed their run this last Sunday, but see results below and thanks to Jane for RDing the first half of the run in the freezing rain while getting over a cold!

Double BCL - 33.6 miles

Charlie Ware 4:49 total (2:20 first, 2:29 second loop – New Double BCL record!)

Catlow Shipek 5:20 total (2:20 first, 3:00 second loop)

Single BCL - 16.8 miles

Ryan Niccum 3:07

John Mollenhour 3:14

Corey Keppel 3:14

Mike Wilke 3:23

Ott Wischki 3:25 (18 miles total, bonus miles)

Tammy Kovaluk 3:29

Bob Bachani 3:53

Michael Lich 4:00

Other Stuff

Ramon Garcia 5 mile out and back, ~ 1 hr

SOLDIER/LA MILAGROSA LOOP - 2/5/17 - 15.2 mi.

Below are the results from the 2017 Super Bowl Sunday TTR Soldier/La Milagrosa Loop. It was an outstanding day with Catlow (shipwreck) Shipek demolishing Chase Duarte's old course record of 2:26:48 set back in 2002. In second was Sion Lupowitz who also broke the old CR, very impressive one week out from his 50 mile victory at the Oracle Rumble. There were 22 starters and 22 finishers. All completed the entire loop. A good time was had by all, and no humans got lost on the route. Thanks to all who came out!

Let me know if you see any errors : )

Catlow Shipek 2:20:38

Sion Lupowitz 2:25:34

Aaryn Olsson 2:29:00

Rick Mick 2:36:00

Corey Keppel 2:38:00

John Mollenhour 2:46:30

Ryan Niccum 3:03:40

Lucas Tyler 3:10:30

Kaitlin Kratter 3:13:40

Stacey Cochran 3:13:45

Mike Wilke 3:16:00

Billy Oliver 3:17:40

Tammy Kovaluk 3:30:00

Angela Greynolds 3:34:00

Renee Stevens 3:41:25

Dallas Stevens 3:47:34

Laura Marshall 3:50:15

Raoul Erickson 4:06:00

5am Starters

Jenny Flynn 4:59:23

Geoff Schmidt 4:59:34

6am Starters

Ronni Rudolphi Full loop for fun

Brian Edgar Full loop for fun

TANQUE VERDE LOOP - 2/19/17 - 28.5 miles

The weather was looking ominous for this run, but some hardy souls came out anyway and got treated to some real winter weather higher up. There was talk about a 20 degree drop in temps, ice/snow flurries, wind, and 'ice grass' at the top, which cut up the legs of some of the runners. Most of the runners mentioned not being able to really use their hands for a while due to the cold; if the weather had been any worse, we might have had some trouble. Thankfully, TTRs are a tough bunch, and all came back safe.

Here is a video from the top by Corey Keppel:

https://www.facebook.com/Corey.Grylls/videos/10155198028468949/

We were joined by TTR first-timer Aaron Boothe, who added on a few extra miles to the normal route (maybe not on purpose, but he was in good spirits at the finish!) Aaron has quite a few ultras under his belt (including Mogollon Monster 100), so I am sure we'll be seeing him again.

Bill Sycalik just happened to be coming through town on his travels and decided to get in a 1/2 marathon run with us. Bill is running a marathon distance in all of the 59 National Parks in the US (see www.runningtheparks.com). This is about a marathon a week!

Bob Bachani twisted his ankle and limped back with quite a lump. He iced it, but with Old Pueblo right around the corner, we hope this RD heals up quickly. I attached a picture for your viewing enjoyment.

Thanks to Dallas for hosting the aid station at Javelina picnic area and bringing some runners back to DS TH. Also, thank you to all of the runners who I had the most amazing conversations with for over 4 hours. I love TTR!

Let me know if I missed anyone or got any times wrong. Thanks for letting me be of service!

Renee Stevens

The results:

MT. KIMBALL ASCENT - 2/26/17 - 12 miles

A record 13 runners took advantage of the historically good trail conditions and perfect weather to post some very fast times. Rick Mick set a huge CR at 2:53, beating Catlow's record of 3:10 from 2013. Mike Duer also came in under the old CR at 3:05, a PR by 36 minutes. Ryan Niccum also set a big PR, beating his prior best by 19 minutes.

But Pima Canyon wouldn't be Pima Canyon without it trying to kill a few runners. Like the first year, there was an icy edge to cross (though much smaller than 2013). Most runners scooted across on all fours without incident. At least 2 tried running across it and slipped and slid down the edge into a ravine (one of these falls was said to be caught on tape). And as usual, everybody got off trail to one degree or another at least once and added some time and distance to the route, particularly between Kimball and Pima Saddle, where the trail had not been worked. There was also the usual detours up to Pima Saddle--to date, nobody has attempted to go down the back side of it towards Catalina State Park, but that option received the usual amount of contemplation. For future reference, please don't do down the backside of Pima Saddle--you won't have a good time.

All 13 runners who showed up completed the entire route, with no injuries other than the usual damaged pride and scratches and scrapes.

Several first timers showed up as well, for a harsh introduction to TTR. But next time you do a TTR run and it's not Pima Canyon, just think about how much more fun that'll be.

And for anybody who's never done Pima Canyon but wanted to, I highly recommend you do it as soon as feasible. The trail to the saddle is in the best shape it's ever been, and there's no telling when the trail will be in as good shape as it is now. So if a rugged, long climb to either the saddle or Kimball fits into your training schedule, give it a go.

Full Route Kimball

Rick Mick 2:53 (!) 1:27

Mike Duer 3:05 1:29

Ryan Niccum 3:21 1:45

Jessie Lim 3:36 1:35

Ester Haranyi 3:45 1:45

Scott Morris 3:45 1:47

Ben Markwart 3:51 1:57

Mike Wilke 4:06 1:47

Sam Aspacher 4:23 1:47

Laura Marshall 4:47 2:09

ESPERERO CANYON LOOP - 3/12/17 - 21 miles

A total of 26 people showed up Sunday morning to brave the heat and fight the head high brush. No serious injuries were reported, just bloody scratches. There were also a few snake sightings. There was 18 people that did the whole thing and 8 that did variations. It was good to see a few new faces in the group. The full loop wasn't enough for a few people who added some miles to Romero Pass. Below are the results as I have them. If there are any corrections in times or spelling please let me know.

Full loop:

Catlow Shipek 3:33

Mike Duer 3:57:22

Jonathan King 4:11:04

Dan Reavis 4:15

Ben Markwart 4:28

Ryan Niccum 4:31

Mike Wilke 4:50

Ian Crombie 5:27:42

Stacey Cochran 5:48 returned on Phoneline

Laura Marshall 5:58:50

Fernando Bustamante 6:00 returned on Phoneline

Angela Greynolds 6:02

Stephen Woodall 6:02

Alfonso Albason 6:28 after doing OP 50 a week ago

Charles Hornbaker 6:30 got 25 miles doing Romero Pass

Tammy Kovaluk 6:33 got 25 miles doing Romero Pass

Michael Sulkowski 6:56 added an extra mile for good measure

Dallas Stevens 7:00 started very early, hiked the whole thing and returned on Phoneline

Christy Hall no time early start for full loop

Other distances:

Bruce Johnson 2:34 8.6 miles out and back

Ott Wischki 2:34 12 miles to Bridal Veil Falls

Doug Loveday 2:34 12 miles to Bridal Veil Falls

Dari Duval 2:47 12 miles to Bridal Veil Falls

Jennifer Aviles no time to Cardiac Ridge

Enrique Aviles no time to Cardiac Ridge

We are looking forward to next year. Hopefully we can get a cutting crew to take care of the downed trees and brush.

MICA MOUNTAIN MARATHON - 3/19/17 - 27 miles

It was a gorgeous day inside Saguaro National Park for the Mica Mountain Marathon, and other scenic destinations somewhere between Douglas Spring Trailhead and the high point of the Rincons. Lots of flowers in bloom, and abundant wildlife spotted by runners today, including snakes, Gila monsters, wild turkeys, deer and even a Sonoran mud turtle. Thanks to the 14 individuals that came out to brave the heat and challenge themselves on one of our area's most classic routes. Here's the lowdown...

Mica Mountain, 27 miles:

Mike Duer 5:19

Rick Mick 5:22

Corey Keppel 5:57

Ian Crombie 7:47

Stacey Cochran 8:00

Dallas Stevens 8:02

Renee Stevens 8:02

Robert Harris 8:49

Raoul Erickson 9:11

Alfonso Albason 9:35

Cowhead Saddle, 17 miles:

Tim Stackhouse 4:24

Kamran Talattof 5:18

Daniel Harris 6:36

Douglas Spring, 12 miles:

Andrew Harris 4:42

Overlook, 8.46 miles:

Jennifer Aviles 4:46

Enrique Aviles 4:46

KEYSTONE TRAVERSE - 3/26/17 - 15 miles

The Keystone run went really well today as 16 runners left and 16 came back! Great weather led to some really fast times considering the 3,000'+ of vertical gain. No significant critter encounters were reported unless you believe Billy Oliver's albino quail story(pretty cool actually). Other than the normal missed turns that happen out on the trails(RD's fault for not marking the course correctly)the bonus miles were kept to a minimum. Glad to have hosted the run on such a great day!

Full 15 mile loop:

Sion Lupowitz 2:09.26

Rick Mick 2:18

Mike Duer 2:21.10

Dari Duval 2:36

Ryan Niccum 2:52

Mike Disbrow 3:03

Doug Friman 3:03

Scott M 3:04

Jerome H 3:04

Renee Stevens 3:21

Alfonso Albason 3:56

Bonus miles 16.8:

Kent W 2:36

Billy Oliver 3:13.42

Fernando Bustamante 3:13.42

Raoul Erickson 3:30

10.8 mile option:

Faith M 2:33.44

BOX CAMP/BIGELOW/PALISADES - 4/9/17 - 30 miles

We had 17 runners show up for some version of this run. There was some confusion to the overall distance. We had previously said it was around 30 miles but Strava had it at 28.5 . When it was all said & done the mileage is right around 30.35 . Next years official run will include running out & back on Phoneline rather than the tram road bringing the total mileage to 31.6 . Thank you Ronni for taking this route this year getting us a handle on the distance total. So without any further ado here are the results. Let me know if I made any mistakes in the results.

Full Route (Box Camp-Bigelow-Palisades):

Dari Duval 6:21 * ran a little extra (31)*

Rick Mick 6:22

Ronni Rudolphi 6:31 * ran Phoneline instead of the Tram Rd (31.6) next year's C.R. !*

Corey Keppel 6:32

Kent Warlick 6:46 * climbed Bigelow from Palisades ? *

Ben Markwart 6:48

Ryan Niccum 6:50 * stopped for a swim *

Renee Stevens 7:56

Scott Davidson 8:39

Raoul Erickson 9:59

Kamran Talattof 10:02 * extra mileage (31.5)

Alternative Routes & distances:

Alfonso Albason 9:59 (Box Camp-no Bigelow-Palisades) est 28.5 miles

Mike Duer 3:15 (Box Camp to Palisades no Bigelow) mileage 14.35

Faith Mims 5:00 (Box Camp to Palisades no Bigelow) mileage 14.35

Jamie Madden 5:50 (Box Camp to Palisades no Bigelow) mileage 14.35

Robert Harris 4:04 (Partial Box Camp & back) mileage 14.78

Daniel Harris 4:11 (Partial Box Camp & back) mileage 14.78

A special thanks to Steve Hughes for taking over in the afternoon & waiting for all runners to finish ... You rock Steve

MULTIPLE WRIGHTSON MASSACRE - 5/7/17 - 10.4 miles per trip

High Winds and lower than predicted temperatures tortured several early starters. But this did not slow down our runners. We had two triples and 5 doubles. 17 others completed a least a single. Several of these runners took off on their own adventure.

Corey completed three fast trips via Old Baldy and looked as if he only did a single. Ben Markwart powered out three looking very strong at the end. He looks ready for the Jemez 50.

Tim Stackhouse had the fastest double. Renee looked great after completing her second trip. Billy Oliver still had energy left after his two. Hans Myer got his first double. And Alfonso was slow and steady and knocked out a double looking just like he did when he started.

Ronni Rudolphi and Brian Edgar worked as a team to search out animal trails while they put together a secret route. I will refer to them to describe what they did. Dallas completed his ascent but took an even more convoluted path which included part of the vault mine trial. Dallas, can you tell us what you did? The rest of the gang for the most part did the basic route with some extras.

Sion, Catlow, and Charlie completed their trip in less than 2 hours!

Robert Harris completed one normal ascent plus a trip to Josephine. He decided last year’s Sierrita to Mount Wrightson ascent was a bit more than he had time for this year.

Gabrielle Giffords stopped in with her dog Nelson. She has been hearing about the MMWM since I started RDing this event in 2010. She wanted to meet some of the runners and offer her support. She was very impressed.

Despite the cold start and the powerful gusts of wind throughout the day, everyone had a good time. All the runners returned safely, except one who took a rough tumble, hit his head and sprained his wrist. We have not had a serious record challenger in years, but we did have some nearly record times. I hope you are all looking forward to next year’s Multiple Mount Wrightson Massacre.

Thank you all for coming out!

3 Ascents

Corey Keppel 8:20

Ben Markwart 9:26

2 Ascents

Tim Stackhouse 5:50

Renee Stevens 7:03

Billy Oliver 7:03

Hans Myer 7:39

Alfonso Albason 8:16

1 Ascent

Catlow Shipek 1:58 1st plus

Charlie Ware 1:58 1st plus

Sion Lupowitz 1:58

Ronni Rudolphi plus animal trails

Brian Edgar with Ronni

Dallas Stevens plus vault mine

Dari Duval 2:50

Rebecca Schultze 2:50

Fernando Bustamante 3:02

Robert Harris 3:03 1st plus Josephine Saddle

Ian Crombie 3:03 1st plus Baldy Saddle

Raoul Erickson 3:05

Chris Avery 3:10

Justin St. John 3:32

Mike Sulkowski 3:39

Kate Woodard 4:17

Charles Hornbaker plus a few hours relaxing somewhere

Mike Duer 6 miles – this was a Zane Grey recovery run

CATALINA PEAKS RUN - 5/14/17 - 19.5 miles per trip

The NEW Catalina Peaks second running, and the first finishers!

14 people showed up for the second running of the New Catalina Peaks run. And, I’m super psyched to report that at least 7 were able to complete the route as designed, which is infinitely better than the zero that have ever completed any previous version of Catalina Peaks. Considering the fact that even Mike Duer was able to find his way up on trail this time makes me think that we might finally have a keeper of a route, though Laura did mention that she thought that there was a bit too much downhill.

This also means that I’ve been able to nail down distance and ascent numbers: the full route clocks in at about 19.5 miles and 6,500 feet of elevation gain.

Thanks so much also for the cast of characters that made the day a success: Ross Zimmerman and Bruce Johnson for the leapfrog aid station support, The Avery clan for support and rides, and others for critical logistics and advice!

Choice quotes from the day:

Mike: “If you put avocados and Cheetos in there it’ll be God’s perfect food!”. I don’t recall the other ingredients, unfortunately, but I can only assume that they were just as awesome.

Charles: “This was the dumbest idea ever! Who’s the sick SOB that decided to put this together?” - To be fair, this is after Charles had run a total of 39.6 miles by running the course in reverse first, so I’m not taking the blame for this comment.

Anonymous: “Well that was a real death march.”

Corey: “Super Fun!”

Dari: “I sniffed my shoe and it was bad!”

The Whole Route:

Mike Duer 4:16 19.5 miles reported

Rick Mick 4:21 19.54 miles reported

Corey Keppel 4:32

Dari Duval 5:09

Tim Stackhouse 5:09

Renee Stevens 5:58

Charles Hornbaker 5:58 39.6 miles, started at Mint Springs 1:36 AM.

Hans Meyer 8:20

Other route variations:

Dr. Laura Marshall 4:32 14.3 miles To Sunset

Morey Brown 2:49 12.2 miles Out and back from Bear Canyon

Jamie Madden 5:53 ?? miles? To Sunset, sidetracked on Brush Corral

Ian Crombie 5:14 17.5 miles Started in Bear Canyon

Chris Avery 1:34 ?? miles? Started at Sunset

SUNSET LOOPS - 6/4/17 - 17 miles

The run featured the most turnout I have ever experienced in my short time spent with TTR. We had 36 runners on a bright, warm Sunday. A lot of first timers braved the unforgiving heat and grueling distance. Glad to also see some familiar faces and just caught up with the goings-on.

I would like to apologize for not being there early enough for a proper sign in as I had to get Raoul's help and switch cars so we can carry all the merchandise needed to keep 36 runners happy and well taken care of after a long, warm run. One runner got into trouble and couldn't contact me as cell service is also sparse in the area. Then there's always Roni who shows up and just amazes me with incredible permutations she could do with the trails presented. I vote her as an official scout runner and invent new TTR runs. Shoutout to Raoul for helping with the chairs, coolers, and transportation. Shoutout to John Mollenhour for providing aid at the top of the Lemmon Trail which was well appreciated since it was warm even at elevation. John also brought the troubled runner back to the start after seeking shelter from bee attacks at a restaurant up top.

The full distance was is closer to 16 miles as I was made aware of by several runners. If there are any corrections with name, distance, or time let me know so we can correct it accordingly. Overall it was a nice day out and thank you for being a nice crowd as I did my first shift as RD.

Full Loop - 17 miles

Sion Lupowitz 2:38

Charlie Ware 3:10

Lucas Tyler 3:10

Kent Warlick 3:26

Manny Ochoa 3:29

Kris Norberg 3:30

Ethan Ray 3:35

Meghan MacArdy 3:40

John Dragovits 3:50

Kevin Cross 3:57

Ryan Niccum 4:05

Moira Hough 4:15

Dallas Stevens 4:25

Ian Crombie 4:30

Raoul Erickson 4:30

Brian Janezic 4:30

Steve Hughes 5:25

Miscellaneous

Ben Markwart 3:53 - 20 miles

Catlow Shipek 2:00 - 12 miles

Rachelle Valdez 3:46 - 11.8 miles

Ed Valdez 3:46 - 11.8 miles

Stephen Woodall 2:09 - 10 miles

Daniel Barajas 3:30 - 10 miles

Lydia Jennings 3:30 - 10 miles

Steve Sheldon 3:53 - 10 miles

Beatriz Mendivic 4:05 - 10 miles

Diane Manzini 2:26 - 8 miles

Laura Marshall 2:00 - 7.5 miles

Rick Mick 1:09 - 6 miles

Brad Mascal 1:30 - 6 miles

Kate Callahan 1:30 - 6 miles

Renee Stevens

Julie Arter

Jenny Flynn

Roni Rudolphi