Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
The 2021 Arizona Trail Race grand departs for both the 300 and 800-mile routes start this morning. Learn about the event and how you can follow along live here…
After a 2.5 year hiatus, the Arizona Trail Race (AZTR) is back for 2021. The event is a great example of a pure bikepacking event with no sponsors and no support that’s more or less a group ride where friends compare times afterward. The 300-mile event has been held every April since 2006, while the 800-mile event is the complete traverse (Mexico to Utah) and was offered for the first time in 2010 as the AZTR750. The newer AZT800 includes the added challenge of a mandatory 21-mile bike portage across the Grand Canyon, just in case the riding isn’t challenging enough. Both events will run concurrently, starting on the same day, but in different locations and at different times.
While the fall grand depart offers some of the best conditions on the route, there has already been a lot of action on the route this spring. First up was Alexandera Houchin, who set a new women’s singlespeed record for the Arizona Trail 300 with a time of 2 days, 19 hours, and 25 minutes (2:19:25), besting the former record—held by Alice Drobna since 2015—by more than 10 hours. In April, 35-year-old Timon Fish set a new record on the Arizona Trail 300 with a time of 1 day, 14 hours, and 52 minutes (1:14:52), an incredible six hours faster than the previous record, held by Kurt Refsnider. On the same course, Jefe Branham set a new singlespeed record of 2 days, 1 hour, and 24 minutes (2:01:24).
There are currently 51 riders signed up for the event on Trackleaders, 26 of whom are tackling the 300-mile route, 17 on the 800-mile, and another 8 riders doing individual time trials (ITT). Approximately 21% of riders are female. There are also a few big names signed up that may be gunning for some fast times and are worth keeping on eye on. Kaitlyn Boyle, who set the women’s fastest known time on the 300-mile route in 2018, and also recently set a new women’s FKT on the Kokopelli Trail, is back to take a run at the AZT300 again. Her time was 2 days, 2 hours, 57 minutes (2:2:57). How much faster can she ride? Alexandera Houchin, the current women’s singlespeed record holder on the AZT300, was planning to take part in this year’s grand depart, but is nursing a sprained ankle at the moment, so likely won’t be taking part.
On the 800-mile version, Andrew Strempke is back to tackle the route after just completing his second (record-setting) yo-yo of the Colorado Trail in August. Andrew’s completed his first yo-yo of the Colorado Trail with his wife Katie last year, so it’s safe to say he’s had some solid preparation for the Arizona Trail. We’re also interested in seeing how our friend Colt Fetters will do, as this is his first time riding the full Arizona Trail route from border to border. There is no doubt that Kurt Refsnider, the previous record-holder on the AZT750 (now AZT800), will be riding to set a new FKT on the 300-mile route. Kurt spends a lot of time on his bike, is familiar with the terrain, and has a number of wins/records on the AZT300 over the past 12 years, so we’ll be following his effort closely. It’s worth noting that the new 800-mile route is much more challenging than the previous 750-mile version, swapping out pavement miles for more challenging dirt miles—essentially creating an entirely new route for racers to go after.
The AZT800 starts at 7 a.m. from the Mexican border at Monument 103, while the AZT300 takes off from Parker Canyon Lake Trailhead just north of the border. We’ve heard that both routes are in serious need of maintenance, with washouts and overgrown sections that will surely make this year a difficult one. More importantly, a lot of fantastic people are tackling some form of the route, whether it’s part of the grand depart today or as an ITT sometime this fall, and we commend them all. To everyone out riding the Arizona Trail, be safe and have a great time!
The 2021 Arizona Trail Race kicks off today, October 28th at 7 a.m. local time. Check out our event Tracker page to follow along on the Trackleaders map and watch for more updates like this one. Find it here and look for it linked on our home page under the Dispatch reel throughout the race.
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