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Congratulations to Alexandera Houchin, who rolled through the Picketpost trailhead last night to become the first woman to complete the Arizona Trail Race 300 (AZT300), and then quickly pedaled onward to continue her AZT800 effort. More about that, plus a full photo gallery from day 4 with updates about how the race is progressing here…
Alexandera Houchin rolled into the Picketpost trailhead of the Arizona Trail at 5:55 p.m. on Sunday evening, making her the semi-official winner of the women’s AZT300 because while there are several women racing the 800-mile version of the race, including Alexandera, there aren’t any who lined up for only the 300 and didn’t scratch. And if the two courses were identical from the start to Picketpost, then the two races would be more comparable, but Alexandera, and the other 800 riders took a decidedly more challenging route up Mount Lemmon that 300 racers get to skip in favor of the highway.
And if you’re confused by all this, you can join the club! But in summary, Alexandera put together a quick ride over the first 300 miles of her 800-mile race, coming into Picketpost about an hour faster than last year when she went on to set the women’s singlespeed record on the AZT 800.
As she came in shortly after sunset, she took a couple of minutes to sign into the trail register — something she does at every opportunity — and was off with no time wasted.
She left us with the sentiment of “Only 500 more miles to go.”
Congratulations, Alexandera. We’ll be cheering you on for the next stretch.
Day 4 Recap
The AZT 300 and 800 have the unique aspect that both races start together, split for a handful of hours in the middle while going up Mount Lemmon, and then rejoin each other again for the final 130-ish miles. It also makes for an interesting finish line for the 300, as some people have had the adventure of their lives getting there and will get into cars and drive to meals and showers, and others will continue on for another 500 miles.
Regardless of the race, Picketpost — the finish line of the 300 — is a special place for both events, and everyone pauses there, even if just for a second. With three days elapsed, Picketpost was a happening place.
Following Justinas Leveika’s prior evening arrival as the second person to Picketpost after Jake Inger, Alex Schultz rolled through just shy of midnight while a group of riders amassed around the Kelvin area behind them.
In the morning, two 300 riders, Rocky Gingg and Brad Davis, had themselves a proper drag race to the finish, passing each other multiple times in the final 40-ish miles. Gingg apparently ran out of food shortly after passing Mattingly in the Gila Canyons and ultimately gave up his lead.
Behind them, Abe Kaufman rolled into Picketpost around 11 a.m. in good spirits but with hands that were bothering him. While he sat and ate the pizza that he’d had delivered to Kelvin and then carried across the Gila Canyons, he contemplated where the line was between being tough and doing permanent damage to the body. Surrounded by people who’d all been in his position, he agreed to abide by the rule of not quitting when tired and hungry and to push on to the grocery store to reassess his situation with a clearer head and full stomach.
Justin Dubois came through flying shortly after, and with the Picketpost Peanut Gallery mostly dispersed, didn’t stop for a chat. Max Keegan followed, as did Brook Smith, who’d sliced a tire on the descent and discovered that all his repair glues were mostly dry. Somehow, he managed to sew the tire and get it to hold air and was on the hunt for a bike shop for a replacement.
Matt Murray of Tucson finished late afternoon riding a fully rigid singlespeed, and was followed by Matt Annabel, who’d scooted by Alexandera Houchin in Kelvin. He was followed by Johnny Price, who’d also passed Houchin on the stretch from Kelvin. Finally, Houchin was the last to make it in during daylight, becoming the women’s winner of the 300 in 3 days, 11 hours, and 55 minutes.
Check out the Arizona Trail Race 2024 Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, watch for ongoing race updates, and tune in for more event coverage. Find it here.
Further Reading
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