Arizona Trail Race 2024

Latest Updates

• 141 days ago
  18

  A Winding String of Energy: 2024 Arizona Trail Race Wrap Up

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 142 days ago

  Day 11 Update

  by Eszter Horanyi

  It was a big 24 hours at the Stateline Campground at the Utah border with a pile of people coming in. And their timing is impeccable given that a storm is moving in overnight and into tomorrow, bringing cold temperatures and precipitation — the absolute last thing you want to be dealing with on the high-altitude north rim of the Grand Canyon. There’s enough snow on the ground to require plenty of hiking already, and more could make the trail impassable.

  The charge was led by Aaron Johnson, who last did the 800 a decade ago and made a very neat little video about his ride. He finished this year somewhere in the 10-and-a-half-day range. This gives him the distinction of being the only person who’s done the full border-to-border route in both the pre-Schilling era and the post-Schilling era. In the early miles of the race, he was quick to say that the Lemmon Pusch, and the addition of a lot more singletrack in general, made the route much harder than it was back a decade ago.

  Matt Schweiker followed six hours later, coming in around midnight.

  Tom Kavanaugh and Dylan Disarro finished next just shy of 6 a.m., putting them under 11 days and both finishing their Triple Crown.

  Brad Burgtorf came in four hours later, just before 10 a.m., and Karin Pocock finished as second woman just before noon on day 11 of the race. She’d battled leg issues, including Achilles problems, that had her considering quitting, but she ultimately decided that pedaling gently to the finish would be worth it.

  Ryan Sigsby came in next, just in front of third-place woman and second singlespeed woman, Leigh Bowe, both right around 11-and-a-half days.

  Ultimately, three out of the five women starting the 800 finished, as did all four of the men gunning for the Triple Crown.

  Still out and riding are Kevin Emery, who is just north of Flagstaff as of this writing, and the father-and-son pair of Rich and James Rothwell. It’s worth noting that they were the only ones able to ride the Highline Trail after it reopened a day or so ago, so if they make it to the border, they will be the only ones this year who were able to ride the whole route. Also worth noting is that James is 13 years old!
• 143 days ago
  9

  Congrats to Alexandera Houchin, First Woman to Finish the Arizona Trail 800!

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 144 days ago
  8

  Justin Dubois Takes First Place in the 2024 Arizona Trail 800 Singlespeed Race

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 145 days ago

  Day 8 Update

  by Eszter Horanyi

  At 1:48 a.m., Justinas Leveika rolled up to Stateline Campground to win the 2024 AZT 800 in a time of 7 days, 19 hours, and 48 minutes. I initially reported it as 7 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes … because apparently I can’t do math at 3:30 a.m. You can read more about his ride in the previous dispatch.

  As night descends once again, Alex Schultz essentially has second place locked up with about 40 miles to ride until the border. Schultz emerged from the Canyon mid-morning, excited to reach the north rim in daylight. During his record-setting ride last year, he had to get back on his bike in the cold and dark and knew he was facing a ride through the night if he wanted to set the FKT. While harassed by a swarm of bugs, Schultz was efficient with the bike build, stoked that there were no nicks on his stanchions, and quick with his reorganization. He was also a bit bewildered by the sheer amount of food that he still had.

  

  Still, when a lovely and friendly Australian couple came up to offer him a cup of coffee and some cookies, he was happy to accept the trail magic. They were there supporting a family member doing a rim-to-rim-to-rim run and had all of the snacks in their van and seemed genuinely interested in the race and Schultz’s progress, as well as his tips and tricks for efficiency, almost like maybe they were interested in racing the event in the future. Really, just a genuinely nice pair of humans. ;)

  

  The race of the race is shaping up to be for third as well as first singlespeed. As of 5 p.m. on Saturday, it’s entirely up in the air with the battle between Justin Dubois and Max Keegan coming down to a proper drag race. While Keegan had a significant lead leaving Flagstaff yesterday, Dubois put in a massive night ride and didn’t stop until he passed a sleeping Keegan. Then he got back up when Keegan passed him in the morning, and the two seemingly stayed close for the drop into the Canyon. If you believe the tracker, Dubois, who is known for his speedy hiking, has potentially pulled away through the flatter box canyon section at the bottom of the Big Ditch. They should emerge sometime in the early hours of the night, and then it’ll be a proper 75-mile sprint to the finish. With a bunch of snow hiking thrown in for good measure.

  Behind them, Johnny Price and Matt Annabel seem to be taking an extended break in Tusyan, and Alexandera Houchin is only about 15 miles away from catching them.
• 146 days ago
  10

  Justinas Leveika Wins Arizona Trail 800 (AZT800)

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 146 days ago

  Day 7

  by Eszter Horanyi

  The big news as of the writing of this update at 7 p.m. on Thursday is that Justinas Leveika is 20 miles out from Jacob Lake, which means that barring a complete breakdown (physical, mental, or bicycle), he should finish the AZT 800 in under eight days later tonight. And if it feels heartbreaking to dot watchers to know that it won’t be an official FKT due to the Highline Trail detour, we can only imagine that Leveika is probably fairly bummed about that situation as well.

  But we can talk about Leveika after he finishes.

  For now, what are far more interesting races are the singlespeeders and the women. Max Keegan continues to lead the singlespeeders, having made a big push to get out of Flagstaff. He’d noted that he was concerned about second-place Justin Dubois’ legendary quick hiking pace and his ability to close a big gap during the Grand Canyon crossing, so I suspect he’s trying to get as big of a gap as possible while the wheels are still on the ground.

  Dubois spent the night high on Anderson Mesa, just a handful of miles ahead of Johnny Price, who was just a handful of miles ahead of Matt Annabel, who was just a handful of miles ahead of Alexandera Houchin. All singlespeeders.

  

  Alexandera Houchin

  

  Matt Anabel

  

  Johnny Price

  Price was on the low end of food this morning, with only two “light” bottles of Tailwind to his name. But with only a handful of hours till a resupply in Flagstaff, he didn’t seem too concerned. It’s a long stretch that everyone seems to run out of food on.

  An hour behind him, Annabel was nothing short of spry, showing off his giant hematoma that he got during a crash down Boulder Creek back a few days ago. Clearly not in a huge hurry, he told of his Payson Vortex a few days prior where he realized that he was going to miss the post office with his cold-weather gear by 10 minutes if he took the dirt route instead of the pavement in, so he raced it in on pavement, got his box, dropped it off at a hotel room, rode the four paved miles back to where he left the course, and rode the one mile of dirt, on the route back into town. The Payson Vortex, indeed.

  Houchin rode a few hours back from the trio of singlespeed boys, and as always, in full-send mode. It’s worth noting that she’s a full 12 hours ahead of her old women’s singlespeed record pace, but alas, that Highline detour…

  

  Karin Pocock continues in second place for the women and opted to descend down to Mormon Lake for more snacks to avoid a death march into Flagstaff. Her only goal for the stop? To stay ahead of the trio of dudes chasing her. In an impressive feat of efficiency, she walked into the Mormon Lake Country Store, ate what had to be on the order to 2,000 calories, packed everything on her bike, and was gone within 20 minutes, back onto the trail.

  And yes, she rejoined the trail ahead of the dudes.
• 147 days ago

  Day 5-6

  by Eszter Horanyi

  It was 24 degrees Fahrenheit when Alex Schultz woke up somewhere on Anderson Mesa above Lake Mary, just outside of Flagstaff. Everything was covered in frost. The mud along the first section was apparently horrendous — just proper peanut butter-sticky awfulness that slowed his progress to a crawl. But with the sun always comes hope, and despite a sore wrist that could only be described as swollen and crackly, Schulz appeared to be in good spirits and looking forward to making it to Flagstaff. He’d taken a solid break in Payson where he “faceplanted” into bed and slept for three hours before getting up to get groceries right before the store closed. The hard pace that he’d set chasing Justinas Leveika across the southern half of the state was starting to catch up to him. When he made it to Flagstaff proper a few hours later, the relief was apparent in his voice, “I’m glad to be here.”

  

  Schulz found snow in Flagstaff; Justinas gets a package (probably a backpack for carrying his bike through the Big Ditch); meanwhile, the temperature swings are extreme for Karin Pocock

  Meanwhile, Leveika rode late into the night to clear the western side of the San Francisco peaks before bedding down for the night. He reached the south rim of the Grand Canyon sometime in the evening and should, if all goes according to plan, finish the race sometime late tomorrow evening or night.

  

  Justin Dubois

  

  Max Keegan

  

  Alex Schultz

  

  Alex Schultz

  Behind the lead two, the singlespeed battle is turning into one for the ages with Max Keegan, Justin Dubois, and Johnny Price all within a few hours of each other. Initially it seemed that the Highline Trail may have reopened and Dubois went a few miles up before encountering Closed signs and had to retreat back to pine.

  Keegan made it to Mormon Lake late afternoon and stopped for a break to filter water, reorganize his bag, and get some calories down. He repeatedly mentioned how awesome the Arizona Trail was and had a good laugh recounting how he and a few others had spent the night before the race start with 300-winner Jake Inger and talked him into taking along a frame bag and an extra jacket. Apparently, his newbie energy and nervousness was palpable.

  Just an hour behind, Dubois rolled through on a mission. While he was out of food, he still had powders and was in search of water in order to make those calories useful.
• 148 days ago

  On The Mogollon Plateau

  by Eszter Horanyi

  While there are countless micro ecosystems along the AZT 800 route, including the incredibly unique Sky Island of Mount Lemmon — which towers at more than 9,000 feet high above the arid Tucson valley — there is a very distinct shift in the terrain about halfway up the state that can only be described as either below the Mogollon Plateau, or on it. Justinas Leveika, having made short work of the control road parallelling the close Highline Trail, made the hoof up to the top of the rim, leaving behind the landscape of first the Saguaros of the Sonoran Desert and then the manzanita-dominated scrub of the central part of the state. On the plateau, it’s pine and oak country. It’s also firmly in autumn, and the San Francisco Peaks got their first snow just a few days ago.

  Leveika’s first assessment of his first night on the Mogollon after reaching Mormon Lake was that it was cold, that there was frost covering everything when he woke up. It was 32 degrees Fahrenheit in Flagstaff at a similar elevation, so it was, in fact, quite cold, especially for the heat acclimated. He also noted that while the major (bike) climbs of the route were over (only the Canyon to go!), there just wasn’t anything fast about the terrain that he was covering on his ride into Flagstaff. Still moist from rains over the weekend, the ground wasn’t muddy, but it was far from firm. That consistency where you don’t think you should be having to work as hard as you’re working to move forward. But aside from dealing with some bloody nose issues and having a noticeably swollen face, Leveika could only be described as chipper.

  

  Meanwhile, behind him, Alex Schultz continues to chase, reaching the rim mid-day and making a solid dent into the slow miles from the edge of the plateau to Mormon Lake. He now sits about eight hours behind the Leveika after taking an extended break in Payson yesterday.

  Behind the lead two, the singlespeed race is turning into an interesting one. Justin Dubois leads the charge with Max Keegan close on his heels as they approach the final hike up to the rim of the Mogollon. As of this writing, Johnny Price is nearly to Pine and the start of the control road, putting him just a handful of hours behind the lead two, and Alexandera Houchin and Matt Annabel (Rootbeer Hero) seem to have taken a stop in Payson, Houchin at a Budge Inn, and Annabel at El Rancho, where they most likely serve root beer.

  Karin Pocock, continuing to hold down second place in the women’s race, has crested the climb up to Mount Peeley and is headed down toward Jake’s Corner. She’s facing a few miles of nice trail, and then some that feels like it “drops off the face of the earth” according to race director John Schilling. She could be in for an interesting night depending on when she decides to stop for sleep. Behind, Leigh Bowe has cleared the Four Peaks Wilderness bypass and is headed into the rugged Mazatals about 30 miles behind Pocock.
• 149 days ago
  12

  Hard Things: A Mid-Race Reflection on the 2024 Arizona Trail Race

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 150 days ago

  No Official FKT :-(

  by Logan Watts

  Word just in from race director John Schilling that the Highline Trail just south of Pine, Arizona, is currently closed. That means leaders Justinas and Alex will appear to go off route on the map using the official bypass on Control Road. On Facebook, John posted, “For those following along, what this means is, no official Fastest Known Time (FKT) will be recorded due to the reroute. An official finish time will be recorded as they are riding the published route.”

  It’s out of everyone’s control, and riders were warned that this could occur before the race start. Still, it’s a bummer since both of them are going faster than record pace. There’s a chance that the trail will open back up on Wednesday, however.
• 150 days ago
  9

  Alexandera Houchin Wins 2024 AZT300 + Day 4 Recap

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 151 days ago
  5

  2024 Arizona Trail Race Day 3 Recap

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 151 days ago
  -

  Congrats to Jake Inger, Winner of the 2024 Arizona Trail Race 300

  by Eszter Horanyi
• 152 days ago

  Night Two in the Sonoran Desert

  by Eszter Horanyi

  On the start of the second night of the Arizona Trail Race, the Sonoran Desert smells like rain. The cold front that moved across the western part of the United States today, bringing the first major snow to higher elevations further north, brought rain as AZTR leaders made their way over Mount Lemmon. The leading three men, Alex Schultz and Justinas Leveika, both racing the 800, and Jake Inger, racing the 300, stopped for a resupply off-route in Tucson during night one. Schultz, who stopped further north in town, was the first to leave, and the other two trailed him by not a lot up to Reddington Road. The three nearly came back together where the AZT crosses the Mount Lemmon highway, and Inger followed the paved 300 route to the top of the mountain while Schultz and Leveika started on the Lemmon Pusch, the much slower trail hike-a-bike 800 route. While Schultz led for the entire climb, it seems like a longer stop at Summerhaven at the top of the mountain allowed Leveika to catch up, and the two made their way down Oracle Ridge close together, a rather chunky and loose descent that requires more hike-a-bike than fun for most. Once down, Schultz took an extended stop at the Oracle highway crossing while Leveika took over the 800 lead for the first time in the race.

  

  In the women’s race, Ivy Pederson continues to ride strong in her 300 debut, sitting in sixth overall. She made it to Summerhaven by night and most likely hunkered down from the cold for a bit of shut-eye before starting the descent down Oracle Ridge. Behind her, Alexandera Houchin continues her ever-consistent march forward as leader of the 800. She seemed to have made the decision to stop halfway up the Lemmon Pusch, probably opting for warmer sleeping temperatures rather than pushing to the top of the mountain. Behind her, Karin Pocock bedded down at the Molino campground on the lower flanks of Mount Lemmon where she’ll have access to a bathroom in the morning, and maybe for sleeping in depending on the temperature and the sleep system that she’s carrying.

  Inger should most likely finish his 300 ride late afternoon Saturday, while we’ll expect the women’s leader to come through sometime on Sunday.
• 153 days ago

  Day 1 Update

  by Eszter Horanyi

  The first day of the Arizona Trail Race, whether someone is doing the 300-mile or the 800-mile version, is always brutal. After a relatively calm hour and change of pedaling from the border, riders head straight into the Canelo Hills, and while this section has been improved significantly over the years, it’s still hot and exposed with minimal opportunities for water and plenty of opportunities for any gear that isn’t properly secured to shake loose. Many tires have also been claimed by its sharp rocks. In fact, the first downhill from Parker Canyon Lake, where the Canelos well and truly start, is fondly referred to as Gear Check Hill.

  With temperatures in Tucson forecasted for the low 90s, it was a hot — but less hot than what it could have been — day for racers in the slightly higher elevations of the southern 100 miles of trail that involved newly built trail just north of Patagonia, the often rough Las Colinas until the magic green gate, before what seems like endless miles of smooth and swoopy singletrack through Saguaro National Park and into Tucson.

  

  And 16 hours into the race, this is where we find 800 and overall race leader Alex Schultz. As expected, Schultz took the lead quickly, followed closely by 800-racer Justinas Leveika and 300-racer Jake Inger. Also ahead of the main field sits Rocky Gingg, riding just north of I-10 and the famous painted snake underpass.

  Behind them, Ivy Pederson leads the women’s 300 race just ahead of Alexandera Houchin, who is riding a singlespeed in the 800. Karin Pocock, still in the rougher section of trail before the green gate, sits in third for the women.

  It’s worth noting that the AZT300 has its first non-binary racer, Frances Hacker, who is sitting right around 10th place overall.

  Most of the field seems to have made it through the night trail closure near Patagonia, but a few have chosen to ride the detour into town for a solid meal and hopefully a good night’s sleep. Tonight and tomorrow, the field heads up onto Mount Lemmon, the sky island towering over the Tucson valley where questionable weather awaits them, as well as the Lemmon Push for the 800 riders.
• 154 days ago
  26

  Rigs of the 2024 Arizona Trail Race

  by Miles Arbour
• 155 days ago
  10

  2024 Arizona Trail Race Preview

  by Eszter Horanyi