Another month in the spring with a lot going on but not many photos - at this rate I should be caught up soon (unlikely!)
April started with the Arizona Monster, a new 300-mile race, and it happens to run in our backyard. I feel no desire to actually run the race, but I was very curious about it and decided to volunteer. As long as I could be mostly on the move and not standing at an aid station for hours. Turns out the "course sweep" job is right up my alley. At least my first experience was very positive.
I signed up for 3 sections that all ended up being mostly overnight without trying to plan it that way. And that turned out to be lovely. Sweep teams have at least 2 people, always someone to get to know, and our overnight sections were cool and pleasant.
John dropped me off at an early aid station in the middle of nowhere, where I waited for the course cutoff time in order to get started.
One of the early drops was Charles Raffensperger, someone I'm familiar with from the Foothills Trail run that I did a few years ago. We had fun chatting about that and other ultra topics. Thanks for making sure we got a photo together, Charles!
Eventually Stewart arrived from the previous section and we were given the go-ahead to begin sweeping the next one. We had a great time talking and speed-walking (and maybe even running a bit), collecting course markings and admiring the rainstorm in the distance that never ventured in our direction. All of the runners ahead of us made it to the next aid station in plenty of time so we were able to travel at our own pace - which is never a given when doing sweep.
At the next aid station Stewart handed off to Alex (our team coordinator) while I was treated to a full meal. The volunteers were dismantling everything but still took the time to ensure I had plenty of food and drinks and water refills. I was excited to be able to eat anything that looked good, unlike during my long races when I have to baby my stomach and limit solid foods.
Alex and I continued along the next few miles, telling stories and keeping each other entertained. Toward the end of this section we came upon a runner who was pushing to make the cutoff, and I believe he did make it.
It was now morning and time for some rest. Breakfast with the crew, and then Alex let me borrow his car (while he went back on the course) so I could drive home and sleep in a real bed instead of camping out - lucky me!
The next evening I brought Alex's car up to Saddlebrooke to start my second stint on foot. Steve met up with me and we monitored the status of the runners ahead of us via the tracking app on our phones. It wasn't uncommon for a runner to just make the cutoff time, leave the aid station, then rest on the trail not far ahead of us. We tried to give them some space.
Eventually we got moving, following markers and the gpx track through a maze of trails. Once we entered Catalina State Park I had a much better idea where we were. We caught up to one woman and talked with her off and on, as she was still moving well and running ahead of us some of the time.
The next aid station was mostly quiet and we had a good rest/resupply there. Me and Steve at 2 am:
As the minutes ticked down until the cutoff time, Steve noticed one runner's tracker was pinging from somewhere in the parking lot. But we didn't see any crew or other signs of movement. In the final few seconds, a guy emerged from a car, sprinted across the parking lot, and took off down the trail. He stayed well ahead of the cutoffs after that and we didn't see him again. I imagine he had gotten some decent sleep for a few hours.
Then the woman we had been walking with earlier returned to the aid station to pull the plug. We helped get her set up on a cot with blankets and a heater. Then it was time for us to go. It was another beautiful night, this time trekking through town.
By morning we were glad to be almost done. I talked Steve into walking in a convenience store for snacks (he didn't take much convincing). We continued along The Loop and eventually made it to the Rillito aid station without seeing any runners ahead of us. Another successful sweep assignment.
Part of the sweep team gathered at the Rillito to make plans for the next more-remote sections:
Alex let me take his car again (huge thank you!) and I got another night's sleep at home. Back on the course the next morning, I think this is at Pistol Hill Road, and I couldn't resist getting a photo of Alex's brightly colored tights:
One last section for me, south on the AZT near the Santa Rita range. Jil from the Tucson Trail Runners joined me, and she snapped a picture of us lunatics who had various levels of sleep deprivation:
Jil and I had a super fun time, talking about races and FKT's and all sorts of things. It was great to be back on the Arizona Trail. Jil had also done some long-distance adventures there so we got to compare notes (both of us went through Kentucky Camp at night recently).
We looked up to see a set of Starlink satellites being deployed - a line of lights moving across the sky:
We had some interesting interactions with the racers, including two extractions. One involved trekking along a wash to find a jeep road that led to the highway where a van picked up our runner, and that adventure was right up my alley.
At the next aid station we got some food (I think I gained weight that week!) and even had the opportunity to nap on the race cots (yes please!). Back on the course, eventually the sun came up. I started adding course markings to my bucket hat and took a picture while we were taking a break:
The 2nd extraction happened at the start of a dirt road section, accessible by one of the 4WD race vehicles. When it showed up, Jil and I were offered a ride - yes please! The guy had done a lot of the course marking so he knew we could pull down ribbons as we drove along the road. Sometimes just by reaching out the window without even getting out of the truck.
We got out at Kentucky Camp to cover the rest of our miles on foot. No other runners showed up on our radar, and then we were at the next aid station and our stint was over. Thanks for the excellent company, Stewart, Alex, Steve, and Jil!
About a week later I decided I wanted an FKT for my birthday, so I returned to run the "all trails" route at Catalina State Park:
A few extra pictures, starting at the photogenic spot that I know really well by now:
I wonder what happened to the sign:
Stairs and saguaros:
A balloon to rescue - as much as I hate that these exist in the wild, I do enjoy carrying them out. It would have been funny if this one said "Happy Birthday" on it, but I don't think it did:
Twin Peaks on the horizon:
Another fast(ish) run in the books:
One of John's coworkers is a musician, so we went to hear his band play at a neat brewery space:
Cans as backdrop - I wonder if these help the acoustics:
Shades of Austin and Too Cool Racing:
Playing around with the "selfie camera" installed at the brewery:
John and I did another little hike in the Tucson Mountain Park (scouting for a future FKT, unsurprisingly) and made it to the top of Bren Peak. We got a nice look at Golden Gate across the way:
An interesting rock display I found during a run on The Loop:
I love the occasional cactus flower, so pretty!
Back up to Kitt Peak, this time with John, and this time for an evening night sky program.
We do love all the observatory action around this area. We just heard that a comet was discovered from (and is now named after) the Mount Lemmon observatory.
Sunset from Kitt Peak:
The start of the program, talking about one of the many telescopes up there:
Randomly, another set of Starlink satellites slid across the sky while we were doing telescope viewing:
A saguaro flower offering:
And a Gila woodpecker to close out the month - thank you, Gila!
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