September Race Calendar: Get Ready to Go Loooong

The theme running through September races in the greater Flagstaff area is distance, as in running long, long distances.

Featured among the events is the annual Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100 Mile/55K om Sept .21, followed the next weekend, Sept. 28 by the Flagstaff Sky Peaks Mountain Runs 50 Mile/50K/26K/10K.

Both races traverse iconic area around the San Francisco Peaks, and, in fact, begin in pretty much the same place — the Fort Valley area near the south slopes of the Peaks. That’s where they diverge. Stagecoach takes the Arizona Trail up to Aspen Corners, along Hart Prairie Road, back to the Arizona Trail and then leaves the forest behind for the open scrub lands headed toward the Grand Canyon. Sky Peaks’ 50 Mile course essentially circumnavigates the Peaks, and race organizer Aravaipa Running reported that the lesser distances will have new courses this year but still involve tons of climbing.

Want to run until you drop? Give Babbitt’s Backyard Ultra a go. It’s a 4.16-mile loop that must be completed in an hour. And then you do it again. And again, ad nauseum.

There’s also a new race in town, the Sept. 7 Elden Ridge Run, which begins at Sandy Seep trailhead, goes up Mt. Elden Lookout Trail (yep, the hard way), then follows the ridge on the Sunset, before goin down the New Heart Trail and take the Little Elden Trail back to Christmas Tree Trail and the finish. It’s 12.6 miles and run by Flag locals. So far, only 10 people have signed up, but a few of them are elites (Matt Belus, Cordis Hall, Eric Hamel), so it’d be fun to run with (um, well behind them).

Oh, and there’s also the Mogollon Monster 100 Mile Run/42K. The lesser distance is sold out but there’s still 14 spots left for the 100 miler at a price tag of $434.91.

Here’s a rundown of races:

Sept. 1: Jerome Hill Climb 4.5 Miles

Sept. 1: Louis Tewanima Footrace 10K/5K (Second Mesa)

Sept. 7: Mogollon Monster 100 Mile (Pine)

Sept. 7: Elden Ridge Run 12.6 Miles (Flagstaff)

Sept. 8: Navajo Code Talker 10K (Window Rock)

Sept. 14: Navajo Health Foundation Run for Hope 10K, 5K, 3K (Tuba City)

Sept. 14: Paatuwaqatsi Water Is Life 50K, 10 Mile $ Mile (Polacca)

Sept. 21: Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100 Mile/55K (Flagstaff)

Sept. 28: Flagstaff Sky Peaks Mountain Runs 50 Mile 50K 26K 10K (Flagstaff)

Sept. 28: Babbitts Backyard Ultra (Last Person Standing) (Flagstaff)