Description
The 50 Mile distance will follow the same route as the 50K but instead of turning around at Spur Cross Conservation Area, you’ll continue north past Spur Cross to explore the gorgeous Tonto National Forest backcountry.
Runners will follow Trail 4 north, skirting the west side of Skull Mesa with Cave Creek just a few hundred feet west of the trail as you’ll cross through the beautiful Chalk Canyon on your way to Seven Springs. After receiving aid at Seven Springs, runners will head south past Cartwright Ranch and hop on the Cottonwood Trail which will eventually become the Maricopa Trail and follow this all the way back around the east side of Skull Mesa, passing through canyons and old abandoned campgrounds until you meet back up with Trail 4 at Cave Creek.
The 50K and 35K courses feature some incredible single track including a trip out of Cave Creek Regional Park along the Maricopa Trail to Spur Cross Ranch and back, finishing with a loop through Cave Creek Regional Park. The 6K and 12K courses stay within Cave Creek Regional Park and features the Go John and new Quartz trail.
Desert Runner Trail Series
Elephant Mountain is the sixth race in the Desert Runner Trail Series. The Desert Runner Trail Series now has five point divisions: Hummingbird (mini), Quail (short), Roadrunner (middle), Owl (Trail), and Hawk (Ultra). The 12 Km race will score points towards the Quail series while the 22 Km race will score points in the Roadrunner division. The 35 Km race at will score points in the "Trail Series" while the 50 Km race will score points in the "Ultra Series." The series challenge culminates at the Mesquite Canyon Championship in March.
For more information on this exciting series please visit our website!
Cupless Events
In an effort to continually lessen our race footprint, we are expanding our cupless events to the Desert Runner Trail Series. We will have UltrAspire reusable cups available at registration and on race day or feel free to bring your own!
Event's current local time: 5:25 PM MT
