Aravaipa Race Briefings

Race Director Noah Dougherty walks through everything you need for race weekend at the 15th running of the Mogollon Monster. The 42K brief comes first so marathoners can grab what they need and go. 100 milers, the rest is for you. Everything covered here is also in the runner guide and on the website, along with the Caltopo files.

42K (Sunday)

• Start is at the Pine Trailhead, about two miles south of Pine. Park across the street at the old Pine parking area (camping allowed all weekend). A Pine-Strawberry School District bus loops from the lot starting around 6:15, or run the sub-mile connector trail as a warmup. Spectators welcome on the bus.
• 7:00 a.m. sharp start. 2.4 miles on the Highline to Donahue, then you share the final 24 miles with the 100 milers: up Donahue, down to West Webber, up Turkey Springs, around to Pine Canyon.
• No pacers, no crews.
• Pine Canyon Aid to the Pine Trailhead is almost 11 miles, gets hot, and still climbs about 800 feet of rollers after the big initial drop. Fill up at Pine Canyon. You are not out of the woods yet.
• Finish is at the Pine Community Center with a live band from 12 to 4. An informal truck shuttle runs from the finish back to your car.

100 Mile (Saturday, 6:00 a.m. start at Trailhead 260)

• Shuttle buses leave the old Pine parking lot, about 45 minutes to the start. Bring your drop bags on the bus. Departures are punctual. Expect bathroom lines at the start and an immediate bottleneck out of the gate, so be patient.
• Drop-offs at the start are true drop-offs. No parking, no lingering. No crewing at the rim vista points or at Horton Aid. First crew access is the Black Mesa crew zone after Horton.
• Crew zones without aid stations (Black Mesa, General Springs, Dickinson Flat) have no timing. If you drop there, go back to the last aid station or text the RD number in the runner guide so we know you are off course and safe.
• New this year: pacer bibs, and a pacer swap point at Donahue (around mile 72) so nobody has to cover 57 to 80 solo through the night. Donahue is pacer pickup and drop-off only. No crewing at the bottom of the rim.
• Fish Hatchery to Myrtle is now just over 12 miles on the renovated Highline. Smoother and more runnable, but long and hot. Horton Spring is drinkable straight from the mountain.
• Cutoffs work out to roughly a 22:30 pace overall and apply to leaving an aid station.
• Skratch Labs is the hydration sponsor. Aid stations stock hot food, vegetarian and vegan options, pickles, salt, sunscreen, feminine products and more. No gels from us. Ask if you don't see something.
• MedStar Solutions runs 24-hour medical. The emergency number is printed on every bib. Report a bib number and location, not just "a guy on a rock."

Course markings (all distances)
Orange and black polka dot ribbon is the correct way. Orange pin flags stamped Aravaipa Running are ours (unstamped orange flags are surveyors). Purple reflective arrow signs at junctions. Blue and white checker ribbon means wrong way. Carry the Caltopo file on your watch or phone. It works in airplane mode.

Weather
Filmed eight days out. A real monsoon season means green views, tall grass, and a real chance of afternoon storms. Carry a rain shell and an emergency blanket. Lightning is a real risk on the exposed rim: spread out and duck and cover if you have to. It could also just be hot. Ham radio operators and Starlink cover the aid stations since there is almost no cell service on the rim. Check in with the ham team. They stay on post until every runner clears the next aid station.

Trail work
Turkey Springs got its first work day in August. Myrtle, Horton and Promontory have been cleared. Your Highline Initiative donations through the National Forest Foundation are part of why the Highline runs the way it does now. Huge thanks to Margaret Dees and the Arizona Trail Association crews.

Come prepared. Come ready to suffer, then celebrate. Year 15. See you at the start line.

Race Director Aaron Barber walks through every finalized, Forest Service approved course for the new three-day Flagstaff Sky Peaks format at Arizona Snowbowl. A few tweaks have been made since the courses were first posted. Nothing major, but worth knowing before race weekend.

Key changes since the original course maps:

• The Agassiz Loop (3.5 mi / ~2,000 ft) now climbs straight up the gondola line instead of the ski runs, then descends a steep, loose pitch onto a new service road back to the lodge.
• 50 Mile: the east end is rerouted due to construction at Lockett Meadow. After Hostetter Aid you'll stay low, climb FR 420 to 428, grind up a rugged 2.5-mile abandoned road (~1,500 ft), then enjoy 7.5 miles of net-downhill Waterline Road to Schultz Pass. Higher, better views, and a net-downhill trade for the old FR 420 section.
• 50 Mile / 50K / 26K finish: one last 160 ft ski-run climb before the finish line for better flow. You'll thank him later.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro and what's changed
0:40 Friday Hill Climb: gondola line to the summit outcropping
1:52 The Agassiz Loop: the opening 3.5 mi / 2,000 ft every Saturday race starts with
3:45 6-Hour and 12-Hour fixed-time: Agassiz Loop repeats
4:18 50 Mile: Aspen Loop, AZT northbound, FR 418, Hostetter, the new 428/Waterline Road section, Schultz, Old Weatherford, Fort Valley, power line climb
10:28 50K: 31.8 mi / 6,000 ft. AZT southbound, Fort Valley, Schultz, Old Weatherford, Moto trails, power line
12:27 26K: the critical turn north at ~mile 11 to Kachina Aid, then all uphill
13:34 11K and 5K: 5K is 3.5 mi / ~800 ft with all the climbing on the back half. 11K is the Agassiz Loop plus the 5K
15:57 Sunday Mountain 6K: one circuit of the Agassiz Loop
16:18 Sunday Mountain 20K: point-to-point from Fort Valley Trailhead, 12.9 mi / 4,500 ft, up the 40 to 50% grade Upper Ridge ski slopes to the gondola summit
20:34 Scouting and training notes

Training reminder: Everything is open to scout except Snowbowl property. No training runs on the gondola line or the Agassiz Loop climb/descent before race day. The Aspen Loop, AZT, and all Forest Service sections are fair game.

A separate race brief video covering logistics (pacers, drop bags, parking, shuttles, aid stations) is coming in the next week. Courses are up to date on the website now.

Register for the 2025 Tushars Mountain Runs: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=120052Tushars Website: https://www.aravaiparunning.com/tushars/Aravaipa Running is committed to the development of a vibrant community centered around being active in the outdoors.We feel most alive on a trail, experiencing the solitude and restorative power of nature.From our course markings, pre-race email, chip timing, convenient packet pickups to unique awards we want to make your event experience flawlessly smooth and something you can count on.From music to wood fired pizza, beer gardens, meeting new friends, beautiful trails to stunning sunrises and star filled nights, having fun is easy.Come explore with us.More Info Below:Sign up for next year's event https://www.aravaiparunning.com/races/Get Live Updates https://www.live.aravaiparunning.comFollow us on SocialInstagram https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparunning/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aravaiparunning/Twitter https://twitter.com/AravaipaRunningFollow Aravaipa Rides for Arizona's best Mountain Bike events https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparides/Subscribe to Run Steep Get High https://www.youtube.com/user/runsteepgethigh

Aravaipa Running is committed to the development of a vibrant community centered around being active in the outdoors.We feel most alive on a trail, experiencing the solitude and restorative power of nature.From our course markings, pre-race email, chip timing, convenient packet pickups to unique awards we want to make your event experience flawlessly smooth and something you can count on.From music to wood fired pizza, beer gardens, meeting new friends, beautiful trails to stunning sunrises and star filled nights, having fun is easy.Come explore with us.More Info Below:Sign up for next year's event https://www.aravaiparunning.com/races/Get Live Updates https://www.live.aravaiparunning.comFollow us on SocialInstagram https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparunning/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aravaiparunning/Twitter https://twitter.com/AravaipaRunningFollow Aravaipa Rides for Arizona's best Mountain Bike events https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparides/Subscribe to Run Steep Get High https://www.youtube.com/user/runsteepgethigh

Aravaipa Running is committed to the development of a vibrant community centered around being active in the outdoors.We feel most alive on a trail, experiencing the solitude and restorative power of nature.From our course markings, pre-race email, chip timing, convenient packet pickups to unique awards we want to make your event experience flawlessly smooth and something you can count on.From music to wood fired pizza, beer gardens, meeting new friends, beautiful trails to stunning sunrises and star filled nights, having fun is easy.Come explore with us.More Info Below:Sign up for next year's event https://www.aravaiparunning.com/races/Get Live Updates https://www.live.aravaiparunning.comFollow us on SocialInstagram https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparunning/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aravaiparunning/Twitter https://twitter.com/AravaipaRunningFollow Aravaipa Rides for Arizona's best Mountain Bike events https://www.instagram.com/aravaiparides/Subscribe to Run Steep Get High https://www.youtube.com/user/runsteepgethigh

Join Race Director Aaron Barber for the 2025 Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs race briefing ahead of what might be the nicest weather day of the Spring Desert Runner Trail Series.

Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs is a mix of mountain trail running races in the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix, Arizona.

Website: https://www.aravaiparunning.com/drt-series/mesquite-canyon/