That was a blast! Race Report to runners and walkers in TMC Old Tucson 4-Mile Trail Run and 1-Mile Walk/Run

THANK YOU!!!

Photos courtesy of Goatographer

Hello to everyone who was part of the 2020 TMC Sunrise at Old Tucson Trail Run.

Every year leading up to this race, I forget how beautiful it is out there on the trails, with towering saguaro, red dirt trails, and the mountains to the east – all made more magnificent by the scent of horse poop. Gosh, what a beautiful place it is -- and what a great way to spend a day!

There were so many great stories on race morning -- four runners over 80 years of age and another 21 over 70, plus countless youngsters and some serious speed-demon running.

We offer a special congratulations to the members of Achilles International, Tucson for participating. As co-founder Lupita Hernandez writes, "it really means a lot to us and we look forward to future races! The team is already talking about how much fun they had and asking when the next races are. Once again thank you so very much!" Achilles, Empowering Athletes with Disabilities Since 1993.

As a thank you for doing this race, we're providing a $5 discount to the next Run Tucson event, the inaugural EarthFest 5k at the Biosphere 2, presented in partnership with the UA Biosphere 2 and Proper Villains. Registration includes self-guided visits in the Biosphere 2, beer garden, race shirt, and souvenir items. Use "Sunrise" to snag your discount -- the coupon code expires at midnight, February 29th. See more information and sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/AZ/Oracle/Biosphere2EarthRun5k

This race provides $2,000 to the Southern Arizona Roadrunners for their operations and programming. As well, we offer a special thanks to the 52 registrants who made additional donations to the TMC Girls on the Run Program. Your funds will go a long way to helping young students train for their first-ever 5k this spring.

Finally, if you had fun racing and want to take a shot at running faster, please track down Tia for coaching help. We offer individual and group coaching by RRCA certified coaches.

OK -- please read on for the rest of the race report. Thanks again for making the TMC Sunrise at Old Tucson so much fun!

Randy Accetta and Tia Accetta, Race Directors

randy@runtucson.net | tia@runtucson.net

Men's Start, with cowboy Bob heading the pack, courtesy of Damion Alexander

Happily up Horse Poop Hill, courtesy of Damion Alexander

Race Report

SPONSORS : First, please join us in offering a special thank you to our race sponsors for making this possible:

Tucson Medical Center: TMC has been a long-time supporter of the fitness community. Check out their new program, TMC NOW. The TMC Now app gives you 24/7 access to physicians that are licensed to practice in Arizona through the convenience of phone, video, or mobile app visits. It's an affordable option for quality medical care. See https://www.tmcaz.com/tmc-now.

The Running Shop at 3055 North Campbell has been a friend of the Tucson running community for over 30 years.

Life Aligned Wellness Center: Dr. Lee Ann Kalaba of Life Aligned Wellness Center came out and provided hands-on activities.

KGUN's Morning Blend: Always available for guest bookings highlighting the Tucson community.

AMR: Thanks to AMR for providing an ambulance for medical care -- fortunately, they reported no major needs on race day, only some cactus removal . . .

Damion Alexander and his team at Long Realty

Results

The men’s race was won by the Air Force’s Matt Dorsey, in a time of 20:34. He was chased to the line by Jeffrey Gehring, who has finished in 20:44, gathering second place for the second year in a row. Third place went to WOG's Zach Smalls in 21:48. First male master runner was Dave Dixon, WOGGER and SAR Board Member, who completed the circuit in 23:28. (Dave may have had an advantage as he spent part of Saturday afternoon volunteering with his loppers, cutting back the cactus from the race course!)

The women’s race was won for the second year in a row by 30-year-old Caroline Mosely in 24:29, 30 seconds faster than last year. Mosely was followed by Tia Accetta and Ausie Ainsley Paljina. All three runners train with The Workout Group, so it was a clean sweep for the WOG Ladies. First place in the women's master's division was Sharon Silvas, running for TRP.

Timing

Thanks to Greg Wenneborg and his crew at Roadrunner Race Timing for managing all the timing needs. You can find full race results at the SAR site here: http://www.azroadrunners.org/results/detail/sunriseatoldtucsonresults2020

If you won an age group award but were not able to attend the awards ceremony, please visit The Running Shop (3055 North Campbell) by the end of March, 2020 to pick up your Running Shop gift certificate.

If you think there is a mistake in the timing please contact Greg the timer or Randy the race director at randy@runtucson.net .

Leftovers

We have taken the few remaining leftover shirts and medallions to The Running Shop. Most of the sizes remaining are women's, but please feel free to swing by 3055 North Campbell by the end of February to pick up any remainders.

We are always grateful to Sharon Bart and the gang at The Running Shop for supporting local running – so if you get a chance, take a moment to look for some cool running things to buy!

Photos and Hashtags

Our good friend Damion Alexander has posted photos here: https://thetucsonphotographer.smugmug.com/Sports/Running/Trail-Runs/Sunrise-at-Old-Tucson/

As well, he has posted photos from any number of trail runs, TMC-sponsored events, and road races here: h ttps://thetucsonphotographer.smugmug.com/Sports/Running

The incomparable Goatographer has posted hundreds of beautiful race day photos on his page here: https://www.facebook.com/GoatOGRAPHER/

If you want to create your own race report, please tag us at instagram.com/RunTucson and @RunSar . Helpful hashtags are #RunTucson #RunSAR #HorsePoopAlley #SunriseatOldTucson #OldTucsonTrailRun

Volunteers

As you know, we cannot do these events without a ton of help. Here’s at least a partial listing of the crew that did all the heavy lifting, the t-shirt-handing-out, the medal-handing-out, and the course marking, and the course-directing:

The gang from Boy Scouts Troop 431 helped direct runners on the course – it’s been a number of years that they’ve camped out the night before – thanks so much!

Alex Armet

David Armet

Patricio Castro

Sandra Crusa

Maureen Cunningham

Dave Dixon - SAR Board member

Mary Dodd

Joe Faulk

Sheryl Felde - SAR Board member

Steve Felde - SAR Board member

Brent Gambrell

Brandon Gardetto

Caroline Gardner - SAR Board member

Denise Gizinski - SAR Board member

Michelle Hawk

Shirley Hester

Heather Hopkins - SAR Board member

Justine Kanuho - SAR Board member

Catherine Langham - Meet Me at Maynard

Toni Levitz

Connie Lopez

Karen Miller

Craig Mills

Noemi Mills

Tina Moore

Manny Ochoa

Georgia Pattison

Peter Ruggles

Sheryl Ruggles

Cindy Schnell

Eileen Spear

Virginia Stanek

Charles Tiebout

Sherri Tindal

Marti Verkuilen

Kim Whitney

Who is Run Tucson?

Our mission is to make Tucson better through running. We at Run Tucson produce numerous events that promote physical activity, mental health, and community engagement. We make significant contributions to worthy charities, providing over $250,000 to local organizations over the years.

How Do I Get Off This List? You can hit the "unsubscribe" button below or you can email us at randy@runtucson.net .

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

For information about our events, the RRCA, and The Workout Group, contact Randy Accetta

(520) 991-0733

randy@runtucson.net

For information about in-person, online, or group coaching, contact contact Tia Accetta.

(520)891-4369

tia@runtucson.net

Sponsorship Opportunities

Workout Group (WOG)

WOG Group Signup