This is a blog about trail running in Flagstaff, Arizona.
About NATRA Blog
This page is meant for folks to post their thoughts on the Saturday group run. I (Neil) will post a blurb about who showed up and where it was held. From there, I hope that other runners will share their thoughts since we often have different experiences on the same run. Enjoy!
12 NATRA runners, Dylan and Bodie enjoyed a beautiful spring run up Wet Beaver Creek with the sounds of the thundering creek echoing through the canyon. When we arrived at the Fort Tuthill meet spot, we noticed a rather brisk chill in the air and we could not get to Beaver Creek soon enough! We spied purple, yellow, and red blooming flowers, a wonderful ode to early Spring.
While there was much talk about folks making the infamous jump, the stiff cold breeze at the "crack" deterred anyone from taking the plunge! We had a nice tailwind pushing us downhill and back to the trailhead. A perfect way to beat the cold Flagstaff winds of March. All returned to Flagstaff and hit the Campus Coffee Bean to warm up.
When the Mayan Apocalypse Run to End All Runs brought out a record number of runners to a NATRA group run, I wondered how we could keep the momentum building. My pal Mike, a co-conspirator in the MARTEAR, thought we could set our next sights on Saint Patrick's Day. When Mike said he found our Leprechaun (Marc Potter), it was game on, the Lap the Leprechaun 5K.
In addition to the dozens of formal foot races that benefit our local non-profits, we now have quite a line up of colorful Flagstaff running events that are free to all and very, very family friendly.
We now have a free running event for every season. Beginning with our new Lap the Lepreachaun run which is on the heels of Spring, we also have our annual Independence Day 4 on the 4th, where kids are given headstarts. In the fall we celebrate Thanksgiving with the Turkey Predictor Run where watchless participants have to guess the time it takes them to run a loop in Buffalo Park. Finally, while the Mayan Apocalypse Run was a one time event, it also occurred on the Winter Solstice, which is what we will now turn into a tradition, since no asteroids hit Buffalo Park.
What makes these runs even more special is that all are free with the only suggested donation of cans for our local food banks. Folks have been more than generous and we have collected hundreds of pounds of food during these events.
The Lap the Leprechaun 5K proved every bit as successful as the near end of the world run. While we did not garner the world wide viral attention on Facebook, we still had our second largest group run with 50 participants dressed in green. As one participant noted, we had the "Largest Leprechaun ever" with Marc Potter relishing his role of getting lapped. Potter dressed in his Guinness hat, Leprechaun robe, and carrying a staff, graciously allowed all runners to lap him. Of course no Saint Patrick's Day celebration would be complete without a trip downtown where many runners refueled at the Zane Gray Ball Room!
(Thanks to David Blanchard for the photos and Bruce Higgins and David for the blog!) In hopes of attracting a Sedona leprechaun, a dozen trail runners headed down that way this morning - running from Midgely Bridge(ly) to the Jordan Road trailhead and back. Since Sedona was celebrating St. Patricks Day with a downtown parade today it was wise to not attempt to go through the town to access the Brins Mesa Trail.
The women outnumbered the men 2-to-1 on this run today.There was water in the tank in front of Steamboat and the scent of verbena wafting up a nearby draw. The manzanita are blooming, too. Spring is here! We heard an odd beating sound that could have been drummers getting ready for the St Patrick's Day parade (Yes, Sedona has figured out when it is this year!) or maybe it was our erstwhile leprechaun digging his way out from under Steamboat to follow us back up the hill! Coffee/snacks were at Garlands, in the very pleasant garden area.
