Click here for the November 3rd Final Pre-Race Email Newsletter to all race participants
PAGE ONEHello again to the folks who have registered for the 2022 Grand Canyon Trail Half Marathon and 5k. To help you have a great experience next week, we’ve put together a final round of race weekend information, including updates on the weather, the course, our partners, and you!
Photos: We’re super-glad to have our Tucson friend, Damion Alexander, on hand. Damion will ride his bike throughout the race course on race morning, then in the days after the race he’ll post photos for all to see.
Timing: The race will be timed by our good friend Greg Wenneborg from Roadrunner Race Timing (see www.roadrunnerracetiming.com for results after the race). He reminds us to put numbers on the front of your clothing so that the timing mat can pick up the chip and he can see your number when you cross.
Volunteers: This event could not be produced without help — we’re grateful to folks from the Town of Tusayan who have volunteered to manage aid stations and provide post-race support, and we’re grateful to the 10 friends from our training group in Tucson who are traveling up to Tusayan to pitch in at registration and race day.
OK — please review the material below for even more updates on race details. We’re heading up to the Canyon so will be largely out of email contact, but we’ll see you all on Friday and Saturday!
PAGE TWO
If you’re curious about the weather, you can see the live feed at the Grand Canyon National Park South Entrance Webcam, about 1-mile from the race course.
It looks like it will snow on Thursday in the Williams, Flagstaff, and South Rim areas, so please be careful driving to Tusayan. We’re expecting any accumulated snow will melt off by race morning, but there are a few items to note:
1) The half-marathon is run on a mix of terrain in the national forest. If it does indeed snow significantly on Thursday, the terrain will no doubt be wet and muddy, perhaps with ice on parts of the course early on Saturday morning
The terrain does NOT allow for sag wagon capabilities, so please do NOT expect to be picked up and driven to the finish line. Thus, if you do not want to do the half-marathon, you can easily move to the 5k — simply tell the timer at the 5k starting line.
2) The 5k course is partially on a paved multi-use section of the Arizona Trail and partially on a forested dirt road. That course may be icy as well, with slippery terrain in sections.
3) Race morning will be cold, so be sure to wear layers (see detailed suggestions below). Again, your souvenir shirt is a long-sleeve technical shirt. We will have last year’s red long-sleeve shirts for sale for a few bucks, as well as some extra beanies, baseball caps and buffs. (Unfortunately, we did not make very many souvenir beanies this year, so you may wish to pack your own ski hat!)
4) Course markings: We normally mark the course with emergency flagging tape and chalk arrows on the ground, with mile markers in the middle of the trail in chalk. If the snow has cleared, there will still be chalk arrows and chalk mile markers on the trail. If there is snow on the ground, we will use additional flagging to mark the course with limited mile markers.
5) WORST CASE: Your safety is our primary concern. If the Tucson Fire Department, race organizers and Kaibab National Forest decide that the forest conditions are too dangerous to hold a safe event, we reserve the right to cancel the timed race. We would still hold a social event so that you can receive your shirts and medals (and free beer), but for safety reasons we reserve the right to cancel the timed, formal half-marathon race and the timed-formal 5k event.
Please note that we will NOT have the ability to mail out race items should you decide to not attend.
6) Social Running: If you run or hike down into the Canyon, please be mindful of slippery and snowy terrain. We’ve run down the Canyon in the winter, so it is certainly doable, just please be safe!
PAGE THREE
This is the fourth year we’ve produced the event and we’re super-excited about continuing to work with the Town of Tusayan, the Tusayan Fire Department, the merchants from the Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce, and the National Forest and National Park Services to bring runners and walkers to the beautiful Kaibab Plateau and South Rim area.
Here are some of the things that the Town of Tusayan has put together for you:
IMAX Staging: Thanks to Marty and the crew at the IMAX, much of our event staging will be held indoors at the IMAX facility. Packet pickup, bathrooms, souvenir sales, and food for sale will be available inside the IMAX
Race Day Free Beer: Thanks to the Town of Tusayan, the Tusayan Fire Department, and the IMAX folks, each participant will receive a free beer or glass of wine on race day. Bring your number for the free pour from Grand Canyon Brewing, with all others at $5 per cup.
Race Day Crafts Fair: Our friends at the Town of Tusayan are putting together a local artisan craft fair, staged at the finish line on race morning and early afternoon. We’ll send more info once we get additional details.
IMAX Friday Night Pre-Race Pasta Dinner: Marty and the crew at the IMAX Theater in Tusayan are offering a $15 All-You-Can-Eat Special on Friday, November 4th from 5-7pm:
- Pasta – Penne Marinara
- Pizza – cheese & pepperoni
- Green Salad
- Cookies
Saturday Race Day Fire Department Breakfast: Tusayan Fire Department will host a fundraising breakfast from 7:30 am – 1:00 pm. Price: $8 for adults and $5 for children. What you get:
- Pancakes
- Sausage
- Fruit
- Biscuits & Gravy
- Coffee
Local Discounts: Please visit the Grand Canyon Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau — they’ve put together a list of discounts on a host of tourism activities here: https://grandcanyoncvb.org/coupons/
Red Feather Lodge: Steps from the start/finish line, the Red Feather Lodge is offering a pricing special for all participants, but you need to call them at (928) 638-2414.
PAGE FOUR
2022 Weekend Schedule, details may be modified
Friday, November 4, 2022
5:00 – 6:30 pm Packet Pickup and Last-Minute Registration at IMAX Theater, 450 AZ-64, Tusayan, AZ 86023. West entrance.
Our team of volunteers will be on hand in the lobby to help you pick up your race materials, including race number, race shirt, a copy of the course map, and (if you ordered it) your National Park Pass and souvenir hat.
YES: you can pick up for your friends and family; this is a small race, so no ID needed
YES: we have crew neck and v-neck sizing in the t-shirt
YES: all shirts are first-come, first-served in terms of sizing
YES: Friday is a great time to snag your stuff so you don’t have to worry on race morning!
NO: you cannot pick up your finisher’s medal before finishing the race – you gotta’ do the race on Saturday!
5:00 – 7:00 pm All-You-Can-Eat Pasta Dinner at IMAX, $15
Saturday, November 5, 2022
7:00-8:30 AM Packet Pickup and Race Check-in at IMAX Theater. West Entrance.
Bathrooms at IMAX: The IMAX building has plenty of restrooms, so please allow time to use the restrooms in the IMAX before the race. There are no portojohns on the course.
7:30 AM Half Marathon trickle start opens, with ongoing trickle start – start is on sidewalk in front of IMAX
- Start of Half-Marathon on the sidewalk immediately in front of the IMAX, adjacent to the roadway through Tusayan. All Half-Marathon walkers and Walk/Run folks are asked to start at 7:30.
- All age-group awards are chip timed, so you can start whenever you want. Please check in the with the timer at the start line.
- Permits and insurance do not allow for dogs and other animals on the course.
- While we appreciate the value of running with head-phones, we request that you do not run with headphones on.
- While we support adaptive athletics, the half marathon course is not suited for chair athletes.
- The 5k course has a paved section that is chair-capable, but the dirt road portion will be difficult to navigate for chair athletes.
7:30 AM Tusayan Fire District Pancake Breakfast starting at 7:30 am outside the IMAX
8:30 AM Half Marathon Prize Money Start
NOTE: Prize money is awarded to standard “gun time” starting at 8:30. Thus, all who wish to be eligible for prize money must start at 8:30 am. Prize money details here.
NOTE: The official Half Marathon start line will close at 8:32 am.
8:45 AM 5k Fun Run/Walk Starts: the start is at the blue “Run Tucson” arch at the edge of the gravel lot to the north of the IMAX. This is also the finish line.
This is a narrow start line — and over 120 of you have signed up for the 5k this year, so we may have to do a wave start . . . .
- Part of the course is on an open dirt road, so please be mindful of traffic
- Strollers are allowed, but again, please be mindful of traffic and other athletes
- While we appreciate the value of running with head-phones, we request that you do not run with headphones on.
Ongoing: post-race snacks at finish line and beer garden at IMAX. Grab-bag of past Run Tucson race shirts for sale $5 apiece.
11:30 AM (or so) Half Marathon and 5k Awards at Finish Line
NOTE: All half marathoners need to be through mile 11.5 by 11:30 am.*
*Course closure times are tentative depending on weather and safety conditions.
* Remember to start early if you’re worried about the deadlines
12:30 PM Timing at finish line closes, course breakdown begins