Arizona Trail Race: A Photo Journey
As the AZT800 wraps up, Eszter put together a photo essay of her experience shooting photos of the women of both the 300 and 800 with some of her favorite images, stories of racers not doing what she expected them to do, and a reflection on what special events the AZT 300 and 800 are. We’ve had a great time covering the AZT this year, we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have!
Arizona Trail Race 800 Women’s Finish
When asked who was going to win the women’s Arizona Trail 800 race, most people were hesitant to commit to either Ana Jager or Alexandera Houchin. The pair had shown earlier this year during the Colorado Trail Race that when it came to multi-day racing, their speeds were similar enough that it would be hard for either of them to shake the other. It was race set up to be pitting experience against youthful enthusiasm, singlespeed versus gears, platform pedals compared to clip-ins, and the Reverse Lemmon Drop against the Catalina Highway, but the reality was, it was two friends out on course pushing each other to be their best. Read more for a full wrap-up of Ana Jager’s win and completion of the Bikepacking Triple Crown and Alexandera Houchin’s new singlespeed record.
Arizona Trail Race 300 Women’s Recap
The second annual fall edition of the Arizona Trail Race 300 proved to be a tight and exciting one from start to end for the women. While many bikepacking races have a clear leader who establishes their dominance from the start, this year saw three women riding at the front of the field, trading leads, riding together for sections, and pushing each other towards the finish. Until the very end, it was unclear who would come out ahead, with Katie Scott’s speed combined with longer rests contrasting with Ana Jager’s endless steady consistency.
While Katie led at sunrise the final morning, in the end it was Ana who reached the Picketpost trailhead first in a time of four days, three hours, and 59 minutes. Racing the full 800 miles, she stayed only for a few minutes, changing into her signature tank-top before heading up the trail towards Utah, her prologue …
Arizona Trail Race 2022 Start
And the Arizona Trail Race: 2022 Edition is off and riding! This was the first year that both 300-mile and 800-mile racers took off from the border, and it was quite a scene at the border fence with 46-ish racers starting, including eight women. Skies are clear, wind is non-existent, and as expected, the trail is impressively overgrown. We’ve got a small pile of photos of the women both at the start and at Parker Canyon Lake, the old 300 start.
SnF 2022 Women’s Podium: Lauren Brownlee, Carolyn Mason, and Irena Netik
The Idaho Smoke ‘n’ Fire saw a record number of women participants this year. This article covers the top three women and their impressions including Lauren Brownlee who was the first woman and second overall finisher!
Competition and Respect – Women of the 2022 CTR
When Katya Rakhmatulina rolled into Junction Creek just shy of 9pm as the third women’s finisher of this year’s Colorado Trail Race, she was greeted with raucous cheers and congratulations.
Women’s Colorado Trail Race – Down to the Wire
Three days and a few hours into the 2022 edition of the Colorado Trail Race, the top three women worked their way up Fooses Creek towards the Monarch Crest trail, all within a few miles of each other, and all within the top ten of the overall race. That far into the route, it was the closest women’s race in the history of the event.
