Just Eat Snacks and Drink Water and Ride a Bike – Katie Scott on the Arizona Trail 300
Katie Scott wrote up a beautiful piece on her Arizona Trail 300 experience. She’d decided that she wanted to race four days prior to the start, borrowed a pile of gear, did a massive study session of the route on the drive down to the border, and put together an impressive ride, getting to Picketpost in four days, four hours, and 40 minutes. As a bikepacking racing rookie!
Alexandera Houchin’s AZT Video
I gathered about an hour and a half of footage on my iPhone over the 12-day journey I had racing the 800 miles of the Arizona Trail Race this fall. I edited it down into a short video and I hope that you like it!
Coatimundis and Cougars on the Arizona Trail
After a disappointing and unsuccessful attempt on the Colorado Trail Race this year, I was surprised at the pang on envy I felt watching racers lining up to tackle this year’s Arizona Trail Race. I followed the race on Trackleaders and on the Townie, and felt a flicker of longing at Eszter’s photos of Ana hiking out the Grand Canyon. Did I really want to do that? Even after my less-than-fun attempt at the CTR, did I really want to race my bike again? And hike through the Grand Canyon with my bike on my back like a fool?
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.
Last Woman Standing: Isabelle Fisk and the 2022 AZT300
When Isabelle Fisk rolled up to the Arizona Trail’s Picketpost trailhead at 6:22 last Monday morning, the look on her face was a cross between incredulity and complete joy. With 24 percent of the riders signed up for the AZT300 making it to the finish this year, Isabelle truly earned the title of “The Last Woman Standing.” Before the race, Isabelle was unsure whether she would even start. Despite her nerves, Isabelle left the border of Mexico with the Grand Depart of the AZT300, facing her uncertainties head on to have an extremely successful first bikepacking race.
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.
A Brief History of Women in the Arizona Trail Race
Since Lynda Wallenfels became the first woman to finish the Arizona Trail 300 (she beat all the boys that year, too!), there have been many amazing women who’ve taken on both the 300- and 750/800-mile route. We take a dive into the history of the event, FKTs over the years, and some of the incredibly strong and inspirational women, including Alexis Ault, Kait Boyle, Eliza Sampey (and more!) who’ve made their mark on the race.
Faces Behind the Dots- Arizona Trail Race 2022
The Arizona Trail Race (AZTR) starts this Thursday, October 20. This year, seven women are racing the AZT 300 and two women are racing the AZT 800. A truly singletrack route, the AZT 300 is 92.4% dirt and the AZT 800 is 88.7% dirt. The route starts at the border with Mexico and traverses north through stunning desert country, goes into the alpine of Mt. Lemmon, and continues on rugged and rocky terrain where the AZT 300 ends at the Picket Post Trailhead in Superior, AZ. Two women (Alexandera Houchin and Ana Jager) will continue their trek all the way north to the Utah border. These women will even have to disassemble their bikes to carry on their backs across the Grand Canyon! Read more about the “Faces Behind the Dots” of the AZTR!
