Vicious Circle: Tucson's Newest Underground Trail Run

NEW DATE: Sun, Jan 31









Coming Sunday, January 31, 2016

 It's the Vicious Circle. A 44 mile Fun Run.

- - - - - - - - -All city - No roads - - - - - - - - - - -

A side of Tucson you've never seen before.

Spend the day finding out why."

Who is Invited? Any member of TTR, their friends and invited guests. 

How do I register? Please RSVP with your name, your planned start time, planned distance, email and cell phone number to Brian Stark (Race Director) at RunForrestRun@Hotmail.com 
Questions? (520) 576-8666.

Start / Finish Line:  at Milagro Cohousing on Tucson's west side near Grant / Silverbell, 3057 N Gaia Place, Tucson, AZ 85745. Ample parking, pool, restrooms, large dining hall and outdoor shower. 

5am: Early start time for those wanting additional run time and willing to serve as Urban Camper Wake Up Patrol. 

6am: General start. Numerous distance options. Must return under I-10 by 5pm. 6:30pm finisher cutoff (12.5 hours). 

Any time after 6am: Optional Sleepy Head Start, custom distances possible.

4-7pm: Finish line and "I'm Not Dead Yet" celebration. Prizes for finishers at all distances and tamale dinner and drinks served at the finish line. 

Items to bring for this run include: a credit card, two $1 bills, a phone with a flashlight, a running buddy and pepper spray or other suitable weapon. 

Course: This 44.1 mile counterclockwise trail run encircles the city of Tucson while only crossing 6 roads. 

Aid: I'll send you off with a cheery goodbye. I may drive out to see you run through a few of the tunnels. Other than that, there are over 100 aid stations on this course in the form of convenience stores. Bring your credit card and the world is yours. Awesome finish line party with food and drinks provided. Emergency shuttle service available. 

Shorter options: choose any distance between 5k and 50k or the full 44 miles. Either do an out and back or take city transit to skip ahead on the course or return to the finish line early. Bail out options are listed below. 

Detailed, zoomable map can be viewed here: 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zt7aQYHhbSD4.kvF0CAOppF7E&usp=sharing

Participants will be given pocket guides at the start. These will consist of a foldable map and concise pocket edition of the written description. It is highly recommended that you spend some time reviewing the route in both the online zoomable map (pasted below) and the full description written below. In case you would like to access the concise description ahead of time, it is pasted here as well (further down is the detailed version):

Concise Notes: From Start, head up sidewalk, across parking lot, following cones and flags to empty neighborhood, turn right. Exit neighborhood and stay on left shoulder of Goret Road for 40 yards. Turn right across Goret Rd (WATCH FOR TRAFFIC!!!). Veer right onto old road bed sloping down into desert floor. Short steep descent. Pick up flagging to small main wash and run east towards Silverbell Rd. Go under Silverbell Road in low tunnel. Emerge and climb up to left embankment. Follow wash east to intersect with paved bike path.
1.2mi: Intersect Loop. Turn right across iron bike bridge and head south along Santa Cruz.
2mi: Stay left at fork in trail.
3mi: under Grant
4.25mi: under Speedway
4.75mi: under St. Mary's
4.92mi: Dragon Restaurant, TURN LEFT off path into wash. Head for tunnels with partner.
Follow network of tunnels and washes about 1/2 mi to low wooden railroad trestle at BICAS and 6th St. Climb out of wash up steep bank on right at trestle and cross 6th. WATCH FOR TRAFFIC! BAIL OUT OPTION 1: If done here, head south to Rondstat Transit Center, get on bus route #21. Will return you to Silverbell/Goret Rd. 
If continuing, enter Railroad right of way, staying to the left of the tracks but inside the railroad fence. At next street (Small Planet Bakery / 7th Ave / 7th St), veer slight left to get onto right sidewalk of 7th St. Arrive at 6th Ave, TURN Right. Climb up over overpass and TURN LEFT onto small overpass, continue straight past Light Rail Train House. Pick up bike path in covered bike bridge. Follow bike trail, turn right to climb hill at park and enter Snake Bridge. Begin Aviation Bikeway. Follow Aviation Bike Path all the way to Golf Links / Craycroft (DMAFB entrance). On NW corner of this intersection, drop down into wash and enter tunnel under intersection. Dark. Flashlight or phone light recommended. Emerge on other side, climb up onto sidewalk on south side of Golf Links and continue east. Turn RIGHT at Wilmot. At second railing where the wash becomes concrete, drop down into wash on right. Follow wash into short tunnel under Wilmot. Follow bike path along Nicaragua as it bends east, south then east again. Pass boneyard. Right on Kolb. 1/2mi down, just past Lilac Pl and where the street light pole is marked "4320", turn LEFT across Kolb. Follow dirt road behind houses due east. Trashy area. Go straight to pick up Pantano Wash. Run along edge of wash, but down in it under each road. Under Escalante, Pantano, and Stella, but if too bushy, you can climb up on to embankment when needed. After Stella, wash gets very overgrown. Climb up to right and follow single tracks north, keeping Ford Elementary School on your right. Round backstop on right, turn right and head across soccer fields, aiming for Lakeside Park and the boat ramp. Run down steep ramp and turn right onto sidewalk along water's edge. Follow sidewalk counterclockwise around lake. On north side, follow bike path and in 1/2 mi, turn left off path just south of Golf Links to join wash. Follow wash under Golf Links Road. BAIL OUT OPTION 2: Bus #17 to #3 to #21. Or #17 to end of that route and run final 3 miles of loop.  If continuing, follow Pantano till it joins Rillito. Run Rillito bike path west until it goes under I-10, BAIL OUT OPTION 3: On the Rillito near the Tucson Mall, if done you can head to the Tohono Tadai Transit Center there, take route 19 to Rondstat and 21 to return to Goret / Silverbell. If running on, finish Rillito by going under I-10, turn left on path along frontage road on west side of I-10. (5pm cutoff here), then head south to Camino Del Cerro. Turn RIGHT, staying on bike path along road, across bridge over Santa Cruz, then under bridge on path. A few more miles brings you back to the beginning of the loop. Now retrace your early steps to get back under Silverbell, across Goret Rd, through Black Cloud Court and back to Milagro at the finish.  


Detailed notes on the route: Full Route:

Start at the Grassy Circle in front of Milagro's Common House. Run through gate and up sidewalk to gravel parking lot. Head east across parking lot to orange cones marking access to adjacent property. At empty cul-de-sac turn right and run along shoulder of neighborhood lane. Head out main gate of neighborhood and cross lane to get on burm above left side of Goret Road. Run east along road for 50 feet, then cross Goret Road and head downhill following cones. Run downhill into central wash, heading east towards Silverbell Road. Run through cement culvert under Silverbell Road, just south of Goret / Silverbell intersection. Continue east in wash towards Santa Cruz River. Within a quarter mile, climb out of wash up onto left edge of wash. Run on left ledge of wash, following the wash until you come to iron bicycle bridge, turn RIGHT across bike bridge. This is the actual start of the loop. (1.2mi.)

Follow bike path south along Santa Cruz. At Junction of Juhan Park (about 2+ mi) keep LEFT on path, following river.  Continue south and run UNDER Grant Road (3mi). Continue south, passing running track for Arizona School for Deaf and Blind, run UNDER Speedway Blvd(4.25mi).  Continue south, run UNDER St. Mary's Road.  (Sorry, Oasis Fruit Cones doesn't open until February). Just after St. Mary's, and just past the circle of flags of the nations, you will arrive at the backside of Dragon's View Restaurant. This is where life takes a turn and so do you. At this spot, where the brown paint turns more brown (4.92mi), turn left, leaving the bike path, climbing through the railing of the river path and cross the Santa Cruz River heading due east into the deep dark tunnel under I-10.  There are a series of tunnels here, and once you enter, there isn't any easy access out until you finish this section.  Having a buddy with you here is strongly recommended. There are three tunnels to choose from. They all lead to the same place but try and pick one that isn't inhabited. There will likely be a few people about and possibly some belongings stored in the bushes but pay no heed and continue east. Soon you will come to a "room" with a clear view of the sky. Looking up, you will see that you are completely surrounded by concrete walls topped with tall steel fence with curved pointy tips. This is a wonderful place for your friends and family to stand above ground and get one last look at you. The location is in front of Davis Bilingual School on St. Mary's Road, just south of the Bicycle Church. You'll be down in this urban pit, looking up at them. You will stay subterranean and head towards a low wooden train trestle.  At this point, turn right, climb a steep embankment and CROSS 6th Street at the railroad tracks with the blinking light (just south of BICAS). 

Run on the railroad embankment on the far left edge of the gravel, parallel to the train tracks, but staying inside the tall railroad fence. Head east to Small Planet Bakery and CROSS 7th Avenue, taking slight left onto right shoulder of 7th STREET. TURN RIGHT at corner of 7th Street and 6th Avenue, staying on southbound sidewalk. The route on the Google Map is wrong here*.  At corner of 7th St and 6th Ave, there is Miller's Surplus (Cammo Aid Station) and Exo Roast (coffee aid station) and Tap and Bottle (beer aid station).

BAIL OUT OPTION: If you get to this point and have had enough of the circle, you can head south on 6th Avenue two blocks to the Ronstadt Transit Center. Route 21 will take you directly back to Goret Rd and Silverbell Rd, just 1/2 mile from Milagro and the Finish Line. Or, if you want to skip ahead 15 miles on the route, you can take Bus 8 and get off near Tanque Verde and Grant Rd, rejoining the route as you continue to run north on the Pantano and join the Rillito.   

If continuing, head south on 6th Ave on the sidewalk. This sidewalk leads to a pedestrian overpass next to the railroad tracks. Continue southeast past light rail train house.  At end of light rail tracks and near 4th Avenue, get onto pedestrian overpass covered bridge. Stay on bike path paralleling Stevens Ave and 10th Street. Turn right to enter Diamondback Bridge (also called the Snake Bridge). If you survive your trip through the snake and over Broadway Blvd, exit the tail and continue south on the bike path on Aviation Bikeway. Go UNDER South Kino Parkway. Go UNDER E 22nd St and several off ramps. CROSS S. Country Club on bike path, join neighborhood road named Aviation Dr. Continue straight, CROSS E 34th Street (10mi) and rejoin bike path. Go UNDER S. Palo Verde Rd on bike path. CROSS S. Alvernon Way and stay on bike path. CROSS S. Swan Rd on bike path. 

At intersection of Golf Links and Craycroft, get ready for fun. If you need an aid station, there is a Circle K on the NE corner of Craycroft and Golf Links. Just prior to arriving at intersection on bike path, leave path and enter the wash, heading southeast into tunnel under intersection. This is a long tunnel with an elbow in it. You will need a flashlight. Exit SE of intersection in wash and climb up onto sidewalk heading east on south side of E. Golf Links Rd. Pass world's second largest solar field on a military base (#1 is at Ft. Huachuca). Stay on path, turning right at Wilmot Rd. There is a Safeway and Viva Burrito (aid stations) at this intersection. Pick your poison. 

There is a QuickMart (aid station) at your next intersection of Wilmot and Niacaragua Dr (14mi). As you near the Quik Mart on your left, turn right at the second railing to avoid brush in the wash and head down the embankment where the wash is weed free. Follow wash to intersection and turn left, running through concrete tunnel under Wilmot. Aid at this Quik Mart and another store down the street as well at corner of Kolb. Follow Nicaragua to end of the block and stay on bike path as it bends to the right turning onto S. Calle Polar and then it bends to the left becoming E Escalante Rd. Enjoy your view of The Boneyard, or AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group). There are 4,200 military airplanes stored here. Please don't take one.  There is a Quick Mart Aid Station at NE corner of Escalante and Kolb. TURN RIGHT onto Kolb, staying on path. Just past neighborhood development on your left and just past E Lilac Place, TURN LEFT (15mi) (the street light pole here is numbered 4320) cross KOLB Rd and head into desert going due EAST. 

Follow the alley lane behind these houses due east. Enjoy the backyard art along the way. Funky stuff. After 1/4 mile, the houses fade away and things get kind of sketchy. Lots of garbage dumping here. Pick your way through and pick up drainage path, turning left on it and run NE either in small wash or on edge of its embankment.  As you come to road crossings, head down into wash to go GO UNDER Escalante, staying in wash. Once you go under the road, climb back up the embankment on the left and run the dirt road on left paralleling the wash.  GO UNDER Carson, in wash. GO UNDER Pantano, stay in wash. GO UNDER Stella, then ascent up right embankment to avoid something most unpleasant. Or stay in the wash, it's your choice. If up on the embankment, follow the wash staying on the right and curve right around backstop of Ford Elementary athletic field. Continue to the right and cross soccer fields, heading straight towards Lakeside Park. Aim for the boat ramp straight ahead. (17.5mi) Run down the steep boat ramp and turn sharp right at the bottom to avoid entering in the lake. Follow the sidewalk counterclockwise around the lake.  Climb up the steep sidewalk hill to pass over the spillway, then back down to return to water's edge as you make your way around the park. Watch for fishing poles waving around.  Once past the lake, continue on bike path to about (18.5mi) and in a steep dip in the bike path, turn left to enter wash. It's a little brushy here and this is where the adventure of the Pantano starts. 

Bail out options: If you're done at this point, you can pick up a city bus that will get you back to Rondstat Transit Center and then Route 21 takes you up Silverbell back to Goret Road where you can run or walk the final 1/2 mi to the finish. The nearest bus stop is just west of this bridge but is for Express only and doesn't run on Sundays. Bus #17 stops at Golf Links / Pantano. Get on. At 6th St / Wilmot transfer to Route 3. That takes you to the transit center (1 hr commute), then get on Route 21 to return to the finish. Fare is $1.50 and you can transfer with that if you tell the driver. Or, you could stay on Bus 17 North and take it all the way to the end of the bus route at Davis and Ruthrauff. Getting off the bus here, you can just run west on Ruthrauff, it becomes Camino Del Cerro. Stay on the north side of the road and within a mile you will rejoin the final 3 miles of the Vicious Circle Route, heading across and along the Santa Cruz south for just a couple miles to the finish. 


If continuing on the full run: GO UNDER Golf Links Rd in this wash. Continue straight where you will soon join the main Pantano Wash.  There is a bike path along much of the east side of the Pantano Wash. Feel free to get on it. Or punish yourself further by staying in the deep loose sand. Why not, you're only halfway done anyway.  Stay on the Pantano running UNDER E 22nd St, UNDER E. Broadway Blvd. (20 MILE MARK), UNDER E. Speedway Blvd, UNDER E. Tanque Verde Rd. Stay in Pantano until coming to N. Craycroft Rd, where the Pantano River meets the Rillito River. Here, as you cross N. Craycroft Rd, stay on the south side of the Rillito. This is just over the halfway mark on the course. 

Run UNDER N. Swan Rd. Run UNDER N. Alvernon Way and UNDER N. Dodge Blvd. Once under Dodge, turn around and get up on the sidewalk of the Dodge Blvd Bridge. Cross the Rillito to the north bank. Get on the bike path heading west on the north bank until you come to the pedestrian bridge at the Tucson Racquet Club.  CROSS BRIDGE TO SOUTH SIDE OF RILLITO. Here you'll run the Secret Rillito Trail.  RUN UNDER Campbell Ave. (Trader Joe's Aid Station on your left here). Run UNDER N 1st Ave. UNDER N. Stone Ave. After crossing under Stone, hop up onto the parking lot surface of the Tucson Mall. 

BAIL OUT OPTION: If time (or your legs) are tight and you're done at this point, head to the Tohono Tadai Transit Center at the Tucson Mall. Take Route 19 to the Ronstadt Transit Center and transfer to Route 21 to get to Goret / Silverbell. From there it's just a 1/2 mile jog up hill to the Finish at Milagro. 

If continuing on, after crossing Stone Ave, run on the edge of the parking lot next to the bushes and the wash until you go behind back of BevMo, office complex and Dept of Homeland Security. Here you will pick up the bike path again. Go UNDER N. Oracle Rd. Planet Fitness on your left if you want to stop for a quick workout. UNDER N. Flowing Wells Rd. UNDER N. La Cholla Blvd. ACROSS N. Camino De La Tierra. 

Continue following The Loop Bike Path as it bends to the left, under the railroad trestle, UNDER I-10 and the frontage roads (5:00pm cutoff here), and then turn left, staying on bike path that parallels the frontage road, heading south. Enjoy the Pecan orchard on your right. Go ahead. I know a guy. CROSS Sunset Rd, staying on bike path.  Pass through industrial area staying on bike path and arrive at El Camino Del Cerro. Turn right at road, staying on bike path.  Stay on path across bridge to west side of wash, then turn right to go under bridge heading south. Follow this south past Silverbell Lake (drinking fountains, restrooms), past Silverbell Golf Course, and back to the iron bicycle bridge where you started this mess.  Except this time, DON'T CROSS THE BRIDGE! Instead, retrace your steps by continuing straight and follow this wash to Silverbell Road. Run UNDER Silverbell Road in the concrete culvert and head up the same wash you came down what will now seem like 17 years ago.  Up the hill, cross Goret, enter Black Cloud Court and from the empty roundabout, run across the Milagro gravel parking lot to the mailboxes. Pick up the cement sidewalk and head down to the metal gate, the Grassy Circle, the Common House, the Pool, Shower, Beer, Tamales and THE FINISH LINE! 

Use Your Nest Thermostat as Iron Man Arc Reactor Costume

As an ultra runner, I'm used to conserving energy when I run. But being energy stingy doesn't end when I kick off my shoes at the door. I also like saving energy (and money) at home with the way I use electricity.  In fact, I like it so much it's my profession - teaching others how to save both money and energy by being more efficient with it.  So last week when I was to attend a conference of 1000 realtors at a convention center and have a booth to share some easy ways to save energy at home I was in my element. But this conference had a theme and I am a sucker for themed events. In middle school I was the one who took spirit day to a whole other level, and I was a teacher! For instance, one day, on Dress Like a Pirate Day, the principal told me she caught me limping across campus in my knickers and tights during planning period when no one else was out of class, because I stayed in character all day, even when no one else was around.

So the theme of this conference was Back to the Movies, as in Back to the Future. They even had an exact replica Delorean car from the movie brought in on the convention floor.

There were booth decorations and character costumes. There was even a costume contest. I was hooked. But what would I be? What movie character goes along with energy, is cool and could be something I could create in a week?  I thought of The Flash. He's a lightning bolt in a red spandex suit but it didn't seem right. I remembered Iron Man from the Avengers. He's played by Robert Downey Jr. in the film version. As a billionaire weapons investor he damages his heart in a battle and has to create a glowing round orb embedded in his chest to keep his heart functioning. That would be cool I thought. I could get a flat flashlight and tape it to my chest. But I saw a couple of Iron Man suits for sale in the local costume shops and they just oozed cheap.

 I needed something more authentic. And how would I connect it to energy savings? And that's when I had a realization.

An Essay: On My Summer Break I Ran Across 3 States!

Fall is back to school time and my kids love catching up with their friends on all they've done over the summer.  My own work gets back in gear when school bells start chiming again and my summer report sounds different than the others.  I ran 500 miles across three states in June.

The States Runner Finds His Achilles Heel

Summer of 2014 was a challenging year for me as a runner.  In my attempt to cross Oregon and Idaho I encountered several obstacles.  First, there was a massive forest fire on the Pacific Crest Trail which would have required a nearly 100 mile detour on forest roads.  If I had been on my own schedule that would have been fine but with a support crew on a tight timeline and my family expecting me back home I couldn't afford the detour.  Instead, I decided to get shuttled west to the coast and continue my northbound trip due west from where I got off the PCT.  On the coast I was trying to follow the Oregon Coast Trail, a loose network of short beach sections joined by busy segments of Highway 101.  Getting from the beach to the highway proved difficult at times, navigating inland marshes and rising tides.  The traffic on the highway and narrow shoulder were also harrowing.  Don't worry, it made for some great filming!  However, halfway across the state I stepped off the road in mid-stride to avoid an oncoming RV at a spot where the shoulder completely disappeared.