2nd Annual Vicious Circle & Half Circle Run
Sunday, January 22, 2017
It's the Vicious Circle. A 45 mile Urban Adventure.
And the Vicious Half Circle. A 22 mile Fun Run
And the Vicious Half Circle. A 22 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.
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, restrooms, large dining hall, food and drinks!
6am: Early start time for full loopers - those wanting additional time on the course.
7am: General start for full loop. Numerous distance options. 7pm finisher cutoff (12 hours).
10am: Shuttle leaves starting line to take half loopers to east side. 10:45am, start of Half Circle Run.
3-7pm: Finish line and "I'm Not Dead Yet" celebration. Prizes for finishers at all distances with Tucson Tamale meal 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. A current tetanus shot isn't a bad idea either.
Tracking: For safety, I'm going to ask each runner to either text me their location twice during their run or (iPhone users) set their phone to share their location with me during the event.
Tracking: For safety, I'm going to ask each runner to either text me their location twice during their run or (iPhone users) set their phone to share their location with me during the event.
Course: This 45.66 mile clockwise 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:
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 Milagro, cross Goret Road, dip down into desert floor and head east to Silverbell. Cross under Silverbell in tunnel and head east to Santa Cruz River. Join river bike path heading north all the way until it crosses frontage road and I-10. Head east on Rillito on south side of river, pass Trader Joes. At Racquet Club, cross to north side of Rillito. At Dodge, cross back to south side. At Craycroft, join the Pantano Wash, staying on the west bank of it going south. At Lakeside Park, run clockwise around lake, behind Ford Elementary School and in wash heading SW towards Kolb. Cross Kolb Road, then go north along it. At Escalante, turn left and stay on paved bike path past Boneyard and DMAFB. At intersection of Craycroft / Golf Links, cross road UNDER intersection in tunnel. Stay on path on north side of Golf Links, heading west. Continue west, across Snake Bridge, past Light Rail Station, and cross 6th Street at railroad tracks. Enter wash just north of 6th street at trestle and turn left in wash. Go UNDER I-10 and Frontage road in wash, leading to Santa Cruz. Cross Santa Cruz (if able) and head north on bike path along west bank. Continue past Grant Road until cross iron bridge across small tributary before golf course. TURN LEFT immediately after the bridge, leaving the paved path and follow the narrow dirt trail back under Silverbell and up to the finish at Milagro.
Detailed Notes: From Start, head up sidewalk, across parking lot, following cones and flags to empty neighborhood (Black Cloud Court), 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, heading north on bike path. Follow this north past Silverbell Golf Course and Silverbell Lake (drinking fountains, restrooms).
Stay on bike path and arrive at El Camino Del Cerro. Turn right at road, staying on bike path. Stay on path under bridge to north side of Cmo Del Cerro and continue east across bridge over Santa Cruz River, then north on bike path again.
Continue following The Loop Bike Path as it bends to the right, UNDER the frontage road and I-10 (under the railroad trestle), and then turn right, staying on bike path.
ACROSS N. Camino De La Tierra.
UNDER N. La Cholla Blvd.
UNDER N. Flowing Wells Rd.
Planet Fitness on your right if you want to stop for a quick workout.
Go UNDER N. Oracle Rd.
Here you will leave the bike path.
Run along the edge of the mall parking lot, inside the hedges, and behind BevMo.
UNDER N. Stone Ave. After crossing under Stone, hop up onto the parking lot surface of the Tucson Mall.
Run UNDER N 1st Ave.
BAIL OUT OPTION 1: If 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
Bail out option 2: 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 at 22nd St 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. If you catch Brian Stark when dropping off the halfers, you can get a ride back with him.
Once on the west side of Kolb Road, turn right, running north on the west shoulder of Kolb. At Escalante, turn left to pick up the Loop bike path. Head west on the paved bike path, running past the iconic airplane boneyard. 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.
Convenience Store (aid) at NE corner of Craycroft and Golf Links. As you near the intersection with Craycroft, turn LEFT to dip down into the wash. Get out your flashlight and buddy up. This is a tunnel under the intersection. It has a dogleg in it so you can't see the other end until you're halfway through. Emerge on the NW corner of the intersection and get back on the bike path to your right, heading west.
Stay on bike path along Golf Links until coming to Alvernon. Continue straight ACROSS Alvernon, heading west. CROSS Dodge, go UNDER Palo Verde and stay on path.
After 34th St, dedicated path ends, so veer right to head onto neighborhood street, named Aviation Road. Continue NW on this until it resumes as a bike path at Camilla Stravanue.
CROSS Country Club.
Go UNDER 22nd St.
UNDER Kino.
Pass by TUSD Project MORE High School.
CROSS Basket Bridge over S. Euclid Ave.
CROSS Snake Bridge over Broadway Blvd.
After exiting snake's mouth, turn left on path.
Stay LEFT along Stevens Ave, pass by Light Rail Train Station.
Dedicated path ends at train station, but continue straight across open desert between the street car station on your right and the Amtrak train tracks on your left.
Cross bridge over 6th Ave next to train tracks, then turn right.
At 7th Street, turn left.
BAIL OUT OPTION 3: If done here, head south to Rondstat Transit Center, get on bus route #21. Will return you to Silverbell/Goret Rd.
At 7th Ave (Small Planet Bakery), stay to the right of the train tracks.
At 6th St, cross street, following railroad tracks and get on left side of tracks.
WATCH FOR TRAFFIC!
You will next come to a wooden and steel train trestle. Dip down into the wash here and turn left in the wash (Arroyo Chico). If it is flowing you can opt to run west on 6th St. If it's not full of water, stay in the wash, under I-10 and the frontage road and emerge in the Santa Cruz River. If it is flowing, you can get up onto the east bank of the river and get on the bike path on the east bank, head north. If the river is dry, cross it and get onto the bike path on the west bank, head north.
At the Dragon Restaurant, you only have 4.92 miles to go!
With just over a mile to go, cross iron and wood bike bridge and IMMEDIATELY TURN LEFT, OFF the Paved Bike Path and retrace your steps back to Silverbell. 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, Beer, Tamales and THE FINISH LINE!
Concise Notes: From Milagro, cross Goret Road, dip down into desert floor and head east to Silverbell. Cross under Silverbell in tunnel and head east to Santa Cruz River. Join river bike path heading north all the way until it crosses frontage road and I-10. Head east on Rillito on south side of river, pass Trader Joes. At Racquet Club, cross to north side of Rillito. At Dodge, cross back to south side. At Craycroft, join the Pantano Wash, staying on the west bank of it going south. At Lakeside Park, run clockwise around lake, behind Ford Elementary School and in wash heading SW towards Kolb. Cross Kolb Road, then go north along it. At Escalante, turn left and stay on paved bike path past Boneyard and DMAFB. At intersection of Craycroft / Golf Links, cross road UNDER intersection in tunnel. Stay on path on north side of Golf Links, heading west. Continue west, across Snake Bridge, past Light Rail Station, and cross 6th Street at railroad tracks. Enter wash just north of 6th street at trestle and turn left in wash. Go UNDER I-10 and Frontage road in wash, leading to Santa Cruz. Cross Santa Cruz (if able) and head north on bike path along west bank. Continue past Grant Road until cross iron bridge across small tributary before golf course. TURN LEFT immediately after the bridge, leaving the paved path and follow the narrow dirt trail back under Silverbell and up to the finish at Milagro.
Detailed Notes: From Start, head up sidewalk, across parking lot, following cones and flags to empty neighborhood (Black Cloud Court), 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, heading north on bike path. Follow this north past Silverbell Golf Course and Silverbell Lake (drinking fountains, restrooms). Stay on bike path and arrive at El Camino Del Cerro. Turn right at road, staying on bike path. Stay on path under bridge to north side of Cmo Del Cerro and continue east across bridge over Santa Cruz River, then north on bike path again.
Continue following The Loop Bike Path as it bends to the right, UNDER the frontage road and I-10 (under the railroad trestle), and then turn right, staying on bike path.
ACROSS N. Camino De La Tierra.
UNDER N. La Cholla Blvd.
UNDER N. Flowing Wells Rd.
Planet Fitness on your right if you want to stop for a quick workout.
Go UNDER N. Oracle Rd.
Here you will leave the bike path.
Run along the edge of the mall parking lot, inside the hedges, and behind BevMo.
UNDER N. Stone Ave. After crossing under Stone, hop up onto the parking lot surface of the Tucson Mall.
Run UNDER N 1st Ave.
Here you'll run the Secret Rillito Trail.
RUN UNDER Campbell Ave. (Trader Joe's Aid Station on your left here).
At the pedestrian bridge at the Tucson Racquet Club, CROSS BRIDGE TO NORTH SIDE OF RILLITO. Get on the bike path heading east on the north bank.
At Dodge Blvd, turn right, crossing on bridge sidewalk to the south side of Rillito, then UNDER N. Dodge Blvd, resuming on bike path.
Run UNDER N. Alvernon Way
Run UNDER N. Swan Rd.
This is just under the halfway mark on the course.
Here, as you cross N. Craycroft Rd, stay on the south side of the Rillito.
Here, the Rillito meets the Pantano.
Get into the Pantano Wash or on the west bank of the Pantano running
UNDER E. Tanque Verde Rd,
UNDER E. Speedway Blvd,
UNDER E. Broadway Blvd,
UNDER E 22nd St.
Between 22nd St and Golf Links, stay on the path to the right, which takes you to a spillway of Lakeside Park.
UNDER E Golf Links Rd.
LAKESIDE PARK IS THE STARTING POINT FOR the HALF VICIOUS Circle Runners at about 10:30am. They will start from the east side of Lakeside Park, near the spillway.
Bail out option 2: 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 at 22nd St 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. If you catch Brian Stark when dropping off the halfers, you can get a ride back with him.
From the spillway, follow the sidewalk clockwise 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. At the boat ramp on the west side of the lake, make a sharp left up the hill, across the parking lot and head across the athletic fields of Ford Elementary School. Cross the soccer fields and curve left around the backstop of the baseball field. Once through the school property, just before the next road crossing, dip down into the wash on your right (if it's not flowing). You will ideally dip into this wash, turn left in it and run it
UNDER Stella,
UNDER Pantano,
UNDER Carson,
here, there is a dirt road on your right paralleling the wash. You are welcome to it.
UNDER Escalante, then climb up the right embankment, and find yourself in bit of a trash heap. Head east cross country or on a single lane dirt road towards the southernmost row of homes and run east in the alley behind them. The goal here is to be south of Escalante and with all of the housing to your right. Head due west ACROSS Kolb Road.
(the street light pole here is numbered 4320)
Once on the west side of Kolb Road, turn right, running north on the west shoulder of Kolb. At Escalante, turn left to pick up the Loop bike path. Head west on the paved bike path, running past the iconic airplane boneyard. There are 4,200 military airplanes stored here. Please don't take one.
Follow the path as it bends along S. Calle Polar and Nicaragua.
There is another QuickMart (aid station) at your next intersection of Wilmot and Niacaragua Dr (14mi to go!). As you pass the Quik Mart on your right, go down into the wash on your left and under Wilmot. Turn right to stay in the wash and climb up the right bank onto the bike path heading north. Continue north on path along Wilmot until coming to E Golf Links Road. Turn LEFT here to stay on bike path. You are now running next to the world's second largest solar installation on a military base (#1 being Ft. Huachuca). 
Convenience Store (aid) at NE corner of Craycroft and Golf Links. As you near the intersection with Craycroft, turn LEFT to dip down into the wash. Get out your flashlight and buddy up. This is a tunnel under the intersection. It has a dogleg in it so you can't see the other end until you're halfway through. Emerge on the NW corner of the intersection and get back on the bike path to your right, heading west.
Stay on bike path along Golf Links until coming to Alvernon. Continue straight ACROSS Alvernon, heading west. CROSS Dodge, go UNDER Palo Verde and stay on path.
CROSS Country Club.
Go UNDER 22nd St.
UNDER Kino.
Pass by TUSD Project MORE High School.
CROSS Basket Bridge over S. Euclid Ave.
CROSS Snake Bridge over Broadway Blvd.After exiting snake's mouth, turn left on path.
Stay LEFT along Stevens Ave, pass by Light Rail Train Station.
Dedicated path ends at train station, but continue straight across open desert between the street car station on your right and the Amtrak train tracks on your left.
Cross bridge over 6th Ave next to train tracks, then turn right.
At 7th Street, turn left.
BAIL OUT OPTION 3: If done here, head south to Rondstat Transit Center, get on bus route #21. Will return you to Silverbell/Goret Rd.
At 7th Ave (Small Planet Bakery), stay to the right of the train tracks.
At 6th St, cross street, following railroad tracks and get on left side of tracks.
WATCH FOR TRAFFIC!
You will next come to a wooden and steel train trestle. Dip down into the wash here and turn left in the wash (Arroyo Chico). If it is flowing you can opt to run west on 6th St. If it's not full of water, stay in the wash, under I-10 and the frontage road and emerge in the Santa Cruz River. If it is flowing, you can get up onto the east bank of the river and get on the bike path on the east bank, head north. If the river is dry, cross it and get onto the bike path on the west bank, head north.
At the Dragon Restaurant, you only have 4.92 miles to go!
With just over a mile to go, cross iron and wood bike bridge and IMMEDIATELY TURN LEFT, OFF the Paved Bike Path and retrace your steps back to Silverbell. 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, Beer, Tamales and THE FINISH LINE!
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