Javelina Jundred

RunnyLani’s RaceRaves Review of 2016 Javelina Jundred (as spectator/crew)

INTRO

Located in McDowell Mountain Regional Park north of Fountain Hills, Arizona (its nearest city is Phoenix), Javelina Jundred (pronounced “Havelina Hundred”) is a 100-mile (and 100-kilometer) trail running race held annually on the weekend leading right up to Halloween.

“JJ100” is one of the more well-known of the 100-mile races for a few reasons. The race director encourages a fun party atmosphere due to it being held near Halloween. He offers various costume awards in addition to the standard finisher awards. The 100-miler is also a qualifier for the famous Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, and both the 100-miler and 100-K races are qualifiers for the famous Ultra Trail Mont-Blanc held in Europe. In addition, for a trail race, this course has a relatively flat elevation map, making it an attractive option for those looking to minimize the amount of climbing done for many trail races.

Finally, the course uses a 20-mile loop (five times around for the 100-milers, three for the 100-Ks), making this race tremendously easier for runners’ support crews. While point-to-point ultras may require the use of a support van, the loop allows crews to set up camp at the primary timing mat (at “Javelina Jeadquarters,” of course) and just wait for their runners to return back every 20 miles.

The 2016 edition celebrated its 15th anniversary, and for the first time, completely reconfigured the Jeadquarters area. Rather than a very tightly packed area where spectators and crew had to jostle elbows, the area was completely expanded out into a huge expansive campsite. In addition to the rental tents (which were available in the past), the Jeadquarters layout created a guided track. Runners ran into camp, ran along the guided alley to the start/finish line, crossed the timing mat to get properly credited, then reversed course and ran back past the timing mat, back through the guided alley, and out of camp.

Support crews set up EZ-up tents and picnic chairs all along this alley, and runners could choose to stop at their own stations either heading in to the timing mat, or heading out on the way back onto the race course.

I attended this year’s race not as a runner, but as support crew for my husband, who was tackling his very first 100-mile distance. This review covers my experience at Javelina Jeadquarters, and includes tips for those thinking of doing Javelina in the future, with a focus on those who plan to be support crew (or pacer).

TENT RENTALS

When you sign up for the race, you also have the ability to pay for tent rentals. Tents come in a few different configurations (large tent, smaller tent; cots; sleeping bags).

As a reminder, make sure to take everyone into account when you figure out how many tents, cots, and sleeping bags you need. Although they may have extras, it’s best to get the count right from the beginning. For example, don’t just rent a cot and sleeping bag for your support crew person. If you are a racer, you also need a cot and sleeping bag to use Friday night, the evening before the race.

For 2016, the tents were arranged based on the configuration you rented. As you checked in and got your parking pass, they gave you a big sticker with your name and what you had rented. You then stuck this sticker on a tag hanging from the tent, and that’s how you claimed your tent.

Rental tent check-ins started at 7:00 am on Friday. Although you don’t have to arrive exactly at 7:00, the earlier in the day you show up, the better spot you will likely be able to snag.

SUPPORT CAMPS

In addition to your rental tents, your support crew should come prepared with some type of shade structure. An EZ-Up tent from Costco is probably your easiest bet, but a smaller Sunbrella or other shade structure can also do. In a pinch, bring some camping chairs to mark your territory, and bring an umbrella (since you’ll be doing a lot of sitting around in the sun).

Support crew who were teamed up to help multiple runners or who had experience crewing, had some pretty nice camp setups. We brought a campstove to brew fresh coffee and make a pasta dinner on Saturday night; we saw other people with camp stoves, as well as portable adirondack chairs and various other comforts. Don’t forget; as crew, you will be spending the next 30 hours in your support camp, so make it comfortable.

BIB PICK-UP/EXPO

The expo and bib pick-up were held in a small convention center hall at the We-Ko-Pa Resort, which is a hotel adjacent to a tribal casino in nearby Scottsdale. Here, you can buy all sorts of JJ race souvenirs, as well as check out booths from other vendors and races.

BEER MILE

On Friday afternoon, there is an unofficial “beer mile” race at Jeadquarters. Essentially, participants drink a can of beer, run a quarter mile, drink another can of beer, run another quarter mile, and so on, until you run a mile. You’re expected to bring your own beer, and most of the participants were there as pacers or crew (only three of the participants were racing the next day). I’m not one to encourage drinking and running, but at least it’s only a mile. I guess.

FOOD VENDORS

For those looking for food, Freak Brothers Pizza sets up shop and sells wood-fired pizzas for the entire duration of the weekend. In addition, another vendor sold kettle corn and frozen slushies. There are no rules against cooking your own food though, so some people brought or made their own (for example, I cooked dinner for the support crew on Saturday evening).

RACE TIMES

The 100-miler starts in the predawn hour of 6:00 am on Saturday, and the 100-K starts at 7:00 am an hour later.

There are two time cutoffs for this race: the 100-milers who finish by 6:00 am on Sunday are recognized with a big belt buckle for finishing in under 24 hours. 100-milers and 100-Kers have a firm cutoff of noon Sunday to finish in under 30 hours. Those who do are rewarded with a smaller finisher belt buckle; those who cannot finish in under 30 hours chip time are not included in the official finishers’ roster.

WEATHER/HEAT/DROP-OUTs

This year (2016) in particular, there was a terrible heatwave that happened just over race weekend. Temperatures soared to 93 F at Jeadquarters; racers report their GPS watch logs showing many of the trail locations hitting over 105 degrees (due to valleys trapping heat, the sun reflecting off the ground, etc.). It is perhaps for this reason that this year’s race had a profoundly high drop-out rate. Of the 574 participants in the 100-miler, only 285 finished.

The race organizers even tried to discourage runners from giving up on the 100-miler before race weekend. In the past, those who felt they couldn’t finish 100 miles were allowed to downgrade on the fly to the 100K race and be listed as a official 100K finisher, and earning the 100K finisher’s buckle. For the first time this year, they did away with this downgrade option; runners who couldn’t finish the 100-mile distance were classified as DNF (“did not finish”) on the roster, and were not allowed to take home a 100K buckle.

Regardless, the blistering heat sapped even the heartiest of runners, with racers having various heat-related issues (there were a few ambulance runs made on race day).

TIPS FOR CREWING

You’ll want to work with your runner to figure out what they will need when they come in, but the general philosophy is that this should be like a NASCAR pit stop — with a VERY fast pit crew taking care of things very quicly — rather than a way for the runner to sit down and take a rest. The longer they rest among friends and family, the harder it will be for them to leave for their next lap.

Try to bring as much gear to set up your crew camp as you can. The most important thing to bring is a shade structure. Next to that, folding picnic chairs. Everything else is extra. We brought a folding table and a camp stove, and our camp supported four runners, with a total of five support people (three of whom were also serving pacing duty for the final laps). Some of the support people didn’t stay at camp, but instead, went back and forth to buy ice and water so that we were never out of supplies. We also brought battery-operated holiday lights to string on our shade structure, and added other decorations to add to the party atmosphere. A few of us even dressed in Halloween costumes (at least until the heat got to be too much). There really aren’t many ultra races where the crew get to have this much fun, though (but it’s only as much fun as you make it! — so bring decorations!).

This race allows pacers only after the runners will be on the course in the dark. Pacers are required to sign a waiver form but do not get their own race bibs. However, pacers are welcomed at all the aid stations along the course, and are allowed to eat aid station food as well as get ice and water.

ELECTRONICS/CELL COVERAGE

We were told by various people in advance that the entire course has cell coverage, although we did hear from some people that they discovered some dead zones. We have Verizon, and had no issues whatsoever.

If you and your racer have iPhones, enable the iOS-native Find Friends app so you can track exactly where the racer is on the course. Although the distance is as the crow flies, it will still give you a general idea of how close they are and when you might need to start reconvening at your camp to be ready to provide crewing duties.

Even without Find Friends, there are other livestream apps you might consider (like RoadID). Using these apps may use up a lot of energy of the phone battery, though, so you need to be ready with back-up batteries and chargers.

At minimum, bring all your electronics fully charged. In addition, buy an external battery power bank — the bigger the storage capability, the better. We brought two 20,000mAh batteries with us; they were the size of iPhone 6S models but weighed about three times as much. Each, however, were good for at least six full charges of dead smartphones.

If you aren’t sure the racer’s phone will last a lap, they can use a battery phone case (such as Mophie Juice Box or the new ones from Apple). We actually brought two Mophies and swapped them out on every lap so the phone was never low on battery.

Just know that there are NO power outlets at camp (that we could find). Those that are available, will likely be reserved for race officials or race volunteers, so you are mostly on your own for charging your electronics.

Finally, be aware that most GPS watches will not last long enough for a 100-mile race when you have it actively tracking a workout.

The key here is to consider buying a model that lets you charge the phone while it’s in tracking mode. These tend to be the more expensive, advanced models, but if ultras are in your future, they may be worth the investment. For us, we purchased a Garmin fenix 3, which my husband was able to charge successfully while on one of the loops (he looked like a Star Trek Borg with a cable coming out of his watch and running into his hydration vest, where it was connected to a small external charger battery).

GENERAL THOUGHTS

A lot of people really love this race, and attend multiple times. I’m not entirely sure my husband wants to do it again, but he’s still very fresh from race weekend (and likely won’t form any firm thoughts until much later). The new camp diagram makes this event very spectator-friendly, which I expect might make this an even more popular race in the future (especially for runners who want to bring out family members to help them crew). The looped course is a double-edged sword, though. While it’s very convenient for crew, it is also a big temptation for runners to stop at camp and simply stop continuing.

If you’re looking for a race with a lot of personality (there are flashes of Burning Man in the way the camp feels) and you’re looking for a fun 100M or 100K, this one is definitely worth a look.

Just be warned that heat could play a very big factor. Oh, and rattlesnakes. And bees (who love to swarm around the aid stations).