The Vail Scramble trail half-marathon and 10K traverses the valley between the Santa Rita and the Rincon Mountains. It offers spectacular, sweeping views and is mostly a gentle, winding descent through ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, creosote, and mesquite. The point-to-point half-marathon begins near Twin Tanks south of the town of …
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The Vail Scramble trail half-marathon and 10K traverses the valley between the Santa Rita and the Rincon Mountains. It offers spectacular, sweeping views and is mostly a gentle, winding descent through ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, creosote, and mesquite. The point-to-point half-marathon begins near Twin Tanks south of the town of Sahuarita and follows the AZT north toward the finish line after a short dirt road segment within the first 0.3 mile. The 10K starts near Sahuarita Road and Hwy 83 and runs concurrent along the final 6.2 miles of the half-marathon course. All races finish at the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead on the Arizona Trail near Vail. Transportation is provided to each start line on a school bus. After you finish, transportation is provided back to the parking area. All participants must park at Vail School District (13801 E. Benson Highway Vail, AZ 85641).
Whether you are looking to set a trail half-marathon PR or are attempting your first off-road run, this event is an ideal way to experience the Arizona Trail. Well-stocked aid stations, friendly volunteers and spectacular views are waiting for you. Proceeds benefit the Arizona Trail Association and our mission to maintain and protect the Arizona National Scenic Trail.
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4.5 shoe rating
Well orchestrated! Funny & energetic Race Director! Good finish line Easy to follow course - single track (NOT my favorite) Packet pick up the day before and same day. We … MORE
Well orchestrated!
Funny & energetic Race Director!
Good finish line
Easy to follow course – single track (NOT my favorite)
Packet pick up the day before and same day. We came from out of state and don’t like to do same day packet pick up for races we’re not familiar with. We opted for the day before, but looked like same day packet pick up was easy and not long waits when we arrived at 6:15. Buses departed at 6:30 and 6:15 arrival to pkg lot was perfect.
TIP: Get on the 1st bus and sit towards the front. You’ll be one of the 1st to unload from all the buses = 1st in line for the potties!
Buses to the start line and finish line. That went smoothly.
3 distances each w/ their own start line. Half & 10k course are single track And it’s NARROW ! I assume first half of the full marathon is as well? The way the start lines, start times and runner bibs were staggered + limited # of runners it wasn’t too bad in terms of people bunching up. Single track is just not my favorite, but that’s not a reflection of the race. Merely my personal preference.
Course scenery was beautiful! The course is run on the AZT – Arizona Trail. This is an 800 mile trail spanning from MX to UT. It’s wildflower season in Tucson so made for an even prettier course. Temps were ideal as well.
Terrain? Very rocky at the beginning and uphill at the bottom. RD “warned” us. The course map says mostly downhill, but look closely. There are hills. It is NOT all downhill after the first mile or so. There are 2 tunnels as well. The 2nd one was DARK! Fortunately I had a runner ahead in the distance and could focus on her (kinda). When my husband passed thru it was him and who knows what in that tunnel! Again, RD made us aware of this at the start line. Suggestion for the RD: Add some kind of lighting, flare or something mid tunnel on the 2nd tunnel.
There’s not much in Vail, AZ if you are looking to stay close to the start line. We came from Las Cruces, NM and made a wk vacation of it. We stayed at the Voyager RV Park & Resort which was only 15 min from the race. That was about as close as I found and it was PERFECT! They rent casitas which are pet friendly (we travely w/ our best buddy). They also have a small bldg of hotel rooms (not sure if they are pet friendly?). They have a reasonably priced restaurant on site (cheaper than Chili’s/Applebees). They have shower facilities which would be perfect if you have to check out of your room before the race, but still wanted some place to shower post race before traveling home. They also had a gym if you are looking to work out pre race.
Finish line was good. Beers, agua frescas (think fancy flavored lemonades) that were COLD, snacks and a mariachi band. A few NA beers added to the beer cooler would be a nice touch. Seeing that offered more at finish lines and we enjoy that!
You had to take a bus from the finish line back to your cars, but buses ran regularly and didn’t have to wait long. I’m usually not a fan of races that require buses, but this went well on both ends. Buses were required merely bc of almost no parking at the start line and limited at the finish line. There is a small amount of parking at the finish line if you have friends/family who want to join you, but it is limited.
My only “negative” (and I use that word lightly) was the race swag. We received a pair of socks. Good quality socks, but just socks. Not my favorite by any means. However, that’s also a personal preference. Some people love getting socks. A Race Director will never make everyone happy with all their decisions and I feel bad even mentioning it.
We were one of the first to arrive at packet pick up so managed to snag coupons for free ice creams from Hawaiian Bros. As you can tell from the photo that was a hit the next day after hiking at the Saguaro National Park!
GREAT job overall. Really glad we made the trek from Las Cruces, NM
Great little trail race
This is a fun trail race. Easy to park at a school bus office and they bus you 10 minutes to the start line. It is mostly downhill, except for … MORE
This is a fun trail race. Easy to park at a school bus office and they bus you 10 minutes to the start line. It is mostly downhill, except for the section from the 1 mile mark to the 2 mile mark, then there is another little 1/3 mi uphill starting around 4.5 miles. There is one aid station for the 10k about halfway. Parts of the trail are smooth and others can be really rocky so you do have to pay attention to your feet. I have run this race twice and the first year I did they had a cool colorful shirt with an AZT bandana at the finish and the second year we got socks and a wooden medal at the finish. The scenery is pretty. Great snacks and music after. One year they had a photographer that got my photo and the next year I think he missed me because he was taking photos of the marathoners. It would be nice if they had another photographer. It would also be nice if they could help runners to seed themselves a little better (maybe have some cones at the start with paces or something) because it is single track. But other than that I really enjoy this race. I am going to run this one again this year!