Papago Park
The turnout for this event was the largest in the ARR’s 40-year history, boasting over a thousand participants. The race wound its way through Papago Park, through a tunnel and along a canal. Despite the narrow course and record-breaking number of participants, the staggered start made the course a lot more navigable than might have been expected.
Brooke ran with Greg as her primary guide and Mike and Torsten as frontrunner/perimeter guides. Angie and Karen participated as joggers/walkers, each pushing a stroller. Other Achilles participants included the Venti family. It was Alex (8) and Sofia's (6) first 5K. Everybody did a fantastic job making their way through a crowded course over changing terrain. Brooke’s team finished in 26:38 and made a beeline for the cold bottled water and soda the ARR had on hand. While we haven’t quite reached the surface-of-the-sun heat for which Phoenix is famous, the morning was definitely toasty.
This was a great, well-organized race full of energetic runners and volunteers, a great kick-off for the Summer Series.
Please join us for the ARR Summer Series #2 race on June 12 at Reach 11 Sports Complex, 2425 East Deer Valley Road. It really is a fun family event to participate in or a great way to test your 5K PR.
Workouts continue to be on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM and Saturdays at 7:00AM. Please check your emails to keep up on any location changes. Unless you hear otherwise, we meet at Chaparral Park
