Welcome to Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run

Welcome to Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run!

Saturday, March 3, 2012 - 6:00 am

Start and Finish at Kentucky Camp

You will experience some of the most beautiful and rugged country in Southern Arizona and get a taste of the old west. Please be sure you are well-trained for the hills, rocks and remote nature of the event. The detailed maps included with your packet, and shown below, should be studied before race day and carried with you during the day. Please also note that there may be an Equestrian Event the same day and we will be sharing parts of the course with horses. I will put a note in your race packets regarding the colors of OUR course markers (we are using blue and white flagging with a combination of blue, white and orange at major turns) and THEIR flagging. Please put your personal safety first when encountering horses on the trails. I hope you enjoy your run and the great accomplishment of completing this wonderful course!

Lynda Hendricks, Race Director. email: ultrarunnerlynda@yahoo.com

The course start and finish is at the Historic Mining Site of Kentucky Camp which is approximately 1 hour and 20 minute drive from central Tucson. It is approximately a 20 minute drive from Sonoita, and approximately a half hour drive from Patagonia. Directions to Kentucky Camp are below.

Course Basics:

A challenging 50 mile loop course on forest service roads and trails through the southeastern part of the Santa Rita Mountains (part of the Arizona Trail).Elevation at Kentucky Camp (Start/Finish): 5142 ft Low point in course: 4031 ft, High point in course: 5847 ft Avg. grade is 6% with 7,500 ft climb and 7,500 ft of descent over the 50 miles

Old Pueblo 50 Mile - Course Map and Elevation Profile

Packet Pickup and Race Day Check-in:

Packet Pickup will be Friday, March 2nd at the Fleet Feet Tucson store from 10:30am to 5:00pm (Fleet Feet’s address is 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ 85715) Phone: 520.886.7800 and race morning, Saturday, March 3rd from 0500am to 0530am at Kentucky Camp. Runners are strongly encouraged to pick up their race packets Friday March 2nd from Fleet Feet to prevent race morning delays.

Race morning runner check in will be at Kentucky Camp from 0500am-0545am ALL participating runners MUST check in race morning to participate, even if you picked up your packet on Friday!!!) Picking up race packets does NOTcount as runner check in.

Race Schedule:

Friday, March 2nd– Packet Pickup at the Fleet Feet Tucson store from 10:30am - 5:00pm. (Please try to pick up race packets Friday March 2nd from Fleet Feet to prevent race morning delays)

Saturday, March 3rd– Procrastinator packet pick up from 0500am – 0530am only (at the Fleet Feet table).

Saturday, March 3rd– Race day check-in from 0500 am -0545am (all runners must check in race morning at the Fleet Feet table).

Saturday, March 3rd– Race start at 0600 am. Course is open from 0600am until 900pm. Food will be provided at the finish. No formal awards ceremony will be held, but runners are encouraged to stay and cheer fellow participants at the finish.

Aid Stations:

Aid Stations will be placed at the following locations.

Nine Aid Stations	Approx Time Open & Close	Cutoffs	Crew Access
#1 - Granite Mountain (3 mile) &#7 (33 mile) No Drop bags at #1 (3 Mile)	6 am to 4:30 pm	4:30pm	NO CREW ACCESS
#2 - California Gulch (7 mile) & #6 - (29 mile)	6:30 am to 3 pm	3:00pm	Yes
#3 - Wasp Canyon (13 mile) No Drop bags!	7 am to 10 am	10:00am	NO CREW ACCESS
#4 - Helvetia (19 mile) No Drop bags!	7:30 am to 12 pm	12:00pm	NO CREW ACCESS
#5 - Box Canyon (25 mile)	8:30 am to 1 pm	1:00pm	Yes
# 8 - Cave Canyon (40 mile)	10:30 am to 6 pm	6:00pm	Yes
#9 - Gardner Canyon (46 mile) Water only & No Drop bags!	10:30 am to 7:30 pm	7:30pm	Yes
Kentucky Camp (Finish)	5 am to 9 pm	15 hours	Yes

Aid Station Supplies:

The usual ultra fare will be provided. Carbboom Gels (only at 25 mile aid), potatoes, chips, M&Ms, pretzels, PBJ sandwiches, Coke, water, etc… will be available. HEED energy drink will be available as well as V-8. If you use electrolyte tablets, please plan to bring your own.

Cutoff Times - strictly enforced:

Aid station at mile 33 by 3:30
Aid station at mile 40 by 6:00

Drop Bag Instructions: Drop bags MUST BE IN PLACE AT KENTUCKY CAMP NO LATER THAN 05:30AM race morning. Signs marked 7 / 25 / 29/ 33 / 40 (the milage to each aid) will clearly identify where to leave drop bags for the corresponding aid stations. Each drop bag must be clearly marked with the runner’s name, number and aid station. Drop bags must be adequately sealed and should not contain anything breakable, valuable, irreplaceable or explosive. Drop Bag Retrieval: Drop bags will be brought back from the aid stations periodically during the race. Runners are responsible for retrieving their drop bags from Kentucky Camp after the race. Drop bags are possible ONLY at the following aid stations
#2 (7 miles) Crew access permitted
#5 (25 miles) Crew access permitted
#6 (29 miles) Crew access permitted
#7 (33 miles) No crew access
#8 (40 miles) Crew access permitted
You may also want to consider a drop bag for the finish since it’s a ¼ mile uphill to parking area.

PLEASE NOTE: If you don’t plan to wait for your drop bags to be returned to the finish line, please don’t plan on using drop bags during the event. Drop bags will not be mailed back. If you’re a back of the pack runner, please leave a flashlight or two in your drop bag at Mile 40 aid station.

Pacers:

No pacing is allowed unless the runner is over 60. If a runner over 60 does choose to have a pacer, they will not be eligible to receive an age group award.

Other Serious Stuff:

In order for this run to continue in the future, it is very important that you pack out all your trash. “Leave No Trace” This includes gel tops and toilet paper. Bury all human waste and pack out the toilet paper. Additionally, you will be crossing two sections of private property, one at approximately 10 miles and one at 23 miles. The distance through the private property is less than a half a mile. Please refrain from relieving yourself on this private property. Be respectful of these areas. The property owners have been gracious enough to allow us access.

Parts of this course are exposed and Southern Arizona sun can be intense:

Sunscreen is a must.
All runners must carry at least one water bottle. Two bottles are recommended.

Adobe Walls:

Kentucky Camp Historic District (#95001312) is on the National Register of Historic Places. Please respect the surroundings and do not touch or leaning against any adobe walls. Damage to the adobe structures can cause substantial fines and will jeopardize the future of the OP50.

Gates:

This is cattle country and you will encounter fences and gates. Please close all gates as you pass through, don’t assume the runner behind you will close them. There will be two metal gates to crawl through or over when crossing the private property at mile 23.

Course Marking:

This course will be well marked with flour and ribbons. The colors will be blue and white, with orange added at major intersections and you’ll have a notification in your race packet to help you remember. Colors of ribbons will also be announced at the start. There is always a possibility that the ribbons may get pulled maliciously. Plan to carry the course map with you and pay attention at all road and trail intersections.

Camping & Fires:

You may camp alongside of FR 163 within the national forest or other primitive camping is also allowed in other areas of the national forest. NO FIRES PLEASE.

Weather:

The past several years brought a mix of race day conditions. Be prepared for conditions ranging from rain, snow or warm Arizona sun. Normal March High 66°F, Normal March Low 33°F Average March Precipitation 1.10 in. Last year was dry sunny and warm. Please come prepared for anything.

Gold Prospecting and Rock Collecting:

Please abstain from gold prospecting or rock collecting during the event. Numerous Patented & Unpatented Mining Claims exist on the course; please respect the owners’ rights. Please stay away from any drilling and/or mining equipment that may be on the course.

What is a Mining Claim?

PATENTED MINING CLAIM: A patented mining claim is one for which the Federal Government has passed its title to the claimant, making it private land. A person may mine and remove minerals from a mining claim without a mineral patent. However, a mineral patent gives the owner exclusive title to the locatable minerals. It also gives the owner title to the surface and other resources.
UNPATENTED MINING CLAIM: An un-patented mining claim is a particular parcel of Federal land, valuable for a specific mineral deposit or deposits. It is a parcel for which an individual has asserted a right of possession. The right is restricted to the extraction and development of a mineral deposit. The rights granted by a mining claim are valid against a challenge by the United States and other claimants only after the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit. With a Unpatented Claim: You are leasing, from the government, the right to extract minerals. No land ownership is conveyed.

NOTE: Don’t follow any signs to Old Pueblo Endurance Ride (Horse event) being held around the same time as the OP50 Endurance Run at Empire Ranch and Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

Directions to Kentucky Camp (Start and Finish):

To get to Kentucky Camp from the north (Tucson), take Interstate 10 east to Exit 281 (Highway 83, Sonoita). Head south on Exit 281 and follow State Route 83 approximately 20 miles to the Gardner Canyon Road Kentucky Camp sign and turn right (west).

To get to Kentucky Camp from the south (Sonoita or Patagonia), take State Route 83 north from Sonoita approximately 4 miles and turn left (west) on the Gardner Canyon Road. From the Gardner Canyon Road, go 0.7 miles to first intersection and turn right on Forest Service Road 163 following the signs to Kentucky Camp. Stay on FS road 163 all the way to Kentucky Camp.

When you get to Kentucky Camp, parking is at the gate above the building site. Don’t drive through the gate. Walk through the gate and down the hill to Kentucky camp, about ¼ mile. Drive carefully and watch for wildlife and cattle.

DRIVE CAREFULLY! PLEASE WATCH FOR CATTLE AND OTHER WILDLIFE!

Kentucky Camp (Start/Finish)