New Year's 2013!

(Thanks to Sabrina for the post!) Fifteen runners and two dogs met at the middle school baseball fields to welcome in the New Year on the first chilly morning of 2013. Despite temps being a frosty 8 degrees F, spirits were high and NATRA welcomed many old faces and greeted some great new faces as well. The morning was clear and quite beautiful, and being a hardy bunch, we donned our microspikes and took to the trail. We ran along the urban trail for as long as we each felt needed; some of us did about 4 miles, others went for >6, but we all met back at the baseball fields with faces shining and ready to take on the new year.

Happy new year to Neil, and all the wonderful folks of NATRA! May the trails of Flagstaff bring us together and give us our passion and strength for yet another awesome year!

NATRA's 2012 Top Ten

As we wind down the clock to the first group run of the New Year tomorrow, I have decided to make my own top 10 list for NATRA’s finest moments of 2012 (according to me that is!).

10. 9/30/2012 – Fall foliage run at Aspen Corner when more than 30 runners participated.

9. 10/6/2012 – War Dog Run attracts a record number of newbies and a history by race co-founder Rusty Knott.

8. 12/1/2012 – Beaver Creek Polar Plunge has record 3 runners take the icy leap, finally including me!

7. 3/31/2012 – Getting our butts kicked on Historic Route 66 Ash Fork Hill run.

6. 4/211/2012 – NATRA joins Albie Masland for a few miles of his epic Forrest Gump run across the country in support of the Travis Manion Foundation.

5. 3/17/2012 – NATRA takes an adventure run to the abandoned historic Johnson Canyon Tunnel west of Williams.

4. 2/5/2012 – NATRA’s Running Dead Aid Station full of Zombies and Flagstaff Katzen’s polka music win best aid station at Sedona Marathon.

3. 10/13/2012 – A most memorable Soulstice with a blizzard making course marking challenging, and then on race day the first Soulstice wedding between Sabrina Blackledge and Terrance Langham.

2. 12/21/2012 – NATRA’s virtual Mayan Apocalypse 5K Run to End All Runs and its commemorative Ramble Brothers shirts attract 350+ runners from across the globe.

After nearly 30 years of grass roots efforts (with NATRA’s David McKee a driving force), NATRA in part sponsored cleanup efforts, and what many said was impossible……

1. 10/30/2012 – the City of Flagstaff purchases Picture Canyon one of the most significant archaeological sites in the region. This gives Flag residents access to the Arizona Trail and an extension of the Flagstaff Urban Trail for future generations.

 

I Brrrrrrrr Huckaby!

In 2012, NATRA hosted 50 free group runs with over 750 participants!  Figuring an average of about 6 miles per outing, we ran more than 4500 miles of trails!

(Thanks to Sabrina and David for the following report!) It was a cold morning for the final NATRA run of 2012. With sunrise temperatures near 0°F in Flagstaff, we weren't surprised at the low turnout. Braving the cold temperatures were Sabrina, Susan, and David. It was warmer in Sedona with a temperature of 34°F but there was a brisk down-canyon wind.  Per David, cold air would be drifting off the rim and into Oak Creek Canyon, so we were to expect a windy, cold run down Huckaby. He was absolutely correct, and we began our run facing into the wind and well-layered up. As always, however, Huckaby proved to be a heart-pounding ride and we soon became warm. We made it to the creek and returned with the wind to our backs. 

Post-run was coffee and sandwiches at Indian Gardens, where we enjoyed a world-class view of the canyon and discussed the superiority of old-school photography and tube-screen TVs! Meanwhile, Sedona only got even colder as the day turned overcast, so it was no trouble heading back up the mountain. 

Also, we have all agreed that Neil needs to put Boynton Canyon back on the plan for the new year!