I ran the XTERRA AZ-McDowell Mountain 7k and had a blast! The expo/packet pickup was smooth and pain-free at Road Runner Sports. I also had originally signed up for the 15-miler and was able to drop down to the 7k without any issues. The shirts were pretty awesome too! I noticed each XTERRA AZ trail race has a different animal on the logo and the shirts are each different colors. Mine was a pale yellow with a lizard. Very "arizona".

Race Day was warm but not too bad. Perfect for a trail run! PLENTY of parking and tons of restrooms and porta-potties. They even had FREE COFFEE and HOT CHOCOLATE. There was also a great local coffee stand selling iced coffee, mochas, etc. Definitely could've hung out there all day! Perfect for before, after, or both.

The trail was incredibly well marked. It was a single track trail so there was a lot of trying to sprint ahead and weave in and out of the slower runners until I found my right pace/rhythm. I wouldn't recommend going out in the front though unless you are for sure a speedster b/c there are plenty of fast runners in this group!

The trail definitely has some hills.. even on the 7k! It lead to some great views though as you climbed. Pretty rocky and somewhat technical on the climbs so best to not focus too much on the scenery and watch your footing. I did manage to surprise myself and went faster than I thought on this trail!

The finish was pretty great. Live streaming results. And TONS of awesome *food*! We're talking scrambled eggs to muffins. Pretty great for a smaller trail race. Still plenty of coffee around for me too! The Black XTERRA logo makes for a pretty awesome finishers medal as well. Age division winners also received pint glasses!

The only "con" to my XTERRA AZ race experience was that I *technically* came in first place in my division! While that's AWESOME, I am 29 turning 30 later this year. And XTERRA puts you in your age you will be at end of the year, because they have a points system for those who want to qualify for regionals, nationals, etc. So unfortuantley, I was placed in a different age division and placed fifth. ~womp womp~.

Nevertheless, that's not really a race problem, just more of a heads up for those who are on the verge of going up an age division. Be aware it's your end-of-the-year age!

I still very highly recommend this race! Incredibly well managed, great trails, and they have different distances and different races in various spots across the valley all year round. Check em out at aztrailrace.com!