There was packet pickup offered the day before at Road Runner Sports in Tempe, which was very convenient. For your registration fee, you get a cotton tee, swag bag with power bars, and a finishers medal.

Parking was adequate, but you need to plan on arriving early. There was a line to get in (you have to pay a $6 fee for the Park), so it almost caused the race to start late.

There are 2 distances to choose from - 8k or 20k. The 20k runners start 15 minutes before the 8k runners and follow a different course.

It's almost all singletrack, and extremely technical in my opinion. I ran the 8k and about 80% of the course was loose rocks. It's got great variety of climbs and descents, but you really have to be careful and it's obviously very difficult to pass folks on singletrack where there is cactus on either side!

I enjoyed the views and felt like I really challenged myself. There were awards 3 deep (cool pint classes), and a good spread of post-race food including an ice cream truck!

Xterra races provide a good challenge and great atmosphere. There were both serious seasoned trail runners and plenty of newbies like myself.

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