MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The first of five races this year in Marana’s ‘Run Marana’series takes place this weekend at the Tortolita Preserve.
The second annual ‘Tortolita Traverse’ takes place on Saturday and Sunday, where over 200 runners and mountain bikers will be competing.
Saturday:
Run
- 6 a.m. check-in
- 6:30 a.m. half marathon
- 6:45 a.m. 7.7 miles
Sunday:
Ride
- 6 a.m. check-in
- 7 a.m. 10-mile race
- 7:15 a.m. 20-mile race
Participants will meet at the trailhead located at 6250 W. Moore Rd.
As of Tuesday, spots are still available in the running events and the 10-mile bike ride.
“This is a really fun opportunity for folks to come out and enjoy the Sonoran Desert,” Town of Marana Natural Resource Supervisor Jason Grodman said. “The Town of Marana is really supportive of outdoor recreation and just providing opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy nature.”
Grodman says the town has been hosting races for over a decade.
Two of the races are on trails, while the other three are road races.
He says trail races are his passion, as his team is partly responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the trail system in Marana.
“I just really enjoy sharing the outdoors with folks who are passionate about recreating outside and just meeting a lot of people who I don’t normally get to see in my day-to-day life, talk about trails and really how beautiful the Sonoran Desert is in general, he said.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
