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Tim Cronk 2020 Corona Virus Ultrarun

All of our races have been cancelled. We need purpose with goals. UMAZ was scheduled for 3/27-3/29. Looking to utilize some hard earned fitness and burn off some mental bank, on 3/28 I chose a run from my house to the top of Mt. Lemmon and back. This was something I dreamed up a few years ago and now was the opportunity to get r done.

This was mostly a trail run which is NOT what I had been training for. I had another EPIC day planned on the bike (house to the top of Kitt Peak and back for a 150mile day) but managed to knock that off the list during UMAZ training. So Ultra Trail run it was to be. The fitness was in the bank but I was severely lacking in specificity. Over the last month I got in a few good vertical days and called it good. Below is my last 12 weeks running data.

The Route- From my house, 6.5 miles of road rolling terrain to Catalina State Park, 7 miles with 4k elevation gain to Romero Pass, then around 6 miles with 3.5k elevation gain to Mt. Lemmon Peak at 9159' and back for a round trip of 38 miles or Covid 19 X 2.

Setting up my Aid Station- Weds Heather and I did a hike up past Romero Pools which is about 4 miles with 2k' climbing from Catalina State Park or 10.5 miles from my house the start. I hauled up 2 small cokes, 2 small md's, and 2 extra nutrition bars.

Saturday 3/28 - Wake up 4:45, coffee, eat, business taken care of, head out the door around 6:15am. It was 38 degrees so I dressed warm and only ran with a single bottle run vest. I planned to meet Heather at the Park to switch to my 2 liter hydration pack loaded with all the gear. About halfway to the park I realized I needed some TP and had forgot to carry some or put some in the single bottle pack. Rookie move. Heather was driving by before the issue became serious and saved the day. ON the way to the park I saw 4 coyote's and then in the park I kept hearing one singing, all of this is routine , but what was cool is I actually got to see the coyote singing, full on head back song while I watched, stopped to try and video him, but that spooked him, so never got it on video. Met Heather at 6.5 miles and swapped packs. Ran/hiked the next 4 miles to my makeshift AS #1, shed extra shirt, hat and gloves , put all in the pack, grabbed 2 cokes , 1md, 1 bar to haul up higher for later , and left 1 md and 1bar for the return. Ate one bar and headed up the next 3 miles to Romero Pass , stored a coke and bar at makeshift AS #2 , from here to the top another 5-6 miles was all unchartered territory for me, I had built a route file and downloaded it to my GPS watch and also have the REI App Trailrun Project which had all the trails I was on mapped and works really well in airplane mode, there were a few crossing trails but navigation was easy and mostly marked with signs. Beautiful technical ridgeline trail with , hoodoo's, boulder's, and pines weaving its way to the top at 9159' elevation. The trail to the top was mostly facing south and west so clear of snow, lil mud, reaching the top , I took a short loop trail to rejoin the trail I came up , that was facing north and east, most of it covered with snow and ice but it was so cold the surface was still frozen, I got quite cold , specially my hands , but not bad enough to stop and put gloves on, re-entering the sun and descending quickly warmed me up. I had passed a few hikers on the way up and saw them again on my way down having put 10+ miles on them. Was reassuring to know there were others up there just in case. I had been texting Heather intermittently on my progress, but not all messages were going through, and she was busy doing 12 miles herself. Hit my upper AS on the way down, grabbed md and bar, picked up my trash, text Heather and kept going. Hit my lower AS , another md and bar, packed trash, was getting warm, took last long sleeve off. As I started walking from here, I had 2 poles in left hand, a bar and phone in the right, I was trying to open wrapper for the bar, trying to read Heathers text, a lady who I had passed earlier had caught up at this point and was asking me questions, while turning to speak over my left shoulder, the ground gave way below my feet on the right, totally off balance and hands full, I went down and over the embankment, scraped up my right arm pretty good, but was thankful not to be impaled by a cactus. Poor lady was then apologizing and trying to help me, offering wipes etc. Trying to keep 6’ and be nice I politely declined , besides I had small medical kit if needed. Made it back to Catalina State Park, Met Heather, swapped out the large hydration pack for the minimal one. 6.5 miles of road and I was home.


https://www.strava.com/activities/3229658390


Nutrition- 2640 calories total, 80oz skratch and tailwinds, 60oz od coke/md, 2cliff bars, 2skratch bars. Or 240 calories per hr and 12.5oz fluid per hour.


Hydration Pack- Nathan 2liter, blister/medical kit, water filter and collapsible bottle (not needed but the only water is running on the ground) food, gloves, hat, hand warmers, extra shirt, wind breaker and phone. Try to travel light but your on your own and need to be prepared.


End of the day in my back yard. Mt. Lemmon Peak is the high point just above the center Cyprus tree over my right shoulder. Romero Pass is the low point over my left shoulder. From where I am standing to that peak and back was 38.5 miles.


Close up of the fall!





My neighbor hood from the airplane I mean near the peak!



Only 19 more miles to go, but it’s all downhill.


Rare snow sighting!


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Comments

  • edited March 31, 2020 9:16AM

    Looks really neat.

    sorry i didn’t get to do it with you.

    Glad you didn’t die.

    staying in Arizona until virus done ?

  • That is bonkers. Congratulations for pushing the extremes to, well, the extreme. Please don't get all "for my next trick, the Double Lemmon" in each of new heights. Just take up golf!

  • @tim cronk Epic, epic day. Way to have "fun" with your fitness! I'm glad the day was successful and you ended it with a smile on your face 😊

  • Love: the pictures, the sun, the lack of any cactus needles in your arm, the frozen snow, the smiles, the pure joy of having FUN WITH YOUR WELL_EARNED FITNESS!

    And I'm feeling a little sad we didn't get to share that day with you...

  • @robin sarner may have to stay in AZ longer than planned, will see what the world looks like near the end of April and decide on our Eastward bound trip.


    @Dave Tallo And for my next trick? You want in? I was thinking run Mt. Lemmon from Catalina State Park up and down (26 miles round trip with 7500' climb/descent) and then run Kitt Peak (the dirt road/trail that goes up the backside, should be around 11 miles round trip with 3000'+ climb/descent) In the same day ! Thank God Kitt is closed LOL.... I'd take up golf but the courses are closed. Maybe its a good time to do online guitar lessons while zwifting?


    @Jeff Phillips yeah making Lemonade out of Lemmons almost literally :-)


    @Al Truscott Yeah missing you guys but that was a good call. Weird not being able to plan forward heh?

  • That sounds like so much fun! I love Arizona running. Was just in Tucson end of Feb and had a couple of good runs there in the mountains- but nothing like this!

  • @tim cronk love the photo journalism and your fearlessness to do this. As I read it I couldn't help but think of the book, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by C. Castaneda. In the desert all alone, but not really.

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