Desert RATS 50K

Race - Apr 15, 2022

Dogs Unknown

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A great blend of technical rocky trail with areas where you can stride out. The trail takes you safely on the edge of cliffs but if you're scared of heights, this one may not be for you.

The course begins at the Mack exit parking lot, runs you one mile out on the road before you start your first climb onto the most technical section of the whole run. At the top of the short climb you'll arrive at a small parking area and turn left up Moore Fun.

Take this trail up and over Moore Fun until you reach a road. Run down the road and do a fun loop on Rustlers Loop trail then come back to just before the end of the Moore Fun trail where you can get on Wranglers. If you want to cut this down to a marathon you can cut out the Rustlers Loop. Wranglers will spit you out onto Mary's Loop where you'll turn right. You can take Mary's Loop all the way to Pizza Point (called Pizza Point because when the trails were built, it was the only place that had cell phone reception where you a could order a pizza and have it waiting for you when you finished).

Turn left off Mary's Loop and begin running along the rim, following the contours of the canyons. This section is incredibly beautiful and may be the highlight of the course. This will spit you out near the beginning of Lion's Loop to Troybuilt. This section can get hot, even in the spring.

At the end of Troybuilt, you can either hop on the road and be back to your car in an easy dirt road mile or begin the last big climb up Mack Ridge . This is another incredibly beautiful section which you should do if you still have the energy. After the massive climb you'll run along the top for a while before starting your final descent to your car on Hawkeye Trail .

Don't get fooled by the final descent, you'll be able to see the highway and parking lot for a while. Don't smell the barn too soon.