They say it is darkest just before dawn, and for 28-year-old Michael Versteeg of Prescott, that darkness lasted a really long time. Fifty-three miles into Northern Arizona’s first ultra 100-mile extreme marathon, the Yavapai College chemistry instructor said he was in a dark place.
“I was in one of the darkest spots I’ve ever been in running, physically and mentally,” he said. “It wasn’t suddenly cold, but constantly cold. I was feeling physically poor and thought it wasn’t going to happen.”
Like the below-freezing temperatures, what felt like “wasn’t going to happen” set in just before midnight on Saturday, Oct. 19. Traveling through the night over unfamiliar, rugged Northern Arizona terrain was challenging for even the most seasoned runner. Versteeg had only been running distances for a little more than a year.
Nonetheless, with sunrise came victory. After 17 hours and 41 minutes, Versteeg finished first in the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100 mile Ultra & Relay.
An avid rock climber and backpacker, Versteeg says running has done more for him for physical fitness and as a stress reliever than any other activity. Training on the trails around Prescott and marveling at the scenery, he wonders why more people are not out there.
“Prescott has the potential to become a mecca for trail running,” he said. “The diversity of trails and sheer miles of beautiful trailing are the result of the horse culture and mountain biking community.”
“We see close to 450,000 visitors on Prescott-area trails each year,” said International Mountain Bike Association Southwestern Regional Representative Patrick Kell. “And worldwide, trail use is on the rise. We see retirees, people visiting from Phoenix and from all over the world. And we have a lot of families. We have beautiful terrain, very well managed trailheads, water and trail maps that are very accurate. It’s easy to find your way.”
There are several hundred miles of non-motorized trails within the City of Prescott and within the adjacent Prescott National Forest. The trails range from 5,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation and include everything from gravel rail-to-trails and gentle singletrack to rugged, steep, loose mountain trails and challenging slickrock terrain in the Granite Dells. Nearly all these trails are shared-use trails, open to hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians.
“The future of Prescott area trails looks as promising as ever,” said bikepacker, ultra-endurance mountain bike racer and Prescott College geology instructor Kurt Refsnider. “Construction on the last missing sections of the Prescott Circle Trail will begin in the coming year or two. New trails in the Granite Dells were just built over the summer. And the Greater Prescott Trails Planning Process is envisioning a range of improvements, including substantial loop options in several areas above town, formal designation of a major network of social trails on the edge of town, and a possible regional link to the Black Canyon Trail near Mayer.”
“Prescott has done more trail projects than any other town in the past decade,” said Arizona Trail Association Executive Director Matthew Nelson. “It’s truly amazing what they are doing to integrate trails into the town, building trails to appeal to a variety of users – hikers, runners, mountain bikers, bird watchers, geocachers and equestrians – and creating a healthy community where people want to live because of access to public lands via trails.”
Refsnider says a substantial amount of trail work is done by volunteers, from groups such as the Over the Hill Gang, Back Country Horse Men, the Prescott Saddle Club, the Prescott Mountain Bike Alliance and the Yavapai Trails Association.
“Currently, there is a major collaborative project to envision the future of the local trails network involving all of these groups and more, including the Arizona Trail Riders, the Sierra Club, the Community Forest Trust, Prescott National Forest, the City of Prescott, and Yavapai County,” he said. “This long-term trails planning process will only serve to improve our already extensive trail network.”
As Prescott’s trail system improves and grows, business opportunities are expected to follow. Manzanita Outfitters Owner Dave Wheeler opened his business in the Prescott area in 2006. Two years ago, he moved the shop downtown. At about the same time he expanded his inventory and services from primarily backpacking and camping equipment to include more mountain biking gear.
“We saw more of a need to be a complete bike shop with accessories, bikes for rent and for sale, and repair,” said Wheeler. “As more trail systems are increased, maintained and publicized, we anticipate a positive impact on our business.”
Races like the Whiskey Off-Road and the Whiskey Row Marathon have brought national attention to Prescott as a trails town, and Prescott recently hosted one of the races in the new Arizona high school mountain bike-racing league.
“The thing about Prescott, we’ve got the weather and the scenery,” said Kell. “We’ve got the pines, the grasslands, the Dells, and we can be on our trails 11 months out of the year. Our trail system is one of the things that will define us in the future.”
“As more people find out about our trails, the town will undoubtedly become more of a destination,” said Refsnider. “But for now, we really have our trails to ourselves on most days of the year.” QCBN
For more information, visit www.greaterprescotttrails.net/.
By Bonnie Stevens
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