Desert Runner Trail Series
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Desert Runner Trail Series
The Desert Runner Trail Series is a sequence of trail races hosted by Aravaipa Running in partnership with Maricopa County Regional Parks. The series takes place across the Valley of the Sun from October 2026 through March 2027 and visits several Maricopa County regional parks and nearby public lands.
Races and locations listed for the 2026–2027 season include events at Cave Creek Regional Park and the Maricopa Trail, Usery Mountain Regional Park, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, San Tan Mountain Regional Park, Tonto National Forest, White Tank Mountain Regional Park, and Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Individual race dates and the distances offered vary by venue, with examples including multi-distance events at Cave Creek, Usery Mountain, McDowell Mountain, San Tan Mountain, White Tank/Elephant Mountain area, White Tank Mountain Park, and Lake Pleasant.
Registration can be completed for the full Fall or Spring series or for single races; the Fall Series offers a 20% savings compared with separate race entries. The series maintains archived results and final standings for prior seasons.
Sponsors associated with recent seasons include Neversecond as the official performance nutrition partner for 2025–2026 and Athletico Physical Therapy as a supporting sponsor; Athletico provides orthopedic rehabilitation services in the Greater Phoenix area.
Distances included across the series Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
- 2 Miles
- 4 Mile
- 5K
- 5M
- 8K
- 9K
- 10K
- 11K
- 12K
- 13K
- 17K
- 22K
- 24K
- 25K
- 26K
- Half Marathon
- 30K
- 35K
- 40K
- 50K
- 50 Mile
