The Route 66 UltraRun next month will require participants to run 140 miles over a three-day period from Seligman, Arizona, to near the California state line in Topock, Arizona.
This is considerably longer than a typical ultramarathon, which is 100 miles.
According to the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona newsletter, ultrarunning legend Marshall Ulrich and his wife Heather are organizing the event, which runs from Nov. 11-13.
It’s capped at 100 participants, and proceeds will benefit the Arizona association and the Alzheimer’s Association. It will have a support vehicle and come with a cutoff time of 60 hours.
The Route 66 UltraRun is a sanctioned USA Track & Field event. And it’s not cheap — the entry fee is $660, with a deadline of Nov. 1.
The Route 66 UltraRun will begin 96 years to the day from Route 66’s acknowledged birthday. It’s also designed to pay tribute to the 1928 Trans-American Footrace, better known as the Bunion Derby, which went the length of Route 66 and then some to New York City — a distance of more than 3,400 miles.
Dovetailing off the Bunion Derby, the event will have unique prizes for the top runners:
The overall winner of the Route 66 UltraRun will be awarded the Payne Cup. The winner’s name will be engraved on the Cup, and that person will have the honor of keeping and caring for the Cup the year. Then, before the next Route 66 UltraRun, the holder of the Payne Cup will return it to the Race Directors so we can present the Cup to the winner of the year.
In addition to the Payne Cup, the Route 66 UltraRun will provide unique finishers medals, belt buckles, and awards showcasing amazing custom artwork. We will also have special awards; one for spirit, and one for suffering.
Ulrich also stated the race bags for participants “will be above and beyond most of those offered in the ultrarunning community.”
An ultramarathon on Route 66 in Oklahoma, called the Mother Road 100, happened about 15 years ago, roughly from Arcadia to Sapulpa. The overall winner crossed the finish line in a little over 17 hours — a pace of about 10 minutes a mile. The women’s champ finished in about 18 hours and set such a torrid early pace that she was the overall leader about 50 miles into the event.
I also recall that Catra Corbett, an ultramarathoner who has gained fame for her story of overcoming drug addiction, participated in that event.
(Image of the Route 66 UltraRun course via its website)