Over 120 ultrarunners will be at the starting line at the special centennial edition of the Route 66 UltraRun on Nov. 14-16 on a 140-mile section of America’s Mother Road in Arizona.
This year marks the centennial of Route 66, America’s most famous road. To celebrate this milestone, the Route 66 UltraRun features a 100-mile race along with a 140-miler that start at Seligman, the literal birthplace of the Route 66 Historic Association of Arizona.
“I’ve been to the far corners of the earth, climbed the Seven Summits, and participated in most of the world’s toughest races. But there’s nothing like the Route 66 UltraRun for its incredible scenery, peak nostalgia and Americana, and the awesome group of racers who participate,” said Marshall Ulrich, race co-director and founder of Route 66 UltraRun.
For most of the runners on the San Lucy Addict II Athlete six-person relay team, the 140-mile Route 66 UltraRun will be their first ultra-marathon experience.
While the race had a 140-mile runner from the Navajo Nation, they are the first all-Indigenous team of runners to join the Route 66
UltraRun, representing the San Lucy District of the Tohono O’Odham Nation.
Team members’ motivations vary, from a mother honoring her son who was in car accident and suffers from a traumatic brain injury; a young woman whose mantra is to “run for those that can’t” including members of her family suffering from
serious health issues.
But all San Lucy members run to represent their tribal nation and to be an example.
San Lucy team member Jesse Bautista expresses “the same spirit of challenging ourselves and supporting each other, . . .showing pride in our community, and showing others from our Nation that they can do things like this, too.”
The San Lucy runners will be easily spotted on the 140-mile Route 66 course in their unique uniforms, including a native-style Route 66 UltraRun logo and Addict II Athlete emblazoned on the sleeves and on a special AIIA logo. Women members will run the 140-mile Route 66 UltraRun in their traditional skirts and a staff used in tribal spiritual runs.
Team member Rolanda Bautista was featured in the Tucson Film Festival entry “Toka: The Game Must Go On.” The film is about training Tohono girls in the game of Toka to keep the memory of ancestors alive through the traditions of strength, wisdom and spirituality that sustain the community.
The 2026 Route 66 UltraRun is being held in honor of Ulrich’s friend and ultrarunning legend Mark “Mace” Macy, who battled early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and died in June. The race has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association from its beginning and has raised tens of thousands of dollars toward the organization’s mission.