As the fastest riders inch closer towards the end of their rides, photographer Mike Farrell intercepted some of them as they passed through Flagstaff on their way to their Grand Canyon hike. Find a mid-race report and some photos he captured here…

Words and photos by Mike Farrell

It’s fall here in the high country, and that typically means shorter days, crisp mornings, and good weather. Racers on this year’s AZT 300 and 800 were graced with perfect weather for the first week of the race. Over the past 2 days, the Mogollon Rim has been peppered with a low-pressure system, creating showers and thunderstorms—a bit of a rarity for this time of year. I caught up with both the women’s and men’s 800 race leaders about 30 miles south of Flagstaff to see how they were handling the variable conditions 500 miles into the race.

I intercepted Alex Schultz on Anderson Mesa. Watching his dot and seeing that his speed had been around 2 mph for the past hour or so, I knew he had run into mud and was likely walking or carrying his bike. For those who aren’t familiar with this stretch of the AZT, it’s relatively flat once you round Mormon Lake, but this can be some of the slowest miles if conditions are right (or wrong if you see the world that way). The trail runs through ranch land, and cows make use of the trail quite frequently, turning the already basalt rock-strewn singletrack into a “washboard” of hoof prints. Waiting for Alex’s dot to get closer, I could hear elk bugling in the distance, and a tarantula cruised past my foot along the trail in its annual migration. I think

I surprised Alex as he came around some junipers. He was happy to stop and chat for a few minutes. Smiling, he said that he was glad to be pedaling his bike again, after wrestling with mud and tight frame clearance. His rear tire had been packing up with mud and rubbing on his seatstays, making it almost impossible to roll. I joked that this part of the trail was the worst, and Alex laughed. This is Alex’s third time racing the AZT 800, so he’s no stranger to these trails. He has built a sizable lead over the next two racers, Scott Petrie and Zapp Frannigan (if that is your real name…), and barring any major mechanicals, is likely to top the podium in Flagstaff later today.

A day later, I was driving back out on Lake Mary Road to try to catch the women’s race leader, Karin Pocock, as she made her way around Mormon Lake. I had initially posted up at the Mormon Lake lodge, thinking that she would detour down for a resupply. With nearly 50 miles to the next resupply stop off Highway 89A east of Flagstaff, this seemed highly likely. The local shopkeeper told me they were closing in two minutes if I wanted to get anything, and I just thought how heartbreaking that would be if Karin rolled in, hoping to restock, only to find the store closed. I refreshed the trackleaders site and watched as her dot crept past the turn off for a detour. I caught her just before the Double Springs campground, and she stopped to chat for a few minutes.

Smiling and upbeat, in her flat-brimmed hat, she said she had also been experiencing some mud issues, but oddly, hers were a day later than Alex’s. I joked that it was a good thing she didn’t detour for food at Mormon Lake, and we were both curious why their hours said open till 6 p.m. It’s a town of 50-5000 people, as the sign entering town says, they can do what they like. Karin said she was racing to catch up to the two men ahead of her, about 50 miles out, and trying to get on the men’s podium! She also expressed excitement to get to town and had already booked a room just a short detour off the trail near Walnut Canyon to get some good sleep and make a push to catch them the next day. I noticed her cat-hamburger sticker, and she joked that her friend had put it there the night before the race —a spirit animal, so to speak.

I’m always impressed with riders’ attitudes this deep in a race like this. Both exuded smiles, jokes, and positivity, and I have to agree, it’s a great time and place to be out riding your bike. The final 200 miles of trails see the riders heading to the south rim, completing a short loop through the canyon on the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails, then making a U-turn and heading back to Flagstaff across Babbitt Ranch and a final summit of the state’s tallest peak at 12,600 feet above sea level. Some faster miles ahead for the race leaders and a unique finish this year in Flagstaff.

Check out the 2025 Arizona Trail Race Tracker page for updates, where you can follow along on the live tracking map and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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