“Magic and history”: Participant recounts her experience in the Route 66 UltraRun

One of the participants of last month’s 140-mile Route 66 UltraRun in western Arizona wrote about her experiences in Ultra Running Magazine.

Jodi Weiss, who has competed in almost three dozen ultramarathons, said “Guardian Angel of Route 66” Angel Delgadillo, 95, waved the starting flag for the Route 66 Ultrarun in Seligman. Temperatures were about 20 degrees during the start. The 15 participants ranged in age from 35 to 71.

The whole article is worth reading. Here’s an excerpt from early in the race:

There was so much magic and history on this course, including the Hackberry General Store, around mile 60, which remained open for us into the freezing first night, and they even warmed drinks for me and my crew in their microwave. The store was a journey back in time, filled with license plates, gadgets, mementos and artifacts from the 1940s through the 1960s.

Here’s an indelible image from the race in Kingman:

About 90 miles in, she wrote this about the stretch of road before reaching the Black Mountains:

There was a shift from sandy to rock-strewn shoulders as nightfall approached and the temperatures dropped again. We were back to hand warmers and full winter gear. Amidst the pain of rickety legs, uneven terrain and frigid air, the sky was magical with frequent shooting stars and Orion’s Belt becoming clear. Each time I glanced into the star-flecked sky I was overcome with awe.

When the race ended at the Colorado River in Topock, organizers Marshall and Heather Ullrich said they would donate a portion of the race-registration proceeds to the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Here’s a video about the ultrarun that includes an appearance by Delgadillo:

According to the race results, Grant Maughan was the overall winner, finishing in 28 hours, 36 minutes and 44 seconds. That was more than three hours faster than runner-up Nancy Levene, and he averaged about 12 1/2 minutes per mile.

The Facebook page for the Route 66 UltraRun indicated it would hold another race in 2023 but didn’t give a date.

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