{"id":2685,"date":"2013-04-17T17:17:10","date_gmt":"2013-04-18T00:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teamkaker.com\/?p=2685"},"modified":"2013-05-11T08:00:42","modified_gmt":"2013-05-11T15:00:42","slug":"arizona-trail-race-750-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teamkaker.com\/arizona-trail-race-750-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Trail Race 750 | Getting Ready"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"In<\/a>

In the Grand Canyon, my bike rides me<\/p><\/div>\n

\"This<\/a>

This all seems so wrong…<\/p><\/div>\n

Alright race fans, I’ve just about recovered from the Stagecoach 400 ride<\/a> and, now, my 2nd bikepacking race, the Arizona Trail Race 750<\/a>\u00a0starts Friday (4\/19) morning. Once again, you can follow along as the racers carry Spot trackers (see the map below).<\/p>\n

The AZTR 750 begins at the Arizona-Mexican border and ends at the Arizona-Utah border. The 750-mile ride is predominantly\u00a0singletrack and follows the Arizona Trail. I raced the 300-mile version last year<\/a>, but now I’m in for the whole\u00a0enchilada.<\/p>\n

Why do I have my bike strapped to my back? This was practice for the dreaded hike through the big ditch. Towards the end of the route, racers have to strap their bikes and gear to their backs and walk down and up the Grand Canyon. Yup, mountain biking is prohibited in the park, so this is the only way to reach the finish at the Utah border. And, yes, all that stuff feels very heavy…hopefully the straps on my pack (and my body) hold up.<\/p>\n

There are about 50 participants this year and 18 of us are crazy enough to do the 750. Here is an article on this year’s race<\/a>. I get a call out in the article for going for the “triple crown” this year, which is completing 3 of the toughest bikepacking events in the same year.<\/p>\n

Follow my progress, along with the other racers, on the map below. I’m aiming to finish in 10 days or so.<\/p>\n