Spring rains fell on Friday, but, by the morning of Saturday, April 13, the weather in Cottonwood was clear, warm and beautiful. 382 runners from Cottonwood, Arizona and places far beyond descended on Riverfront Park for the 11th annual Brian Mickelsen Memorial Run/Walk. Racers said that, despite the rain the day before, the course was clear, damp but not muddy, leading to a perfect day to run or walk through Dead Horse Ranch State Park.
The run/walk evolved out of the Verde/Mingus Blowout that the town has been holding since 1992, after Cottonwood’s beloved City Manager Brian Mickelsen died on a training run in 2007. For each year since, Mickelsen’s widow Lin has remained as a fixture of the race, including this year, when she cheered on participants and walked the 2-mile race herself.
In addition to the 2-mile walk, the event featured a 5K, a 10K and a half-marathon. Whereas previous years had included a full marathon, in 2019 the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation department decided to scrap the longest run, finding that years of declining participation made the costs of the extensive race not worth it. The 5K race was added this year to replace the marathon.
“The data doesn’t lie,” Parks and Recreation employee Jack Teel said about the decision to end the marathon. “It’s a beautiful marathon. You’re not going to find a better marathon. But when you’re just limited on your resources and want to reach the broadest range of people, you have to look at ultimately what’s best, and we felt that removing the marathon and adding that 5K that would appeal to a broader range [would do that].”
Even without the marathon, the race brought out hundreds of avid runners and walkers to compete or just run for fun.
Skyler Storie, 24, was the fastest half-marathon runner, coming in at 1:29:59. The fastest male half-marathon runner was Orrin Mackey, 38, who completed the race in 1:33:44. In the 10K, the fastest male runner was Ronald Schell, 35, at 41:37, and the fastest female was Jennifer Almendarez, 38, at 47:11. The fastest 5K runner was Cole Troxler, 12, who completed the race in 20:15, and the first place female was Lauren Allen, 33, at 24:51. In the 2-mile, which most participants walked, 13-year-old Yasmin Romero got first place among females and Isaac Gagnon, 10, got first among males at 15:27.
“I really like running,” said 12-year-old Cole Troxler, who had previously gotten first place in other 5Ks in Sedona and Flagstaff and ran the race on Saturday with his brother, sister and mother. “It’s being able to put it all out there and do your favorite thing, giving your all and being out in nature.”
“This is something I’m going to do for my entire life and, when I can’t run, I’ll walk.”
One of those people who could not run but walked anyway was Lynne Young, who participated in the 2-mile walk despite serious disability, including a broken femur. She pushed a walker in front of her for a total of a mile and only managed the effort with the help of her aide, Billy Rodriguez from Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Entire Care.
“I have a lot of metal in my body. I don’t get a lot of exercise, but now I’m starting,” Young said. She described herself as an extrovert who wanted to inspire others and said that participating in the walk allowed her to feel mentally and physically stronger. “It makes me feel really positive and encourages me to do more.”
The race served as inspiration for others as well. Claude Monstplaisir, a retiree from Quebec, Canada, likes to partici- pate in the Cottonwood run as part of his travels around all of North America throughout the year, which includes numerous races throughout the United States and Canada.
“Having a race on your agenda is like a goal,” Montplaisir said after finishing his 10K. “You wake up every morning and you know what you’re working for.”
Montplaisar joined with others in speaking highly of the race’s location in Cottonwood, as well as the beauty of the landscape in Dead Horse Ranch State Park and other parts of the Cottonwood area.
“I didn’t expect the trail part,” said Cottonwood local Jane Stewart, who ran the 5K. Stewart is an avid birdwatcher and said that she appreciated the chance to run along the Jail Trail in Old Town and see the wildlife. “I had a sighting of a common blackjack, so that was a cherry on top.”
“It’s one of those races where everyone’s out here having a good time enjoying the trail and the park,” said half-marathon winner Skyler Storie. “That’s what running is all about.”
Storie grew up in Cottonwood and ran on the Mingus Union High School track team. She said that the race felt like a nice way to return to an area where she used to run and was pleasantly surprised when she realized she was winning on a trail she had run back in high school. On the Mingus team, Storie ran along- side Mickelsen’s son, so she said she felt a strong connection to the run in his memory.
“It’s in the memory of someone who really pushed you to go farther,” Storie said. “As a runner, being able to support someone and run in memory of someone is the most rewarding thing you can do.”
