Multi-Sport Training in Tucson

Tucson's mild climate and ample sunshine make the Old Pueblo an ideal location for year-round outdoor athletic training. Surrounded by five mountain ranges, Tucson offers runners, bikers, duathletes, triathletes and adventure racers a wide range of running and biking routes at altitudes from 2,600 to more than 9,000 feet. 

Running
Road Biking
Mountain Biking
Swimming

Running
Tucson is in a desert basin circled by five mountain ranges - the Santa Catalinas and Tortolitas to the north; the Rincons to the east; the Santa Ritas to the south; and the Tucson Mountains to the west. Three national parks also lie just outside city limits: Saguaro National Parks East and West, and the Coronado National Forest in the Catalina Mountains. Competitive runners can enjoy flat, paved routes inside the city, or head in nearly any direction for challenging mountain and hill routes. Tucson's wilderness trails vary in intensity from level tracks through native cacti, to steep scrambles up shady forest trails.

Trail runners and those in search of elevation training need look no further than the 9,157-foot mountain overlooking Tucson from the north: Mount Lemmon. Athletes can enjoy a variety of climates on the mountain, from lowland desert trails at the foot of the mountain, to cooler routes through the Ponderosa pines at the top, which rises more than 6,000 feet above the Tucson basin. The challenging Butterfly Trail - which lets runners escape the summer or fall heat - rises from 6,500 feet to 8,200 feet over 5.7 miles. Runners can also crank up their training intensity on the strenuous 5-mile (round-trip) Soldier Trail, which follows an old road and power line to the site of an abandoned prison camp. The Soldier Trail gains more than 1,500 feet in elevation during its course, and offers runners spectacularly scenic desert canyon training year-round.

At the base of Mt. Lemmon, Sabino Canyon offers a wide range of trail running adventures for beginners and experts alike. Advanced runners can take on the rugged Seven Falls trail - a 7.8-mile, out-and-back trek that crisscrosses over Sabino Creek and ends at the falls, which feature natural pools of water where athletes can wade, swim and rejuvenate before the run back down. Those in search of a smoother run can enjoy Tucson's unique Sonoran Desert atmosphere along the paved Sabino Canyon Trail; an eight-mile stretch of blacktop that winds through Sabino Canyon and challenges runners with long, sloping hills.

Athletes can also head north to the Catalina Foothills for a demanding trek on the Pontatoc Ridge or Finger Rock trails. The shorter, out-and-back Pontatoc trail is a 4-mile round trip, taking trail runners up 1,000 strenuous feet in elevation en route to the top. The longer Finger Rock trail is a difficult, steep 10-mile (one-way) route to the summit of Mt. Kimball in the Catalinas. The trek - which takes six to seven hours at a hiking pace - is not for the faint of heart, and stretches from the cacti of the Tucson Basin, up to the cooler pines of Mt. Kimball.

Competitors can head to the Tucson Mountains west of town for a run through the classic, towering Saguaro cacti for which the Sonoran Desert is famous, on the many trails of Saguaro National Park West. To get to the park, visitors first enjoy a scenic five-mile drive through Gates Pass, which loops through the steep slopes of the Tucsons, with stately Saguaros as far as the eye can see. Inside the park, the relatively flat 10-mile Cactus Forest Trail takes runners through the native cacti and succulents of the desert.

At Saguaro National Park East, athletes can stretch their legs on the fairly flat Cactus Forest Loop Drive, a 10-mile, mostly paved trail that twists and turns through the Rincon Mountains. Runners on the Cactus Forest Loop Drive can also head off-road on a 2.5-mile adventure on the Cactus Forest Trail, which winds through stands of the park's namesake cacti.

Road Biking
Boasting more than 500 miles of metro bikeways, Tucson was recently named the third-best cycling city in the country by Bicycling magazine. Road bikers will feel right at home on the paved streets of the Old Pueblo, which feature wide, designated bike paths on most of its roads.

Competitive road bikers can not only train in Tucson, but also compete here in Southern Arizona's premier cycling event: El Tour de Tucson. This 110-mile road bike race attracts more than 5,500 participants each yea, and is the largest "perimeter" cycling event in the country. El Tour de Tucson has events for all riding levels, with courses ranging from 31 miles to the 110-miler.

Road riders seeking a muscle-busting challenge can take on the 26-mile (one-way) Catalina Highway, which twists and turns from the desert floor to the top of Mount Lemmon - a 2-plus-hour, all-uphill excursion that takes adventurous riders up roughly 6,000 feet in elevation. The climb upward takes bikers from the cacti and warm, arid desert climate to the high-elevation pines and 30-degree temperature drop atop the mountain. Though the trip up is slow, bikers can enjoy an all-downhill cruise back down the mountain, reaching speeds of 40 miles per hour in places.

A popular training ride begins on the north side of Tucson and stretches up through the Town of Oro Valley. Beginning at River Rd. & Oracle Rd., the ride is all uphill one way - with both gentle slopes and steep climbs. Riders head north past the western slopes of the Catalina Mountains as far up Oracle Rd. as they wish, before turning around for the relaxing coast back down to Tucson.

The 34-mile McCain Loop ride begins in midtown Tucson at the campus of the University of Arizona, and loops over scenic Gates Pass and through the towering cacti of Saguaro National Park. The ride takes bikers past downtown and through sloping mountain passes, to the flat, fast roads near Tucson Mountain Park.

Mountain Biking
Athletes in search of intensely challenging, widely varied mountain bike training can hit the trails in and around Tucson, which provide a near-endless assortment of challenges in both desert and mountain terrain.

Mountain bikers can hit the trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains, which offer a wide array of truly spectacular rides for experienced riders. With steep, technical trails - such as the 7-mile singletrack Crystal Spring trail near the top of Mt. Lemmon, or the lower-elevation 8-mile out-and-back Agua Caliente trail - the Coronado National Forest trails are a perfect fit for mountain bikers in search of a strenuous challenge.

In the Rincon Mountains to the east of Tucson, the wide, fast 7-mile Chiva Falls trail lets bikers practice their speed, while still serving up technical challenges. Seasoned bikers can also take on the difficult, open-desert 14.6-mile La Mesa del Oso (Bear Mesa) trail, which climbs and descends on loose, steep slopes.

West of town, the 8.2-mile Brown Mountain Loop trail features long, steep climbs and treacherous descents. For a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Tucson Mountains, experienced bikers can test themselves on the singletrack 9-mile John Krein trail, which climbs to a 3,400-foot peak overlooking the cactus-studded slopes below.

In the Santa Rita Mountains, endurance riders can test themselves on the 17-mile jeep track/singletrack Elephant Head Trail. Bikers can get an up-close look at the unique Elephant Head rock formation as they crawl through the open desert on this fast, occasionally technical ride, which ends with a curvy, challenging descent down Chino Canyon.

Swimming
World-class athletes and up-and-coming amateurs alike routinely train and compete in the lanes of Tucson's lap pools, where guests are welcome to train.

The heated outdoor pool at the University of Arizona's Hillenbrand Aquatic Center is the home of the Wildcats' national-caliber swim and dive teams. While world- and Olympic-champion swimmers have honed their skills in the waters of the Hillenbrand Center pool, the facility is also open to the public. The pool features eight long-course swimming lanes and 18 short-course lanes.

Across the University Campus from the Hillenbrand Center, the Student Recreation Center pool is the second-largest university pool in Arizona. The Olympic-sized "waveless" lap pool - which features a rim flow gutter system to reduce waves - is open for lap and recreational swimming seven days a week, for a small fee.

Triathlete magazine recently named Tucson the No. 2 winter training location in the United States.
Read the article >>

This article first appeared in the Sept. 2007 issue of Triathlete magazine and has been reproduced with permission. For more, please visit www.triathletemag.com.

Tucsonan Brian Grasky, USA Triathlon Certified Coach and five time Ironman, gives the inside track.
Read Brian's article >>

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