Getting a spot to run in the Canyon de Chelly ultra

It's not easy

I got a decent amount of interest in my December post about the Chicago Marathon entry, so thought I’d do another post about my latest adventure in endurance running entries. It’s time for a free post since my last one was a paid post about my Dad.

At last Thursday night’s group run at the Spotted Dog Brewery, my fellow Marathon Maniac friend Cathy brought up The Canyon de Chelly ultra, 55k or about 34 miles. She’s a big fan and we talked about it at the same get-together once when John came, an older runner who’s a huge fan of Canyon de Chelly. (Older means older than me, and I’m 63). Cathy encouraged me to sign up for the lottery to get into the ultra, and I did. There were a few of us from the group in the drawing, and there were only enough slots for about one out of every four entries to be drawn. Runners from all over sign up for a chance to see a small part of the Navajo Nation in a unique way.

Here’s a brief description on the Ultrasignup page: “We will start the race at the entrance to the canyon and run 17 miles up Canyon De Chelly passing ancient ruins, petroglyphs and pictographs to Spider Rock, then run up Bat canyon trail climbing 1,200 feet from the canyon floor to the Spider Rock overlook turnaround point and back. On the return trip, you will see many views you passed on the way up but may have not seen. The canyon takes on an entirely new perspective on the return. Although not much vertical gain, the canyon offers sand, single track, creek crossings and many more obstacles to add to your journey. The first and last 2.5 miles will be in sand and has the same effect as big vertical climbs!”

In the drawing Saturday, none of our group got picked. We’ll find out this week where we fall in the waitlist. Wish me luck to be near the top of the list!