Thanks for being part of Tucson's biggest road race since 2019!
Below are all-sorts of post-race details, but first a couple of items:
1) Goodie Pickup: If you haven't yet picked up your race goodies, all participants can now pick up shirts on a first-come, first-served basis at The Running Shop. Please visit The Running Shop at 3055 North Campbell during regular business hours.
TMC Meet Me Downtown participants can pick up a remaining green race shirt if you have not done so yet. There are mostly small sizes remaining.
Triple Crown participants can get the green race shirt, plus the orange "Run Tucson" shirt and and the GZTC desktop medal. As of this writing, there are plenty of medals but only about 50 shirts in various sizes.
We're running out of sizes, so please remember, it's first-come, first-served. If they do not have the size you want, please do not get mad at the Running Shop staff -- feel free to email me any grouchiness.
2) Photos: Thanks to two young photographers (more about them below) for chronicling the event.
2) TMC 5k Night Run registrants can now upgrade to the Triple Crown. If you signed up for the 5k or the Mile but now want to join the Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown, all you have to do is sign up here.
All registrants will receive:
- Registration, t-shirt, medal and all the race goodies for the September 10th TMC Tucson 10k/5k, staged at Pima Community College West, nestled in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains.
- Registration, long sleeve t-shirt, medal and all the race goodies for the October 22nd TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon and Four Miler, staged at the Mercado San Agustin Annex at the base of A-Mountain.
- The "Gabe Zimmerman Meet Me Downtown" souvenir desktop medallion, perfect for desktop or coffee table display.
- One of the remaining technical "Run Tucson" colorful orange shirts, with sizing first-come, first-served until we run out.
Registration ends June 30, 2023 and pricing is $90. If you did the TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k, take advantage of this Triple Crown add-on to snag the final two races of the series.
Remember, $10 of each registration goes directly to BEYOND-Tucson!
If you earned an age-group award that you have not received, they will be at The Running Shop through the end of June, so swing by 3055 North Campbell to pick up your award. Thanks to Greg Wenneborg at Roadrunner Race Timing.
4) Special thanks to TMC's Tim Bentley for doing so much of the announcing throughout the night -- Tim, we really appreciate your passion for the running and walking communities!
OK -- below are all sorts of post-race topics -- read on and we'll see you at the next race! As a special prize for reading everything, way below is a coupon code for $10 off our November race at the Grand Canyon!
randy@runtucson.net | tia@runtucson.net | info@runtucson.net
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Firsts: This was the 17th year of the race, but we had a lot of firsts:
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First-time finishers: Unfortunately, we don't have an exact number, but we do know that a whole bunch of you did your first-ever running event. Congratulations on trying something new and finishing the distance. We hope you had fun -- if you have any questions about the local running scene, please track us down and we'll try to help!
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First-time DJ: Our long-time friend, DJ Rich, has stepped aside from the race scene, so we were excited to have Clint from StarlightDeejays. Unfortunately, the day before the race Clint had an emergency, so at the last minute he asked his friend Andrae to sub-in. Thanks to Andrae Jones the DJ for helping us with the energy (and thanks to Andrae's son for helping out)!
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First-time band: Thanks to Blondie All Night for cranking out the upbeat rock n' roll all night! The leaders of the band created a non-profit dedicated to youth fitness, so we are pleased to have donated to Be Active, Be Awesome.
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First-time Beer Garden: Thanks to Pueblo Vida for providing the Beer Garden beer for the first time!
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First time cracking 1600 participants since 2019: Thanks to all of you for coming out -- over 1600 of you signed up, getting us closer to the 2500+ that came out back in 2019. It's great to see our community getting together again!
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First-time divided roadway: This is the first year the starting line was divided by the City of Tucson planters -- we hope you survived the challenge of the split starting line. We realize some of you didn't know that you could start on the west side of the street -- now that we know what it's like with the new setup, we'll do a better job of communicating next year.
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First-time bomb-sniffing dogs: Thanks to the City of Tucson Police Department for providing staging safety, with bomb-dogs, road barriers and more. This was also the first year that the City of Tucson has used an automated permitting process. Thanks to the City of Tucson, Tucson Police Department, Desert Barricades, and AMR for providing route safety.
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First-time Partners: We're excited about our first-time partnership with El Tour de Tucson. You may have seen the beautiful race logos at the El Tour tent, highlighting the planned November 19th El Tour de Tucson 5k Run/Walk. See this link to register for the inaugural 5k -- only $20!
You also may have seen Athletic Brewing and Hoka Footwear on hand.
For social media, please tag @runtucson and @runsar and @rrca with any instagram posts -- you can use hashtags #meetmedown5k or #tmcmeetmedowntown or #gabezimmermantriplecrown or anything else you want . . .
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Speedsters & 2023 RRCA West Champs!
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TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k: For the third year in a row, Harry Mulenga took the top spot, cruising to victory in 16:22. Randy Chavez from Scottsdale snagged second place in 16:39, while third place was a photo finish with Peter Davidson of Mile's Adventure Tea nipping overall master's runner Orlando Vasquez from the Workout Group team in 16:44.
First place in the women's race was Kiera Woodman from Prescott, running a swift 18:24. Kiera took the double of the day, after winning the mile. Kendra Watson from Team Workout Group took second place in 18:53, while third went to Billie Lubis in 19:12. First place in the Master's Division was Cara Payne, local triathlete standout.
Notable doubles for the evening include overall women's champ, Kiera Goodman, who won both the Mile and the TMC 5k Night Run. Other double finishers of note include Harry Mulenga's second place in the mile and first in the 5k and Billie Lubis who snagged third in both races.
RRCA West Regional Championship:
Men's Open: Harry Mulenga
Women's Open: Kiera Woodman
Master's Male: Men's 40+: Orlando Valazquez
Masters Female: Women's 40+: Cara Payne
Grand Masters Male: Dave Dixon
Grand Masters Female: Sharon Silvas
Super Grand Masters Male: Joseph Reiling
Super Grand Masters Female: Janet Holland
RRCA: Special thanks to RRCA Board President George Rehmet (in yellow, on far left in top photo above) for visiting for the weekend -- and thanks again to Tim Bentley (the tallest one in the bottom photo above), this time in his role as RRCA Arizona State Rep.
Click here if you're interested in past times and course records.
A note on timing: The cash awards were based on so-called "gun-time," when the starter's pistol was fired and the race began. Age-group awards were based on so-called "chip-time," which is the elapsed time from when the athlete crosses the starting line to when they crossed the finish line. This method has become the norm in community races around the nation. Special thanks to Greg and Grant Wenneborg for all the timing help.
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Open Mile: Miles Dunbar blistered the Open Mile course in a super-speedy 4:21, putting him 7 seconds ahead of two-time defending champion Harry Mulenga second place effort of 4:28. UA track standout Logan Marek cruised to a third place finish in 4:34.
First place woman was Prescott's Kiera Woodman, getting around the flat mile course in 5:13, nine-seconds ahead of the Workout Group's Jori Galles. In third place was Billie Lubis, running 5:39.
High School Mile: We're excited to begin the tradition of promoting teen-age running in Tucson. First place in the Boys Mile was Gilbert's Crewe Resendez, who set a new course record of 4:44, narrowly beating Miika Lagat's 4:44. Last-year's winner Aric Accetta took third in 4:48. (Long-time Arizona runners will recognize all three last names -- it's great to see the youngsters carrying on family traditions . . .)
In the Girls Mile, Olivia Cornelius set a new HS course record in 6:39, with Gizelle Paredes taking second in 7:07 and Teagan Smith finishing third in 7:21.
Duo Results: Thanks to Team Hoyt for coming out -- congratulations to the Josh Greiner duo for taking first overall, with other Duo teams Ryland McDaniel, Lucas King, Luke Senner, and Hannah Loughrrey.
SAR's FITKIDZ Mile: There were 115 FitKidz participants, with 10-year-old Liam Newell taking first overall in a speedy 6:21. The first place girl was Finley Johnson, dipping under 7-minutes in a fine time of 6:58. Special thanks to SAR's Board member Jeri Baker for managing all the FitKidz race day activities -- if you won an award, please visit the Running Shop to pick it up before the end of June.
Fastest Team: Congratulations to the WOG team of Ryan, David, Kendra, Russel, and Tyler for winning the team competition. See the team results page here.
Other Finisher News:
The oldest finishers were in the 80+ division, longtime SAR stalwart Sue Smith, Shirley Hester, Don Branaman, and Jim Armour.
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Southern Arizona Roadrunners: TMC Meet Me Downtown is Run Tucson event partnered with our friends at the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, one of the premier non-profit running clubs in the nation. SAR is a member-driven organization, dependent on community support and volunteers. If you're interested in engaging more with SAR, please see www.runsar.org or email them here: sar_office@yahoo.com
SAR's Running Shop Grand Prix: Check out updates at www.runsar.org for the 2023 Running Shop Grand Prix.
FitKidz: Thanks to Jeri Baker and all the volunteers from the Southern Arizona Roadrunners for managing the FitKidz race. We hope you had fun at this playful event -- and we hope to be able to have some more at additional 2023 events.
Post-Race Party at Hotel Congress: Our volunteers reported a crowded post-race environment at Hotel Congress -- we hope you had enjoyed post-race drinks and breakfast at our long-time race partner.
PortoJohns: Special thanks to ACE Portables for providing portojohns. Our previous portojohn company had tripled their prices and the local company ACE came in with a great price and great service.
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The TMC Meet Me Downtown event also hosted community leadership development courses. Thanks to our RRCA Coaching Certification participants from Tucson and around the country. Thanks, too, to two members of our renowned teaching team, Cari Setzler and Alex Morrow, and RRCA Board President George Rehmet.
Finally, thanks to Startup Tucson for hosting the course at their Downtown offices. The Level Two cohort was worried about the heat, while the Level One cohort happily celebrated the Startup Tucson cactus awards . . .
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Special thanks to all those who helped produce this event. The photo above is of Daniela Diamente, the Executive Director of BEYOND on the left, and Caroline Gardiner, the Board President of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners on the right.
I'm sure there's more and I am sorry for an incomplete list, but here's a start:
- SAR Board members Dave Dixon, Caroline Gardiner, Mely Bohman, Mohammed Al-Sammak, Kris Fitzharris, and Jeri Baker.
- Step Up to Justice volunteers for handing out water on the course
- Greater Tucson Leadership staff and Class of 2023 for handing out water at the finish line
- As always, the Workout Group came out in force.
- The crew from the Downtown Tucson Partnership, who managed all race cleanup.
And we are so appreciative for a whole host of others who stayed out late to make the whole thing happen. I'm sure this is just a partial list:
The Plassman family
Carole Torpey
Sandra Crusa
david schneider
Kevin Bond
Melissa Donovan
Janet Holland
Kevin Bond
Connie Lopez
Maureen Cunningham
Agata Orlinski
Len Taruscio
Jeremy
Dave Dixon
Cliff Anderson
Agata Orlinski
Caroline Gardiner
Steve Sheldon
Petra Gronenberg
Craig Haraga
Michael Van
Barb Sterling
Mumbi Macheho-Mbuthia
Caroline Gardiner
Jennifer Mydosh
Hilary Heskett
Paulette Yates
Paulina Yates
Amanda Shufflebarger
Steve Moore
Raul del Bosque
Merry Dearmon
Eva Peters
Edna Paredes
Wieke De Boer
Souphaphone Clark
Mike Pursley
Melisa (Mely) Bohlman
Ismael Uribe
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Please Support Our Sponsors and Partners
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The TMC Now app gives you 24/7 access to physicians that are licensed to practice in Arizona through the convenience of phone, video, or mobile app visits. It's an affordable option for quality medical care.
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Thank you for Supporting Our Local Beneficiaries
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As the first leg of the 2023 Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown honoring the slain civil servant, Gabe Zimmerman, the event expects to raise over $10,000 for local organizations.
Supported by funding from Tucson Medical Center, Cox Communications, and you, the event participants, the race provide funding for the following organizations:
BEYOND Tucson Foundation: Following the tragic shooting on the morning of January 8, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ “Congress On Your Corner,” the Southern Arizona community spontaneously came together to honor, remember, and show solidarity for those that were killed, injured, or traumatized by the event. Along with its partners, BEYOND provides year-round opportunities for the public to participate in a series of healthy activities and to learn more about the scientific research that shows methods for optimal physical and mental health.
Be Active, Be Awesome. As we said above, the band Blondie All Night have created a non-profit dedicated to youth fitness, so we are pleased to have donated to them.
Cox Charities is the fundraising and grantmaking arm of Cox Communications raising funds for local charities.
Greater Tucson Leadership is a non-profit, non-partisan leadership organization dedicated to providing leadership education, community development and civic engagement for the overall care of and commitment to our Tucson community.
Step Up to Justice is designed to expand the availability of free civil legal services to indigent clients
Southern Arizona Roadrunners is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting health and fitness in Tucson and Southern Arizona through running and walking.
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Run Tucson (www.RunTucson.net) produces dynamic running and walking events in Arizona. We partner with Tucson Medical Center, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, the Running Shop, the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine, the KGUN Morning Blend, Cox Communications, Downtown Tucson Partnership, Rio Nuevo, Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce, and more.
Run Tucson is proud to coach The Workout Group, now in its 24th season of coaching runners in Tucson and around the nation.
Over the years, Run Tucson has raised over $300,000 for organizations such as BEYOND-Tucson, Cox Charities, the Children's Museum Tucson, Educational Enrichment Foundation, Greater Tucson Leadership, the Humane Society, Team Hoyt, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, and more.
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Why Am I on This List? You've participated in one of the events we've produced, either one of our charity running events in Tucson, or as part of Meet Me at Maynard's, Meet Me Wednesday's, Meet Me Downtown PHX.
How Do I Get Off This List? You can hit the "unsubscribe" button below or you can email us at randy@runtucson.net.
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For information about our events, the RRCA, and The Workout Group, contact Randy Accetta
(520) 991-0733
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For information about in-person, online, or group coaching, contact contact Tia Accetta.
(520)891-4369
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Use the coupon MMDGRANDCANYON for $10 off your registration to the November 4th Grand Canyon Trail Half Marathon and 5k, staged in the Kaibab National Forest, just south of the South Rim.
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