Across the Years

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

A USATF-certified loop of 1.42 miles (2.27 km) through Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training base of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. The route winds past the practice fields and the main stadium and through nearby parking areas, on dirt paths and asphalt or concrete, and runners circle it clockwise. The organizer gives the approximate loop as 1.42 miles / 2.27 km; those rounded figures are not an exact unit conversion. Fixed-time races are scored by total distance, with all start days combined into one standing per race; fixed-distance races are scored by time.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Loop past the main stadium and practice fields of Peoria Sports Complex
• “Main Street” with the aid tent, eating tent, napping tent and warming room
• Midnight New Year celebration with a sparkling cider toast and a community lap
• Last Person Standing: one lap every 20 minutes from noon on New Year’s Eve

Dirt paths mixed with asphalt and concrete, with gaiters recommended for debris on the unpaved sections. Lone runners do not have to give up the inside line, so pass on the outside, and groups must leave an inside channel open. Cutting the curves means disqualification. Trekking poles are allowed only for runners aged 70 and over or with permission from race management.

Aravaipa reports temperatures from 20°F to 78°F at past editions, daytime highs in the 70s and 80s in some years, nights below freezing and, in some years, rain for up to 24 hours straight. Plan for fluids by day and tights, gloves and a hat at night.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

Across the Years is the New Year fixed-time festival in the Phoenix area. Harold Sieglaff started it on December 31, 1983 with 24-, 12- and 6-hour races on the 400 m cinder track at Washington High School in Phoenix, and DUV lists Across the Years 2026–27 as the 42nd edition. Aravaipa Running now runs it at Peoria Sports Complex, its home since the 2024–25 edition after years at Camelback Ranch in Glendale. The 6 day race is the centerpiece: it was first run as the Across the Millennium 6-day in 1999–2000 and has been back on the program since 2013–14. Around it sit rolling-start 72-, 48-, 24-, 12- and 6-hour races, 200-mile, 100-mile and 100 km races, a daily marathon and a Last Person Standing that starts on New Year’s Eve. Joe Fejes ran 555.361 miles in the 2013–14 six-day race, which iRunFar reported as an American record for six days on a non-track surface. The IAU calendar lists the 2026 edition as a Bronze Label event.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Six-day course records listed by Aravaipa: Joe Fejes, 555.361 miles (893.766 km), 2013–14, and Amy Mower, 453.516 miles (729.863 km), 2018–19. iRunFar reported Fejes’s distance as an American record for six days on a non-track surface; Yiannis Kouros finished second with about 550 miles.
• 72-hour course records: Joe Fejes, 329.640 miles (530.504 km) in 2012–13, past the 520.5 km Yiannis Kouros ran in 2005–06, and Marylou Corino, 265.6 miles (427.441 km) in 2013–14.
• 48-hour course records listed by Aravaipa: John Geesler, 248.55 miles (400 km) in 2003–04, and Rachel Entrekin, 212.706 miles (342.317 km), set in 2023–24 and matched in 2024–25. DUV shows Fumie Sata winning the 2003–04 race with 346.5 km, and Wikipedia lists her 215.31 miles as the women’s record.
• 24-hour: Aravaipa still lists Joseph Gaebler’s 145.401 miles (2002) and Stephanie Ehret’s 130.49 miles (2003), but Cole Crosby ran 244.835 km (152.1 miles) in 2024–25, which MassUltra reported as a new course record.
• 200 miles: Aravaipa lists Remo Spagnol’s 57:25:41 (2023) and Jodi Semonell’s 61:23:27 (2019), but the official 2025–26 results show Avinoam Maier in 47:23:38 and Melissa Soper in 52:36:23.
• Annabel Hepworth won the 2019–20 10-day race outright with 1,192.156 km, which AURA recognized as an Australian women’s record.

Preparing for a Race Like Across the Years

The 48-hour race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• 48-hour races explained: Rules, pacing, sleep decisions, fueling and crew support.
• How to train for a 48-hour race: Durable movement, sleep planning, foot care and fueling practice.
• Sleep strategy for multiday races: An individual sleep plan with safe locations and clear stop criteria.
• Second-night survival guide: Sleep, crew checks and caffeine decisions for the second night.

Best Fit

• Runners trying a first 48-hour, 72-hour or 6-day race with aid every 1.42 miles
• Anyone who wants to choose a start day that fits holiday plans
• Runners chasing lifetime-mileage awards, buckles or a New Year’s Eve on the loop

Planning Notes

• Start conservatively and use flexible process checkpoints for effort, walking, food, fluid, alertness, and symptoms instead of forcing one hourly distance target.
• Prepare several rest options before race week. Stop for sleep or assessment if alertness, coordination, or safe decision-making deteriorates.
• Use repeatable but adaptable routines for sleep, food, skin and foot checks, weather, and medical escalation across the six days.
• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• The directory marks this as having comparatively simpler logistics. That editorial label is not a safety rating; verify cutoffs, terrain, support, crew access, and withdrawal procedures.
• Desert nights can drop below freezing after warm afternoons
• Napping-tent cots are shared and limited to three hours
• Unpaved sections throw up grit, so bring gaiters and plan foot care
• Record attempts must follow USATF and IAU rules on accompaniment

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Browse the curated 24-hour race calendar
• Browse Arizona Ultramarathons
• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Browse the 24-hour race calendar
• Browse the 48-hour race calendar
• Browse the 6-day race calendar
• Open the 48-Hour format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist