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Ultras · US · AZ

Desert Solstice Track Invitational

2026 Desert Solstice Track Invitational
Registration open
Registration currently open via UltraSignup ('24hrs Registration $325.00 ... NO CHARGE until you confirm'), closing Mon, Dec 14, 2026 @ 11:59 PM MT.
Race dateDecember 19-20, 2026
Duration2 days
Start8:00am
Whenin 119 days
First held2010
Official website Entry Aid stations
Free, and always will be. NavRun makes money from race-day planning for runners who want it, never from this. Ultras change constantly, sometimes the morning of. Always confirm with the race director and the official website before you rely on anything here.
Distance not checked yet
Climb 0 ft
Descent 0 ft
High point 1,123 ft
Time limit 24:00:00
Aid stations 3
Started not checked yet
Finished not checked yet
Finish rate not checked yet
The course

Where it goes fixed time · 3 aid stations

A certified 400-meter all-weather track at Camelback High School in Phoenix, run for 24 continuous hours (8:00 a.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday). Direction of travel reverses every four hours, beginning counter-clockwise. All entrants are registered for the 24-hour event; those who reach 100 miles also receive a separate 100-mile split time for record purposes. Portable restrooms are available on the course.

Surface is a certified synthetic all-weather 400m track, not a road; 'road' was used only because the schema's terrain vocabulary has no track option (see _meta.notes). Shoes must meet World Athletics 'Road' category rules: 40mm max sole stack height, one carbon (or similarly rigid) plate maximum; shoes in a developmental state are not allowed. Headphones are allowed only for music via an MP3 player when attempting a record; a phone may be used for music only in airplane mode, with no communication, or a record may be ruled null (USATF Rule 144.3b). Average December highs in Phoenix run about 67F by day and 43F at night; record extremes for the date are upper 70s (high) and upper 20s (low). Light but steady rain occurred during the 2011 and 2012 editions; crew tents are provided in case of rain.

The race

What this one is

An elite, invitation-and-qualification-only track ultrarunning meet on a certified 400-meter all-weather track, run as simultaneous 24-hour (fixed-time) and 100-mile (fixed-distance split within it) events. Built primarily as a record-setting venue and a qualifier for the USA 24 Hour national team, rather than as an open participation race.

First run in 2010 at Nardini Manor in Buckeye, AZ (per Aravaipa's own combined 2008-2010 results archive: 'Desert Solstice, December 18-19, 2010, Nardini Manor – Buckeye, AZ'). Now held on the certified 400-meter track at Camelback High School in Phoenix, AZ; the same address is already the venue in the 2025 UltraSignup listing, so the venue is not new for 2026. Full year-by-year venue history was not traced.

Getting in

Getting in Entry, lottery and what the race asks of you before race day.

Lottery
No
Lottery opens
not checked yet
Lottery draw
not checked yet
Field cap
25 aravaiparunning.com
Registration
UltraSignup aravaiparunning.com
Qualifying
Invitation/qualification only, applied for via UltraSignup. A runner must meet one of four graded standards at one of four comparable distances (24 Hours in miles; 100 Miles, 100K or 50 Miles in hours:minutes): Men's A - 145 mi / 14:15 / 7:35 / 5:50; Men's B - 134 mi / 15:40 / 8:20 / 6:25; Women's A - 130 mi / 15:50 / 8:25 / 6:30; Women's B - 120 mi / 17:25 / 9:15 / 7:05. Runners meeting the 'A' Standard may gain entry at any point until the field fills; 'B' Standard runners are considered case-by-case for auto-entry or a wait-list, awarded in performance order about one week after the USATF 24 Hour National Championship. Runners may request acceptance at other race lengths (e.g. 100K, 12 Hour) for comparable performances, on a case-by-case basis. The $325 entry fee applies to every accepted runner regardless of which standard they met. NOTE: the source page also states a qualifying-marks freshness window ('no older than December 2022') inside a sentence that names the 2025 race by name -- that sentence reads as stale copy left over from the 2025 edition and was deliberately NOT carried into this field as a 2026 fact; see _meta.notes. ultrasignup.com
Minimum age
not checked yet
Transfers
No aravaiparunning.com
Deferrals
No aravaiparunning.com
Crew, pacers and drop bags

The rules that shape your day Anything marked "not checked yet" is a gap in what we hold, never a no from the race.

Crew allowed
Yes aravaiparunning.com
Vehicles per runner
not checked yet
Pacers
No aravaiparunning.com
Muling
not checked yet
Drop bags
not checked yet
Cupless
not checked yet
Course marking
not checked yet
Night running
Yes aravaiparunning.com
Dogs
not checked yet
Headphones
Allowed aravaiparunning.com
Crew rules
Family and friends may spectate, cheer and participate from a specified crew/personal-space area alongside the course, allowing easy, quick access to their runner every lap. Runners are assigned a shared 10x10 canopy in pairs of two, with two tables and chairs to share (one for hydration, one for nutrition/gear); ample space behind the tables is available for a crew's own tables, chairs, blankets or tents. aravaiparunning.com
Pacer rules
CONFLICT ON THE OFFICIAL PAGE, not resolved (see _meta.notes). The 'Crew & Pacer Info' section states: 'Pacers are not permitted at Desert Solstice.' The separate 'Rules' section on the same page states: 'this rule was updated in 2024 to allow pacing at Desert Solstice, regardless of the lap for each registered athlete in the race,' citing general USATF Rule 144.4K. pacers_allowed is recorded false on the strength of the dedicated Crew & Pacer section, but both statements are quoted here in full because they contradict each other. aravaiparunning.com
Drop bag rules
not checked yet
Cutoff philosophy
There are no intermediate cutoffs. The only limit is the 24-hour race clock itself, 8:00 a.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday. For timed events there is no DNF; results show the furthest distance reached by the clock, with a separate 100-mile split recorded for runners who reach that distance. aravaiparunning.com
Aid stations

Every stop, and what you get there ● yes   · no   ? nobody has checked

Mile Station Cutoff Crew Bag Pacer Med To next
? Start/Finish Timing Mat ? ● ? ? ? ?
? 200-Meter Timing Point (back straight) ? ? ? ? ? ?
? Main Aid Station / Athlete Canopy Area ? ● ? · ? ?
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