Event details for the Inaugural TMC Earth Day 5k at the Biosphere 2
Saturday morning, April 23rd
Hello to the 467 runners and walkers who have so-far signed up for this Saturday's TMC Earth Day 5k held on the property of the world-famous Biosphere 2, nestled at the base of the majestic Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. 

Below are all the updated event details you'll need for an enjoyable event weekend:
  • Packet Pickup and Race Day Schedule
  • 5k Course Description, including heat, altitude, and wildlife
  • Photos from Damion Alexander Team
  • Awards from The Running Shop
  • Race Day Fun at the Biosphere 2
  • Thanks to TMC
  • Thanks to COX
  • Miscellaneous items
  • Directions to the Biosphere 2 & request for participants to carpool


But first, check out the interview we did with Alex Steiniger at KGUN's Tucson Morning Blend talking about the event!

Now, we still could use some help, with volunteers to hand out shirts at registration, to hand out water on the course, to set up tents and give away cookies and direct the kids around the Kids Dash. If anyone wants to help with any of that, volunteers can sign up here. All volunteers get a free entry to the Biosphere 2 plus a race shirt.

OK -- please read all these details below -- if you have any questions after reading everything, please email Randy at randy@runtucson.net.

Thanks!

Randy and Tia Accetta and the crew at Run Tucson
Friday, April 22 at The Running Shop, 3055 North Campbell, Tucson
3:00 - 6:00 pm Packet pickup and in-person registration.
Medals to the first 400 registered. Race numbers will be marked.
T-shirts to the first 500 registered, with sizing given away on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup. 

Saturday, April 23rd at Biosphere 2, 32540 S Biosphere Rd, Oracle, AZ 85739
6:30- 7:15 am Race day registration and packet pick up in the parking lot by the front entrance at the Biosphere 2.
Medals to the first 400 registered. Race numbers will be marked.
T-shirts to the first 500 registered, with sizing given away on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup. 
Please consider carpooling -- it is about a 40 minute drive from mid-Tucson.

7:30 am Start time for TMC Earth Day 5k Run/Walk

8:45 am Free Kids Dash on the Great Lawn

9:15 am Awards, courtesy of the Running Shop. Remaining medals and shirts given to late participants

10:00 Event wrap-up

Ongoing: All registrants can visit Biosphere2 on their own -- no need for a formal tour!

All non-running guests can purchase Biosphere 2 admission for the discounted rate of $11 (before 8:30 am) and all children under 12 are free.

SOUVENIR REMINDER: as of April 6th, we reached the 400-person cap for a guaranteed race medal. If you are among the first 400 registrants who registered before April 7th, you will be able to pick up your medal and shirt at packet pick-up before the race and on race morning. After the race, remaining medals will be available to all registrants, including those who registered after April 6th.

All remaining shirts and medals will be brought to the Running Shop and available for remainder pickup between April 26 - May 15.
Terrain: The race starts and ends on grass, but it's mostly pavement, with a brief dirt section ... and, well, it's hilly in some sections...

The Start: The event starts on the grass of the Great Lawn, crosses some gravel, then drops down a steep hill before heading south on a gentle downhill to the turnaround at about the 3/4 mile mark (see the "X" below). There are a few speedbumps on this opening out-and-back, so please keep an eye out for varied terrain.

Mile Two: The second mile is a bit twisty, as you climb past the stables and swing past the historic ranch house built in 1890. You'll head north on a flat dirt road for a bit, with views of the Catalina Mountains off to your right. Then you'll drop down a hill before hitting the 2-mile mark

Mile Three to the Finish: You'll begin the third mile by climbing up again to the edge of the Biosphere 2 property and turning back towards the Biosphere 2 -- watch out for free-ranging cows. As you can see in the elevation chart below, the final three-quarters of a mile includes a lengthy downhill past the housing units and past the main structures, before the final quarter mile up to the finish line in the middle of the Great Lawn.

Chair Athletes: Chair athletes may find this a doable but challenging course, with a couple of steep hills and the dirt road.

Strollers: Strollers are allowed in the race, but please be mindful of the hills and ensure that you are tied to the stroller you're pushing. Please remember sun protection.

Headphones: We request that you do not wear headphones while participating in the event. Enjoy the camaraderies of your fellow athletes, enjoy the scenery, and keep an ear open for rattlesnakes, javelinas, and other participants.

Wildlife: This event takes place in a rural environment adjacent to wilderness, so you may encounter any number of wildlife, including but not limited to rattlesnakes and other snakes, javelina, cattle, deer, wild turkeys, bobcats, and more. Please do not try to touch the wildlife. Please do not wear headphones.

Heat and Altitude: The race starts at approximately 3820 feet, so be mindful that you're at a bit of elevation. It looks like race morning may be about 50 degrees at the start, climbing to the mid-70's. Stay hydrated & wear sunscreen and a hat.

Measurements: The route is garmin- and map-my-run correct but not a USATF certified course. The mapmyrun online map is here.
Photographs: Special thanks to Damion Alexander of Long Realty for taking photographs and providing images on his various pages. See https://www.facebook.com/TheDamionAlexanderTeam
Special thanks to Sharon Bart at The Running Shop for providing gift certificates to age group and overall winners of the TMC Earth Day 5k. As much as we like trophies, we prefer gift certificates as awards because they provide such tangible benefit.

Overall Male and Female Runners: 1st = $40 gift certificate; 2nd = $35; 3rd = $40
First Male Female 40+: $40 gift certificate
Age Group, U20 - through 80+
Male, Female
AG 1: $20 gift cert
AG 2: $15 gift cert
AG 3: $10 gift cert

Gift Certificates must be used by March 31, 2023, with the actual winner of the gift certificate present at use.

NOTE: For this race we are providing age group awards in male/female categories. If you wish to not select a traditional gender category, you can leave this field blank in your registration.
Bring the Kids! Strollers are allowed at this child-friendly event, with a free Kid's Dash & Kid's Zone. Children 12 and under are free between the hours of 6am and 10am.

Innovation and the Start-Up Ecosystem: We hope to have on hand a handful of sustainability start-up ventures from the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI). Check out new ventures in ag-tech, biochem, and more.

Do Good! This inaugural event raises funds for the world-renowned Biosphere 2's Ocean Reef Lab. 

Discounted Visitor Pricing: All runners receive free entry to the Biosphere 2, while all all Earth Run spectators 13 years and older receive the reduced general admission fee of only $10 per person. Children 12 and under are free between the hours of 6am and 10am. Your admission not only gets you access to the grounds but is also good for the Biosphere 2 Experience. 

The Biosphere 2 Experience app helps guides you around and through Biosphere 2 and includes never before seen photos and videos that visualize the science and 30-year history. Through science stories and interviews you'll have the opportunity to learn more about our amazing, world-class research as you traverse a safe (socially distanced) one-way path around the exterior and through the human habitat and wilderness areas of Biosphere 2. Your admission fee helps to support Biosphere 2’s education and research initiatives.

Accessibility: While the race course is accessible to all, please be mindful of hills and varied terrain. Much of the Biosphere 2 campus is wheelchair accessible, though certain areas of the property are not accessible due the steep terrain and the presence of stairs. The majority of the biomes, including the desert, savanna, ocean and rain forest, are all accessible by wheelchair or scooter.

Self-paced App Guided Tour: The Biosphere 2 Experience is a self-paced app guided tour that will lead you through the rich history and current research initiatives of this remarkable facility. The Biosphere 2 app should be downloaded prior to arrival in order to get the most out of your visit. The Biosphere 2 Experience will take place both indoors and outdoors. Visitors should be prepared for the following physical requirements:
  • 60 to 75-minute tour
  • Approximately 100 stairs, both up and down
  • 1-mile route to walk
  • Varying weather conditions (Biosphere 2 Biomes are maintained as tropical environments, temperature and humidity inside the facility can reach the high 90’s)

Pets and Service Animals: While pets are not allowed inside Biosphere 2 or on the grounds, service animals that are trained to do a specific task are welcome. Please do not leave pets unattended in vehicles.

This event is a partnership between Run Tucson and the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2.
NEW TMC ONE AT LA CANADA AND LAMBERT
We are beyond grateful to Tucson Medical Center for joining as the title sponsor for this unique event.

TMC is providing post-race snacks and other goodies -- but they also make this whole thing possible.

Check out TMC locations throughout Southern Arizona, including a TMC One office on La Canada and Lambert for those in the Oro Valley/Catalina area. See https://www.tmcaz.com/locations/ for a location near you.
Special thanks to Cox for sponsoring this inaugural TMC Earth Day 5k event. Cox Conserves goals - Cox Conserves, Cox Sustainability Program | Cox Enterprises
 
Cox Conserves goals are to send zero waste to landfill by 2024, and to be carbon and water neutral by 2034. With more than $100 million invested in sustainability and conservation projects, Cox is on track to meet their aggressive Cox Conserves goals.
NEXT UP FOR RUN TUCSON
TMC Meet Me Downtown 5K
Saturday night, June 4, 2022
The TMC Meet Me Downtown Night Run and Festival of Miles is fun way to kick off hot summer running in Tucson! The downtown vibe comes alive especially when combined with running endorphins, bands, a beer garden, and, we hope, free ice cream!

The TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k and Festival of Miles is on the Southern Arizona Roadrunners annual calendar, part of the Running Shop Grand Prix, and includes a SAR FitKidz Mile.
Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown
This is a 3 race series starting with the TMC Meet Me Downtown 5K on June 4, the TMC Tucson 10K/5K on September 18, and the TMC 15k/5k back at the Biosphere 2 on October 23. The Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown raises funds for the BEYOND-Tucson Foundation.
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As we produce events in northwest Tucson, Run Tucson is a proud to be a new member of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce
Please carpool.
There will be parking in the Biosphere 2 parking lot, but it would help if participants carpooled to share the drive.

From Central Tucson to 32540 S Biosphere Rd, Oracle, AZ 85739
  • From central Tucson, go north to River Road and turn left (heading west)
  • Continue on River Road and turn right on Oracle Road/AZ Highway 77
  • Drive north approximately 24 miles on Oracle Road/AZ Highway 77
  • Turn right on to Biosphere 2 Road at Mile Post 96.5

From Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
  • After leaving the airport, follow the signs to I-10 E
  • Take I-10 E toward Tucson, to Exit 185 and exit the interstate
  • Turn left onto Highway 387 and continue past Coolidge until Highway 387 intersects with AZ Highway 79 near Florence
  • Turn right on to Highway 79 and follow this until Oracle Junction where you turn left onto AZ Highway 77
  • Drive north approximately 6 miles on AZ Highway 77
  • Turn right on to Biosphere 2 Road at Mile Post 96.5
For information about our events, the RRCA, and The Workout Group, contact Randy Accetta
(520) 991-0733
For information about in-person, online, or group coaching, contact contact Tia Accetta.
(520)891-4369
Who Send These?
Run Tucson (www.RunTucson.net) is a local event production company for running/walking events in Arizona. 

To promote our mission of making Tucson better through running, Run Tucson advocates for health & fitness, enhancing community engagement, and promoting the local economy. We make significant contributions to worthy charities, providing over $300,000 to local organizations over the years.

Our partners include the non-profit Southern Arizona Roadrunners, the Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce, Tucson Medical Center and a host of local sponsors.

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 Arizona, 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.