El Tour de Tucson 5K

Join the Fun: Mark your calendars for the exciting El Tour Expo & Fiesta festivities on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20, with the bike and run on Saturday, November 21st.

 

Perfect for the active family:  Ride the Tour or walk or run the 5k -- either way, enjoy a Downtown party, discounted hotels, and more! Open to all ages and abilities, every finisher in this chip-timed 5K will receive a souvenir medallion as they cross the finish line. 

You can walk the 3.1 mile Downtown course or you can race it, with overall winners and age-group winners receiving gift cards to Fleet Feet Tucson. 

 

Enjoy Downtown and the El Tour Expo: The 5K will start at the El Tour start line at 7:15 am and cruise through the wide neighborhood streets of Barrio Viejo and Armory Park in historic Downtown Tucson.  

The finish is back near the Convention Center, at El Parque de San Cosme, just two blocks from the start line and expo.

The El Tour Expo and Fiesta is a 3-day expo that leads up to the big day.  Enjoy exhibits, demos, celebrity signings, food trucks, live entertainment and the Dragoon Brewing Beer Garden!

 

Age Group and Overall Awards:  Top finishers receive gift cards to Fleet Feet Tucson.

 

Planned Event Week Schedule

When and Where: Casino del Sol Expo & Fiesta, Tucson Convention Center Exhibition Hall, 260 South Church Avenue, in Downtown Tucson

Thursday, November 19, Noon – 8:00 pm, Convention Center

Friday, November 20, Noon – 8:00 pm, Convention Center

Saturday, November 21, 6:00 am - 7:00 am, Convention Center next to starting line on Cushing Street

Expo and Fiesta continuing until 6:00pm on Saturday

In-Person Registration: All in-person registration at the Expo will be done online using the RunSignup platform.

Picking Up Your Packet:

• Please be prepared to give the volunteers the last name and the assigned race number so that they can find your number.

• Use the "Find a Participant" search to find the race number for every registered participant.  

• It may be crowded, so please be patient and please be kind to the volunteers.

Add-on Purchases: Please bring your purchase receipt to the Expo to pick up your various souvenirs.

 

Planned 5k Run/Walk Event Day Schedule, Saturday, November 21st

6:00 am - 7:00 am: Packet pickup and bathrooms at the Convention Center -- remember, the race starts promptly at 7:15 am, so give yourself enough time to get to the start line on Cushing Street

7:15 am: Start 5k Run/Walk, on Cushing Street between Church and Meyer

There are no formal pace corrals, so please join the starting line in terms of your expected pace: for example, speed demon who plan to run 5 or 6 minutes per mile should at the front near the starting scaffolding facing east, while those who expect to take 20-25 minutes per mile should start towards the back.

The race is so-called "gun-timed" so start your watch when you cross the start line!

Finish at El Parque de San Cosme, near San Cosme Chapel at 460 West Simpson Street

Runners and Walkers, as you come off the paved path onto the finishing stretch, please finish to the left of the finish line arch
Finisher medals awarded to all finishers, given out by the GroGirlsGro volunteers
Finish line treats of bananas, oranges, and more, given out by volunteers from AAA Arizona
Music by Starlight Deejays, with face painting for the kiddos and activities by Raising Cane's, Tucson Roadrunners, and more
After the finish, head over to the Convention Center for live music, the beer garden and other day-long activities.

9:15 am: Approximate time for El Tour 5k Awards at Convention Center, with age group awards by Fleet Feet

Ongoing morning and afternoon: bike rides begin, expo activities, music, and more

Click here for more information on the El Tour bike rides and weekend schedule

 

El Tour de Tucson Website

Additional event information can be found at https://eltourdetucson.org/ 

 

Accommodations and Travel

Book with our official lodging partners and save during your stay! Click on the hotel logo to book directly online now.
Rates typically are valid during race weekend and are subject to occupancy and city taxes
https://eltourdetucson.org/el-tour-de-tucson/accommodations-and-travel/

 

Event Directors

El Tour has partnered with Run Tucson, the local leaders producing running events for decades. Run Tucson has developed running events in locations like Downtown Tucson and in tourist destinations like Saguaro National Park, the Biosphere 2, and Old Tucson Studios.

Questions about the El Tour 5k?  Contact Randy Accetta at randy@runtucson.net. 

Questions about the El Tour bike events?  See www.eltourdetucson.org. 

The event will take place rain or shine.  There are no refunds, deferrals, or returns for this event.  Race items will not be mailed to participants.

Check it out!  Everyone who makes across the finish line at the 2024 El Tour de Tucson 5k will earn one of these commemorative medallions -- a perfect keepsake of your journey through Downtown Tucson as part of the famed El Tour! 

December 1, 2024 Update: As a reminder, all age group awards can be picked up at Fleet Feet's Tanque Verde location through the end of December, 2024: 7301 East Tanque Verde, Tucson, Arizona.

 

The event will be timed by On Your Left Fitness and Timing.  All finisher times will be recorded based on so-called "start timing" or "gun timing," meaning that the participant's time will be recorded from the start of the race to when the participant crosses the finish line mats.

 

Top finishers and age group winners will receive Gift Certificates from Fleet Feet Tucson.  Fleet Feet: Inspiring, educating, and empowering people of all ages to live a healthy, fit lifestyle. For more information on Fleet Feet Tucson's two locations, please see their website here: https://www.fleetfeet.com/s/tucson

Course Records:

Men: Kennett Peterson, Boulder, CO 15:51 (2023)

Women: Whitney Penny, Tucson, AZ 17:23 (2023)

2024 Awards

Overall male and female finishers Fleet Feet Gift Cards

• 1st $50
• 2nd $35
• 3rd $25

Top three age-group male and female finishers in 5-year age groups: U15 through 75+

• 1st $20
• 2nd $15
• 3rd $10

NOTES:

• All finishers will receive a souvenir El Tour 5k Finisher's Medallion. 
• All Overall Male and Female awards are based on Gun Time
• All Age Group awards based on Chip Timing.
• Awards are in Male and Female Divisions
• The event follows the RRCA Fair Competition Policies.

2023 Finisher's Medal

Parking:  This is a crowded day in Downtown, but there should be plenty of Downtown street parking and City lot parking.  For information on parking or other things to do Downtown, please visit the Downtown Partnership website here.  You can also visit Park Tucson's website here for details on Downtown parking. Do not block driveways, do not park in red zones, do not park in permitted spots, and be mindful of all traffic and parking laws -- we don't want you to get in the way of the neighbors and we don't want you to get a ticket! 

Terrain:  The course is paved, with typical Downtown roadway speed bumps, potholes, and other normal urban wear and tear. Even though the course is closed, please keep an eye out for vehicles, bicycles, and other potential hazards that are common to urban running, such as potholes, speedbumps, other pedestrians, and the like.

Difficulty: This would be considered an "easy" course, on a flat and fast paved asphalt surface, with (we hope) spectator support.

Strollers: Yes, you can absolutely run or walk with a stroller. Be mindful of potholes, speed-bumps, and other urban road impediments.

Chair Friendly: Yes, this course is suitable for chair athletes. Be mindful of potholes, speed-bumps, and other urban road impediments.

Public Safety: There will be emergency medical at the staging area near the Convention Center. If an emergency happens while you are on the course, call 911 immediately or flag down a nearby police officer or volunteer.

Headphones: We know that people like having music, but for personal and communal safety we ask that for safety reasons you do not wear headphones while on the El Tour de 5k Route.

Bathrooms:

• Pre-Race bathrooms are available inside the Convention Center
• Post-race bathrooms at the finish line
• There are no portojohns available on the 5k course

On-Course Water Stop: There will be a water stop at the 1.5 mile mark, on 18th Street near Fourth Avenue

Starlight Deejays: Thanks to Clint from Starlight Deejays for rockin' the tunes at the start/finish.

Photographs: El Tour will be on hand taking overall event photos, while our friend Damion Alexander will also be around snapping candids of the event. We'll have more details afterwards on where to find the photos.

Social Media: Please tag @runtucson and @tourdetucson with any instagram posts -- you can use hashtags #eltour5k or #runtucson or anything else you want . . .

Bathrooms: All participants will have access to the bathrooms in the Civic Center and throughout the staging area.  There will be portojohns at the finish area on Simpson, near El Paso.

Numbers and Timing:  Thanks to On Your Left timing for handling all online registration, timing, and results. On Your Left reminds all runners and walkers to put the 5k bib number on the front of your shirt, using pins to pin all four corners.

Post-Race Results: You will be able to find your results at the On Your Left site here.

Weather:  We can't predict race day temperatures, but often the mid-November temps range from 50-75.  It's an early start, so it may be chilly.  

Pets: Unfortunately, while we love pets, dogs and other pets are not allowed in the race itself.  Leashed pets and service animals are allowed on City of Tucson property following City of Tucson guidelines, but for safety reasons no dogs or other pets are allowed on the race course.  

Bicycles: The area will be filled with bike riders, so keep an eye out for our two-wheeled friends.

5K Packet Pickup is part of the El Tour Expo and Fiesta, a 3-day expo at the Tucson Convention Center.

Thursday  – November 21, Noon – 8pm
Friday – November 22,  Noon – 8pm
Saturday - November 23, 6-7am

Picking Up Your 5k Packet
Please be prepared to give the volunteers the last name and the assigned race number so that they can find your number.  You can use the "Find a Participant" search to find the race number for every registered participant.  

1) You must go to the Tucson Convention Center to get an envelope with your name and race number on it. Inside the envelope you will find your race bib number, including the timing chip. 

2) Have your name and pre-assigned race number readily available -- tell the volunteers your last name and your pre-assigned race bib number.

3) If you don't know you're race number, click here and search for your name to find your race number. 

4) While at the packet pickup table, snag 4 safety pins so you can pin your number to the front of the shirt you will wear on race morning.

5) If you purchased a souvenir shirt, you will be directed to the souvenir t-shirt table, a few feet away from the 5k packet pickup table.

NOTE: The El Tour Bike Ride Packet Pickup Rules and Regulations are Here.

Click here and see the map below for more information on parking.

This indoor and outdoor expo is the place to interact with exhibitors from national bicycle manufacturers to local businesses to showcase the latest bicycles, accessories and apparel.  Merchandise sales, product demos, giveaways, panels, contests — it’s all at the Expo.  There is also music and entertainment, local food vendors, a beer garden, packet pick-up and rider meetings. Free and open to the public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book with the El Tour official lodging partners and save during your stay! Click on the hotel logo to book directly online.
Rates typically are valid race weekend and are subject to occupancy and city taxes.  See: 
https://eltourdetucson.org/el-tour-de-tucson/accommodations-and-travel/

5k Packet Pickup and Registration Schedule

Get your race number, snag the souvenir shirt if you special ordered it, and enjoy hanging out with friends at the Expo and Fiesta. Set aside time to do some holiday shopping with the many vendors on hand.

When and Where: El Tour Expo & Fiesta, Tucson Convention Center Exhibition Hall, 260 South Church Avenue, in Downtown Tucson 

• Thursday, November 22, Noon – 8pm, Convention Center

• Friday, November 23, Noon – 8pm, Convention Center: 

• Saturday, November 23, 6:00 am - 7:00 am, Convention Center next to starting line on Cushing Street

• Expo and Fiesta continuing until 5:00pm on Saturday 

5k Run/Walk Event Day Schedule, Saturday, November 23

Race Start Time: 7:15 am

6:00 am - 7:00 am: Packet pickup and bathrooms at the Convention Center -- remember, be prepared to tell the volunteers your name and you're pre-assigned race bib number.  The race starts promptly at 7:15 am, so give yourself enough time to get to the start line on Cushing Street.  No late starts allowed.

 

7:15 am: Start 5k Run/Walk, on Cushing Street between Church and Meyer

 

Finish at El Parque de San Cosme, near San Cosme Chapel at 460 West Simpson Street 

• Finisher medals awarded to all finishers

• Finish line treats of bananas, oranges, and more. Music by Starlight Deejays.

• Fun activities by Raising Cane's, Arizona Bowl, Tucson Roadrunners, Disney characters, face painting and more . . . 

• After the finish, head over to the Convention Center for live music, the beer garden and other day-long activities.

 

9:15 am: Approximate time for El Tour 5k Awards at Convention Center, with age group awards by Fleet Feet

 

Ongoing morning and afternoon: bike rides begin, expo activities, music, and more

 

See here for more details on the full El Tour weekend schedule.

Check out the route details!

 

Land History and Acknowledgement: We respectfully acknowledge that these Southern Arizona lands have been peopled for thousands of years.  According to the Tucson Indian Center, "The Tucson area has long been the traditional site for Indian settlements. From the Archaic and Hohokam Indians, to the Tohono O’odham and Yaqui, the waters of the Santa Cruz River and the surrounding fertile land attracted desert dwelling tribes" (https://www.ticenter.org/history, retrieved January 1, 2023).  For additional information about local tribal lands, see http://www.tonation-nsn.gov and https://itcaonline.com/member-tribes/pascua-yaqui-tribe and https://heard.org/education/arizona-indian-communities. 

For those interested in making the running community more accessible, inclusive, and visible for all, you may wish to read about the Running on Native Lands Initiative at https://www.risinghearts.org/nativelands.  You can also visit https://native-land.ca, the source for the image on this page.  

For additional materials, perhaps see the recommended books here: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/10/09/honoring-indigenous-peoples-recommended-reads.  

Additionally, we refer to the Friends of Saguaro National Park website (https://www.friendsofsaguaro.org/nativepeoples, retrieved January 1, 2023):

Human habitation in the Tucson Basin dates back approximately 12,500 years -- to the Pleistocene Age.  The first people were likely descended from those who migrated across a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska;  bands of hunters were roaming the desert grasslands of southern Arizona by about 10,000 BC.  Archeologists have concluded that sites found in the Tucson Basin, along the Santa Cruz River, likely represent the oldest, continuously inhabited area in the United States. About 2,300 years ago, a group we now call the Hohokam had settled in southern Arizona -- including the Santa Cruz valley.  By AD 700, they had a well-developed agricultural economy including extensive irrigation systems.

Archeological finds in the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park show that Hohokam villages existed there for about 600 years -- along Rincon Creek and its tributary washes.  Then, during the 15th century, the Hohokam culture simply vanished.

Contemporary native peoples that would constitute the ethnographic history of the Park include:

Akimel O'odham (also known as Pima)
Apache
Hopi
Maricopa
Yaqui
Tohono O'odham ("Desert People")
Yavapai
Zuni

This beautiful desert has long been a sought-after landscape, with the Spanish first arriving in the 1530's, raids by Apache and Comanche throughout the 1700's and 1800's, and even the Confederate army fighting battles in the desert during the American Civil War.  For those interested, The Desert Museum offers insights on the Spanish and Mexican contact in the region here: https://www.desertmuseum.org/members/sonorensis/week9.php.  

An optional soft style El Tour 5K is available with your registration for $15. 

T-shirts will be available for pickup during event week at the Expo.  Shirts will NOT be mailed to those who do not attend packet pickup.

T-shirts might also be available for sale at registration and packet pick-up for $20.