Arizona Trail Race - Fastest Known Time

Ben light

Altra Red Team Athlete

Presenting Sponsors:

Ben
Light

Mike McKnight

Altra Red Team Athlete

Salomon Elite Athlete

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Arizona Trail FKT

Showdown Hats

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Project Information &

Arizona Trail Info

On October 15-27th 2022, both ultra-endurance athletes Ben Light and Mike McKnight will embark on a remarkable challenge. They will each face off and race one other across the Arizona Trail with the goal of breaking the current (supported) Fastest Known Time of 13 days 3 hrs 21 mins. The Arizona Trail is an 800-mile recreation trail that connects Mexico to Utah through mountain ranges, canyons, deserts, wilderness, forests and communities. Not only will the distance present challenges, but the vertical overall gain of 100,000 feet will cause Mike and Ben to have to climb some physical and metaphorical mountains along the way.

To make things more challenging, the duo will not be running together, but will be racing each other – in opposite directions. That’s right. In this first of its kind event, Ben and Mike will race each other but will go opposite directions. One will begin on the Utah border and the other on the Mexico border of Arizona. To determine who will start where, the two will do a LIVE coin toss five days before the start. The runner who starts at the Mexico border will have the choice of picking the start time.

Ben & Mike are honored to be both taking on this remarkable 800- mile challenge while raising funds in support of two non-profit organizations that serve our local communities. Ben will be raising donations for Bigger Than The Trail and Mike will be raising donations for RODS Heros.

Donation Raffle Giveaway

For every dollar donated, donors will receive (1) entry to the Donation Raffle Giveaway. We have thousands of dollars in Prizes from the Project Brand Partners that will be raffled off one week after the event. Winners will be chosen randomly and be notified by email.

10+ Brands contributing to the Giveaway
50+ Prizes to be Raffled off
Over $7,500 in prize value!
One Raffle ticket or every $1 donated to the project and/or nonprofits (including project hat purchases!)
One prize per winning entry

Presenting Sponsors:

Ben light

Altra Red Team Athlete
@adventure.your.potential

Ben is an accomplished endurance athlete, certified fitness coach and motivational speaker from Heber City Utah. He has been running ultra marathons since 2013 and has run challenging distances all over the world. Ben is better known in the running community for his unique and creative “endurance projects,” including the “Utah BRAWL 300 Project” and the “Wasatch Tahoe Project.” Ben believes that our lives are our ultimate adventure and that our potential is limitless. He believes we are the gatekeepers to our destiny and we each are far more capable then we truly understand. Ben thrives on challenging himself to see what he is truly capable of accomplishing.

With all of his ultra running endeavors both as a competitor and adventurer, Ben understands the physical and mental challenges he will endure as he runs 800-miles across the Arizona Trail. Through those running experiences, he has learned the importance of applying a positive attitude, focused effort, consistent preparation and patience.

And while Ben has been able to face his own challenges, doing so has given him a deeper purpose, which is to help others by bringing LIGHT to those who struggle with mental health challenges, particularly in the trail running community. He hopes that with this project, that he will be able to raise funds for the organization Bigger Than The Trail which is a 501(c)(3) organization that is geared toward helping those with mental health challenges in the trail running community. Ben said he is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to this cause.

www.bttt.run
@biggerthanthetrail

Bigger Than The Trail is a 501(c)(3) organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health. Their mission is to enrich the lives of individuals struggling with mental health by coming alongside individuals and providing educational support and treatment options. Bigger Than The Trail offers 3 months of financial support to those in need of help by connecting them with counseling services.

Presenting Sponsors:

Michael McKnight

SALOMON Elite Athlete
@thelowcarbrunner

Mike is an ultra-endurance athlete and professional running coach from Cache Valley, Utah. He has been running ultra marathons since 2013, but began running 200+ mile distances in 2017. Mike is best known for being the first person to win all three 200-mile races (as part of the Triple Crown) in the same calendar year, as well as claiming the FKT on the 500- mile Colorado Trail (Durango to Denver, Collegiate East). He is also known for being the first person to run 100 miles without consuming any calories.

As a coach, Mike’s philosophy is that running and pushing your limits should be something that you love to do, and not something that you feel forced to do. “If you wake up and think, “Well, I better get my run done”, “then you probably need to find a different hobby,” he says. Mike believes that comfort is a waste of potential, and you should love being uncomfortable.

Over the course of this 800-mile attempt, Mike’s heart won’t be far from a special family member: his niece Maggie who his sister adopted from Columbia in 2017. Maggie has Down syndrome, and Mike says she is the light and life of their family.

A few years after Maggie joined his family, Mike learned of the non-profit organization that assisted his sister in adopting Maggie, called RODS Heroes.

This organization uses their donations to advocate for orphaned children with Down syndrome and other special needs. They also provide adoption grants and other resources to help the children of whom they advocate for. Because of the positive impact that RODS Heroes had on his family, Mike has chosen RODS Heroes to be the non-profit that he dedicates this attempt to.

www.rods.org
@rodsheroes

RODS Heroes is a nonprofit committed to finding a loving home for orphaned children with Down syndrome and other special needs. Their mission is to inspire families to answer the call to adopt and ultimately give each one of these superheroes their cape.

A huge thank you to our sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors:

Contributing Sponsors:

Brand and Community Sponsors: