Event History: 20 years of running at Old Tucson
The 2023 TMC Sunrise at Old Tucson event continues a long tradition of locally-produced running events staged at Old Tucson. We are the only event entirely on the grounds of historic Old Tucson Studios.
In the early 1990's, The Running Shop partnered with the Southern Arizona Roadrunners to produce the Sundown at the Pass 5-Miler, an evening race with a route that began at the International Wildlife Museum and ended on Main Street in Old Tucson. After the race, participants would enjoy barbq sandwiches during the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, in 2006 Pima County closed Gates Pass to endurance events, which put an end to the Sundown at the Pass.
The race lay fallow for a few years, then in March of 2009 Randy and Tia Accetta unveiled the first-ever SUNRISE AT OLD TUCSON CROSS COUNTRY TRAIL RUN. Now a morning trail race totally on the grounds of Old Tucson Studios, this race swiftly became a regional favorite with upwards of a 1000 participants. Between 2009 and 2019, the race raised funds for the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, and other non-profit organizations. Sponsored by TMC and The Running Shop, the event was a partnership between SAR and Run Tucson from 2009 and 2020.
During the COVID year of 2021, Old Tucson Studios was closed, so we did the event virtually as the Run Tucson Trail Challenge. Unfortunately, the operators of Old Tucson Studios declared bankruptcy and the Pima County grounds sat empty for more than a year. In 2022, American Heritage Railways agreed to lease the properties from Pima County and revived Old Tucson Studios.
Now in 2024, we're excited to be back at Old Tucson Studios and running on some of our favorite trails, including Main Street, Boot Hill, and Horse Poop Alley.
