Javelina Training Camp with Everyday Ultra
October 9-11, 2026 | McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Arizona
45.72 Miles | 3,441 Feet of Elevation Gain | 3 Days | Countless Memories and New Friends
With less than three weeks until the Javelina Jundred, I headed to Arizona for the Everyday Ultra Javelina Training Camp.
The goal was pretty straightforward, I wanted to get my feet back on the course (I had previously been here back in April to run the course on my own) but what I got out of it was really special.
Over the 3 days I logged almost 46 miles including back-to-back 20+ mile days on the actual Javelina course but my biggest takeaways weren’t necessarily about the mileage, pace, or elevation.
But before we get into the 5 lessons I learned, here is a quick recap of the weekend.
FRIDAY
I flew from Minneapolis to Arizona Friday afternoon, landing at around 12:30 and Joe Corcione picked me up from the airport. This was the first time that I had an opportunity to meet Joe in person and he didn’t disappoint. Energetic thanks to energy drinks, kind, selfless, and humble.
We went to lunch before I went to his home and met his wife Lexi and their puppy Simba. Lexi just had a disappointing DNF at the Mammoth 200 a few days prior, but you would never know it. She was extremely kind despite having a stranger in their home as they are prepping for the upcoming training camp and recovering from the run.
We ended up at the Airbnb at 4:00 and headed to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for a shakeout run. Ended up getting 4 miles in during that run at an 11:36 pace. Much more technical trail than I was used to, and much more technical than Javelina.
I did almost fall on my face about a mile into the first run on the first day with a group of other ultra-runners. The exact impression I was hoping to make!
Got back to the house and had a delicious meal and ended up staying late talking.
SATURDAY
Woke up at 5:00am to head out to the Javelina course. I slept extremely poorly, but got up excited to get some miles in. Me and my roommate Peter decided to run the course of Loop 1 of the actual race, which is slightly longer than the next 4 loops. We got 21.66 miles in in 4:21:53 moving time.
Weather was great, and it was nice to have another runner, Nick, join us for maybe the final 9 miles of the day.
Got back from that run and had another amazing meal, fajitas, and had a great chat with Joe about race strategy and planning as well as a Q&A.
SUNDAY
Again, 5:00am wake up call but my night of sleep was so much better. We got out to the course in the middle of an intense rain storm so we ended up starting a bit late so we could let that pass.
As soon as we started to head out, we had another quick rain shower, and then we hit the wet, soggy, and in some places slippery trails.
This day we decided to do the shorter loop (what will be loops 2-5 on Raceday), which ended up being 19 miles because we did just a tiny bit extra to reach a makeshift aid station ran by Lexi and Simba.
The run went so much better this day and Me and Peter ended up running most of the miles with Kareem, Joe, Hannah, Lauryn, and then Nick finished up with us.
It was funny because we planned on being extremely conservative for this lap and the first few miles were around 12:00/mile pace…then all of a sudden we were running low 9s towards the end…oops.
I ended up getting 20 miles in in 4:11:22, but that included a 23 minute pit stop at the aid station to chat, eat, and pet Simba.
Got back to the AirBNB, did some 1:1 coaching sessions with Joe and then ended the night chatting with Katrina, Gabe, Nick, Talia, Joe, Russ, Mark, Davis, Kerri, and Peter.
Absolutely amazing weekend!
But, enough of that, what did I learn?
Little Things are Big
Saturday and Sunday were similar runs on paper. Similar distances, similar terrain, and similar paces (Sunday was faster moving time)
But they felt dramatically different.
Saturday was much more taxing, and I don’t think that was a coincidence.
My sleep was horrible the night before, I forgot my salt capsules at the AirBNB, thankfully someone shared some but it wasn’t my normal amount, I didn’t consume enough water, and my carbs were about 20/hour low.
On Sunday, I made a conscious effort to stay ahead of all three. Constantly fueling, consistently taking caffeine, being intentional about drinking water.
And I felt way better.
You can absolutely overdo nutrition and hydration, so it wasn’t necessarily about taking as much as possible, but it was about being intentional and consistent.
In a 100-mile race, small misses on important things end up adding up quickly.
Community is Everything
I’ll admit, I was nervous about attending training camp.
Showing up to an event where you don’t know anyone can be really intimidating, especially in a sport where it sometimes feels like everyone else has more experience than you or is faster than you or is just flat out better than you.
But I walked away feeling like I was part of something really special, the Everyday Ultra racing community and maybe just the ultra running community in general.
I met incredible people, people from different backgrounds, countries, running experience, family backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and running ability and I think I will walk away with friendships that extend past Javelina.
Heck, I am hoping that I have 3-4 potential Cocodona 250 pacers from this weekend.
We Can Do More Than We Think
I think it is so easy to confuse two very different statements:
“I can’t do it.”
And
“It’s going to be hard to do it.”
Those aren’t the same thing.
Running 100 miles is going to be hard. There will be moments when I’m exhausted, uncomfortable, frustrated, and questioning why I signed up and if I can succeed.
But none of those things mean I can’t keep going, they just mean it is going to be hard to keep going.
Training camp was a great reminder that just because something is hard doesn’t mean I can’t accomplish it.
Terrain Matters
One of the biggest reasons I wanted to attend the training camp was to experience the actual Javelina Course close to the race date.
Javelina isn’t known for brutally technical terrain or massive steep climbs. The heat is generally considered the biggest challenge.
But that doesn't mean the terrain is irrelevant.
There are some rocky sections with rocks that are begging for you to kick them if you aren’t paying attention. There is sand everywhere looking for any opening to get into your shoes and socks which can cause major issues over 20, 50, or 80 miles.
I had been planning on wearing road running shoes for this race because it is such a runnable course.
After spending two days o n the trails though, I am leaning towards the Nike ACG Pegasus Trail shoes instead.
I am also planning on wearing gaiters to help keep the sand and rocks out of my shoes.
Anything to help protect my feet!
Let it Friggin Rip
For months now I have been trying to figure out the smartest, most conservative way to approach Javelina.
My goal this whole time has been simple: finish within cutoffs.
And, it’s important to note that my goal hasn’t changed.
But something shifted during camp.
I don’t want to just survive this race. Walk it in with more in the tank.
I want to race the thing.
I want to trust the six months of training, the miles, the preparation, and bet on myself.
That doesn’t mean going out recklessly or ignoring the fact that 100-miles is in fact a long ways.
But it does mean that I am not going to race scared. I am not going to play the “what if” game on every climb and decide to take the easy route.
Joe Corcione shared a quote during one of the group talks:
“It’s gonna hurt now or 30 minutes from now.”
Ultrarunning comes with discomfort. Sometimes you can walk with it, and sometimes you can run with it. Either way, there are going to be moments when things really hurt.
Now, obviously there’s a difference between normal race discomfort and the pain that signals an injury. But I don’t want to mistake every difficult moment for a reason to slow down.
I want to be smart.
I want to be patient.
But I also want to be a bad ass and when the time is right, I want to let it rip.
Because at some point, you have to stop wondering what you’re capable of and give yourself a chance to find out.
Keep Climbing. Eat the Damn Gel. Let it Rip. It’s going to hurt now or 30 minutes from now. Time to crush Javelina.
