Lost Dutchman Half Marathon

Apache Junction, Arizona

Sunday, February 16, 2020



On Sunday, February 16, 2020 I race walked the Lost Dutchman Half Marathon in Apache Junction, Arizona.  The temperature varied from 45 to 64 degrees with little wind and completely sunny skies.  The course was out and back on paved roads that were completely closed to traffic.  Friendly police officers were at all the intersections controlling the sparse amount of traffic.  There were 5 water stations spaced every 1 to 1.5 miles in the half marathon that also had Gatorade at stations 2 and 4.  Each station was utilized twice on the out and back course.  There were plenty of friendly efficient volunteers at each station who were mostly students.  The half marathon had 771 finishers.  There was also an 8K trail run, a 10K, and a full marathon which had 663, 652, and 341 finishers respectively.  The event has been held 19 years and I have completed 1 marathon and 5 half marathons.  The event has always been well organized and fun.  Apache Junction is at the base of the Superstition Mountains where in the gold mining days a Dutchman came to town with quite a bit of gold which he claimed came from his mine up in the mountains.  Unfortunately, he died before revealing the location of his mine.  From the time of his death to the present days thousands of people have searched for the mine; however, no one has been able to find it.  The other mines in the area no longer produces gold but are used as tourist attractions.  Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains are also famous as a location where a large number of Western Movies in the 1940’s through 1960’s was filmed.

The Exposition

Before The Race

After The Race

Laurie Lober

Chester Kalb