South Mountain Bike and Run Classic

The 2013 event is set for March 10 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event schedule:

Bike and run expo 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

South Mountain Challenge Run 8:30 a.m.

Cycling events throughout the day 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thank you to our race and event partners, volunteers and sponsors -- the inaugural 2012 South Mountain Bike and Run Classic was a huge success. More than 400 athletes competed and hundreds of others enjoyed the expo and pump track. Check out this video recap of the event.

At the South Mountain Bike and Run Classic, cyclists and runners get to test their skills surrounded by South Mountain Park/Preserve's glorious Sonoran Desert setting while helping to support the Phoenix Parks Foundation. The event also features an all-day expo.

The event is a collaboration between the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, White Mountain Road Club and Running Masters to benefit the Phoenix Parks Foundation. Ten dollars of each registration will go to the Foundation, which supports parks, preserves, recreation facilities and programs in Phoenix. Additional event sponsors include SRP, and BH/Pivot Bicycles.

The events:

An expo and festival that includes food and beverage vendors, informational and product sampling booths and the chance to take a run through a mobile bicycle "pump" track, set up by event partner Gravity Riders of Arizona (GroAZ), for beginning and intermediate riders. What's a pump track? Check out this video of the pump track at South Mountain!

Road cyclists in the Bike Classic can choose from a series of circuit races on a two-mile course through the roadways at base of the mountain range of the park's main Central Avenue entrance. Climbers can join a race up the park's Summit Road - an elevation gain of approximately 1,200 feet. Feeling ambitious? Do both! Cyclists can find event details at wmrc.org and register online at BikeReg.com.

Runners can take their chances in the South Mountain Challenge. The event is not for the faint of heart; it's a five-mile run up the Summit Road, an elevation gain of approximately 1,200 feet. Runners then walk a popular trail back down to the start. Running race registration information is available online at runningmasters.net.

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