Cave Creek Thriller
Cave Creek, United States • 20 Dec 2025
Cave Creek Thriller : event overview
The Cave Creek Thriller is a trail running event in Cave Creek, Arizona, rescheduled to Saturday, December 20, 2025. It features four distances and serves as the first race of the Aravaipa Running Desert Runner Trail Series. The event has an entrant limit of 500 runners and includes chip timing, a gender-specific cut race shirt, a finisher award for all finishers, and awards for the top three male and female finishers at each distance.
Distances
- 50K (31.2 miles)
- 24K (15.6 miles)
- 11K (7.3 miles)
- 5K (3.6 miles)
Course and logistics
The 50K and 24K are point-to-point courses that use sections of the Maricopa Trail and finish inside Cave Creek Regional Park. The 50K route begins near Lake Pleasant and connects two regional parks on the Maricopa Trail. The 11K and 5K run entirely inside Cave Creek Regional Park on Go John, Quartz and Overton Trails; portions are steep, rocky, and exposed to sun. Elevation gains are listed for each distance (for example the 50K shows about 2,810 feet total gain).
Aid stations are provided: intervals vary by distance (about every 3.0 to 9.25 miles on the 50K; 3.0 to 8.6 miles on the 24K). The event is cupless - runners should bring a reusable cup. Pacers are not permitted. Parking is primarily at Cave Creek Regional Park (park charges a $7 day pass); 11K runners must use the Cave Creek Memorial Arena parking and event shuttles provide transport to certain start locations. Medical staff will be on site. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.