Runners take off for the inaugural Lizard Peak Scramble 5k back in October with Mackenzie Dodd leading the way with a big smile and her arms raised. Photo courtesy of AZAK Event Company.
LAKE HAVASU CITY — For Tony Rivello, he’s hitting upon the untapped potential of an organized trail running series in Lake Havasu City.
The retired Havasu firefighter and his son, Anthony, have started AZAK Event Company with one October race event already in the books and another one on the horizon in late March.
“This time last year, we started the business,” said Rivello, an avid trail runner himself. He said he wanted to bring his joy for trail running at Havasu’s SARA Park, and what it has meant for him as a stress reliever to more people.
“We’re very excited to have a permit and access to the trails,” Rivello said of the upcoming March race.
It won’t simply be one distance, one course for the racing events which are based out of SARA Park on Havasu’s southern end off of State Route 95. The first event dubbed Lizard Peak Scramble had a competitive 10K and 5K along with a noncompetitive 1K Kids Dirt Dash and 5K run/hike.
Havasu on the Rocks, set for Saturday, March 28, will have a variety of course and distance options as well, including a half marathon to Pilot Rock called the Pilot Rock Punisher Half, a 13K and a 7K run/hike.
Rivello said he’s thrilled with the response so far from this untapped market.
The October run had 263 registered participants, Rivello said. Havasu on the Rocks already has about 100 signed up to compete as of mid-February.
It’s not just Havasu residents that are joining in on the new trail running series. About 40% of those signing up are coming outside of Havasu, Rivello said.. Participants are coming from cities such as Kingman, Parker, San Diego, and states such as Missouri, Montana, Minnesota and Washington, he added.
Rivello said about 50 percent of those who sign up for race events will sign up in the last couple of weeks and most of those folks are local.
The new trail running series is all part of a larger effort to get people outside and enjoy what Havasu has to offer.
More specifically, beyond that, one of the partner nonprofits for the race is Forged Outdoors.
Forged Outdoors is a Havasu based nonprofit focused on improving the mental health, strength, and resiliency of first responders — including police officers, firefighters, and paramedics — through physical, outdoor activities.
Helping those first responders is a key motivation to Rivello who served with the Lake Havasu City Department for 34 years before retiring in January 2022.
For more information on AZAK Event Company, visit its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AZAKEventCo.
Greg Moberly
