Reporter’s notebook | Runners convene in Monument Valley for ultramarathon

By Marshall Baker
Navajo Times

On Saturday, March 1, within the beautiful landscape of Monument Valley Tribal Park, is one of the most enduring races in the Navajo Nation, the Monument Valley Ultra. Featuring a 50k race and a trail half marathon, this event has been running for 10 years to promote health and wellness across the Nation.

The grueling race begins on the Sentinel Mesa trail and reaches up to Mitchell Mesa, where runners can see the park’s iconic rock formations, like the Mitten and Merrick Butte, from 1,500 feet above ground. This event is a true test of health and strength and is right in the heart of one of the most renowned parks in the American Southwest. Over 200 runners from around the U.S. ran in this year’s race, with many local runners as well.

“The runners almost feel as if they’re floating above Monument Valley,” said Tom Riggenbach, the co-race director for the Navajo Parks Race Series and Executive Director of NavajoYES. “It’s an amazing event in one of the wonders of the world.”
Starting in 2015, the race was eventually taken up by Navajo Parks and Recreation and became a part of the Navajo Parks Race Series in an initiative spearheaded by then-Vice President Jonathan Nez. The MV Ultra is just one of nine running events within the series, with marathons, fun runs, and other races taking place in the Navajo Nation throughout the entire calendar year.

“It’s a neat series of events that is geared toward our local runners and families and youth, but is open to the public as well,” said Riggenbach. “We have runners that come from the rez and some from very far off the rez. It’s a really unique series of events that kind of gives everybody a really good taste of what the amazing Navajo tribal parks are all about.”

Navajo tribal parks are one of the most successful ventures in the Navajo Nation, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Monument Valley specifically is one of the most popular tribal parks in the country and has become a vital source of income, with tourist numbers reaching up to 400,000.

NavajoYES, which was established in 1995, advocates and works on trails within tribal parks and also promotes health and wellness with different programs throughout the year. They proudly operate the Diné Bike Project where donated, used bikes are restored and distributed back into the community. They also run very similar bike events titled the ‘Tour De Rez Cup’ series, six events of bike racing and riding throughout the year in Navajo tribal parks like the Chuska Mountains and another in Monument Valley. Additionally, any proceeds NavajoYES makes from these race series go back into running the next event and also funds programs like the bike project.

“We’re trying to promote the trails in a good way, to let folks know they’re able to come back to them,” said Rygie Bekay, the NavajoYES program manager and co-race director.

Bekay talked about a “wellness revolution,” a sort of advocacy to bring mental and physical health to the forefront through different forms of recreational activity. “That’s kind of our focus, is to get families involved into being outdoors,” said Bekay.
This was the foundational idea when the race series was taken over by Navajo Parks and Recreation. “When we started this thing back in 2015, one of the things that (then) Vice President Nez was commenting on was the idea that we need to tackle the twin monsters,” said Riggenbach. “The monsters he referred to were obesity and diabetes, and those are both big challenges obviously for a lot of folks on the nation.”

Obesity and diabetes are epidemics plaguing the entire country and particularly affect Native Americans disproportionately, with the highest rates of diabetes out of all race groups. According to the Indian Health Services, 1 in 5 in the Navajo Area has diabetes, and it’s estimated that over 75,000 have prediabetes. While factors like food scarcity and lack of affordable, healthy options greatly affect these numbers, a lot can be done to reverse these damaging effects with self-advocacy and improving one’s physical health.

“There are a lot of challenges we all face in terms of our own health and well-being, and I think this is kind of an opportunity to help restore that balance,” said Riggenbach. “It’s kind of a nationwide effort in helping create a stronger, healthier Navajo Nation.”

Riggenbach and Bekay believe these race series provide an immense benefit to the Navajo Nation not only through promoting health and wellness but also by bringing locals to iconic, beautiful trails that are close by.

“One of the reasons that we established it initially was to try to get more experiences closer to home for families and youth,” said Riggenbach. Bekay reiterated this point, noting that, “They’re able to come to a local event that isn’t within the city boundaries …. When I see friends and families come out there, they’re so amazed by the outcome of what’s in their own backyard.”

With future events like the storied Shiprock Marathon and its “Tour De Rez” series already lined up for the rest of the year, NavajoYES will continue to advocate for the “wellness revolution” for all Diné. An experienced runner and trail-goer himself, Riggenbach strives to reconnect the Navajo Nation with a foundational aspect of their culture.

“It’s just a beautiful example of how it is that running and fitness is so much part of the Navajo way.”

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