480-444-8841 | flash.santoro@gmail.com |
Greetings, fellow athletes! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm a lifelong distance runner and have been competing since I was 14. You might know me as the guy that runs the steeplechase at USATF Nationals. I'm now 46 and I love my sport of Track & Field even more than ever, at the Masters level. I have been inspired the last couple of years, not just due to the pandemic, to put on small meets for the athletes with whom I race and train, know and love. My goal is to bring maximum awareness to Masters Track & Field, both in Arizona and around the whole country. Our sport is an amazing sport that can be carried on for a lifetime, and it is my belief that everyone can do it or return to doing it after a long hiatus. I'm fortunate to be a coach of 30+ Masters runners with my local club, the Arizona Pacemakers, and since introducing them to the sport the last 2 years, they have ALL discovered an aspect of running they now love, but never knew existed prior to that.
Recently, Rachel Guest and I decided to put our heads together and come up with a fun meet in the land of perfect December weather -- Arizona. The average weather is 66 degrees and sunny, with hardly ever a drop of rain. The meet will be sponsored by Southwest Sprinters, and will take place in Phoenix. It will be at a very nice facility with a newly resurfaced track on Saturday, December 18 at Mountain Pointe High School. The venue is roughly 10-15 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and there are many hotels nearby, right off the highway.
The rest of the country will have a chance to get away from their terrible weather and compete in absolute paradise. You are not allowed to move to Arizona after your experience, though --we have enough people already!
This pre-season kickoff, known as the Desert Spectacular, will be a unique meet contested on an outdoor track, featuring events most often seen during the Indoor Track & Field season, with some fun additions. Due to lack of available officials, it will NOT be a USATF Sanctioned Meet. Come join us for a highly competitive meet with domestic and international competition!