A brief look at The Daydreamer’s second running

The Daydreamer, a locally organized trail run event, returned Feb. 6-7 to Patagonia for its second year, attracting 140 runners—70% of them female—across three long-distance races (10k, 30k and 50k).

Locals did well this year. Duke Norton (Patagonia/Tucson), Montana Bingen (Elgin) and Ben Lehman (Patagonia) took first, second and third place in the men’s section of the 50k and Alysha Davis (Patagonia) won the women’s. In the 10k, Monterrey Gay of Patagonia placed first in the women’s section, while Jason Stuck (Fort Huachuca) placed first in the men’s, with 13-year-old Benji Kryzs of Patagonia coming in third. (Complete results for the event’s races are available here.)

The event’s youngest runner was 11-year-old Ezra Krikorian of Patagonia, who came in eighth overall in the 10k. At 84, Bob Brandt of Patagonia, who also ran in the 10k, was the event’s oldest participant.

New to The Daydreamer this year was a special Kids Race for youths aged 3 to 10 years old, held in the town park. 25 children participated, which event founder/organizer Heidi Rentz called a huge success. “They had a blast and did so well,” she said. “This is just the beginning of what will develop into more running for these kids.”

The two-day weekend event was blessed by sunny weather and temperatures hovering around a (day)dreamy 70 degrees. Musicians were on hand to provide live entertainment on both nights, and funds were raised to benefit the Town of Patagonia’s recycling program.

“It’s such a fun thing to watch The Daydreamer become a special little part of Patagonia,” Rentz said. “Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun and for all the amazing support and encouragement from the town.”

Dates for next year’s Daydreamer are already set: Feb. 5-6, 2027.