Volume 30 • Number 10 March 8, 2023
The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson
www.explorernews.com
Tucson’s last triathlon rallies Southwest communities
INSIDE
This Week
BY VERONICA KUFFEL
T
Tucson Local Media Staff Writer
CHOW........................ 12 Ride a few miles, get a cookie in the Tour de Cookie
HEALTH...................... 14 Another infectious virus outbreak could be coming
Freshman Jackson Ganz-Golston is Athlete of the Week FEATURES..................................... 10 CHOW............................................ 12 HEALTH ........................................ 14 SPORTS ......................................... 16 BUSINESS..................................... 18 PUZZLE/HOROSCOPES.............. 19 WORSHIP/CLASSIFIEDS............ 20 MLS #22304118
see MEMORIAL page 7
see TRIATHLON page 8
200 mark memorial groundbreaking
K
Tucson Local Media Contributor
SPORTS...................... 17
“living memorial,” intended to honor and celebrate active military, veterans, first responders and health care workers while educating future generations about “the meaning of service and sacrifice to our country.” For Eggerding, Feb. 28 was a long time coming. The memorial idea was once “a little zero,” with no funds nor land. With the help of “wonderful people coming out of the woodwork,” now it’s going to happen, he said. People “came forward like this is their No. 1 project.” The crowd, led by the Canyon Singers from Canyon del Oro High School, sang “Happy Birthday” to Eggerding.
that. As On Your Left Fitness owner Julie Stark put it, people across the Southwest come for the race, but they stay for the landscape. “They love the mountain view,” said Stark, who serves as an organizer. “If you’re ever standing in the parking lot of the Oro Valley Aquatic Center and you take a look at those Catalina Mountains, they’re in your face. It’s so awe-inspiring.” OYL Fitness hosts nine competitions, including the sprint triathlon, intermediate triathlon, spring duathlon, sprint triathlon-Clydesdale, sprint triathlon-Athena, beginner mini spring triathlon, sprint triathlon relay, intermediate triathlon relay and sprint duathlon relay. For the third year, the Oro Valley runs are sold out, but the public is welcome to watch when participants take position at the starting line on Saturday, March 18. With nine running events, participants witness the Catalina Mountain peaks on
It's been several years in the making, but groundbreaking for the new Arizona Heroes Memorial finally took place on Feb. 28. at the entrance to Oro Valley's Naranja Park. (submitted)
BY DAVE PERRY
orean War veteran Dick Eggerding, a 35-year resident of Oro Valley who turned 90 in late February, vividly recalls the moment he envisioned a memorial to America’s heroes. “I remember walking up here on this spot, and looking out at the mountain range, and thinking, ‘this is the spot’” to build a tribute, Eggerding told a crowd of more than 200 on Feb. 28, when ground was broken for the Arizona Heroes Memorial at Oro Valley’s Naranja Park. The “spot,” a 2.5-acre, long-abandoned concrete pad not far from the park’s south entrance on Naranja Drive, is being transformed into a
$525,000
$448,000
3BD/2BA (1,801 SQ FT) HOME WITH VIEWS IN GATED LA RESERVE. 1526 E Tascal Loop, Oro Valley, AZ 85737
he Oro Valley Triathlon and Duathlon Festival is the only event of its kind in the area, but the attraction goes deeper than
Lisab@LongRealty.com
520-668-8293
#1 LONG AGENT & #1 REALTOR IN ORO VALLEY Voted Best of Northwest Realtor & Realtor Team
2BD/3BA (1,880 SQ FT) DOLCE PLAN IN SADDLEBROOKE RANCH. 32411 S Desert Pupfish Dr, Oracle, AZ 85623
MLS #22304179