Debra Zimmerman, left, Tara Butchart, Marta Spencer and Cristina Thudium compete in the 2024 Wildflower 5k Trail Fun Run/Walk Saturday, Feb. 24. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo
A group of avid women hikers from Anza and Lake Riverside Estates competed in the 2024 Wildflower 5k Trail Fun Run/Walk hosted by Friends of the Desert Mountains, Saturday, Feb. 24. The event was held in the
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
The race is touted as Coachella Valley’s only 5K fun run on desert terrain.
“It’s nice to have the kind of friends that will agree to the crazy idea of a 7:30 a.m 5K run in the desert knowing you’re going to go a snails pace,” said Tara Buchart. “They didn’t leave me behind, either. I literally went from 8 weeks on the couch recovering from surgery to this. But we did it.“
The ladies’ entry fees earned them T-shirts, as well as supporting Friends of the Desert Mountains programs.
Formed in 1987, Friends of t
