Join us each Tuesday evening in August for a fun series of shorter midweek trail races. Our goal is to offer a fun, low-key series of races designed to give newer trail runners an opportunity to dip their toes into the trail racing waters, and to offer more experienced trail racers a chance to sharpen their speed on shorter, quicker courses. After each race, we will be providing pizza with support from the Fort Collins Running Club and beverages with support from New Belgium Brewing.
Event Type: Running
Long View Marathon & Half
Showcasing a unique city-to-city trail connection, The Long View Marathon and Half Marathon runs from Fort Collins to Loveland. Together, Gnar Runners and Sweetheart City Racing bring a unique collaboration to Colorado’s running scene in this one-of-a-kind race event.
Black Squirrel Half Marathon
The Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon takes place on the wonderful trails of Lory State Park to the northwest of Fort Collins, CO.The trail half marathon course offers a tour of the outer boundaries of Lory State Park, providing breathtaking views to the east of Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins and the Great Plains; and to the West of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain swell.The race covers a variety of terrain, with a mix of moderately technical and non-technical trails. After a mile of dirt roads, the trail ascends a little under four miles and 1,500 feet to the apex of the course at 7,000 feet on Lory’s west ridge. The views are well worth the climb. A rapid and somewhat technical descent follows, leaving three and a half miles of beautiful, gently rolling hardpacked singletrack into the finish. Finishers can start chowing down at the post-race pancake breakfast and kick back and enjoy the post-race party.We will also have a fun and free kids trail race on a 1 mile loop beginning and ending from the start/finish area of the main race.Our aim is to offer a trail running experience that is challenging, yet accessible to all.
Blue Sky Marathon
Welcome to the Blue Sky Marathon, Fort Collins’ original and only trail marathon.Taking place on the trails between Horsetooth Mountain Park and the Devil’s Backbone Open Space, the course takes you on a north-south tour of the easternmost hogbacks of Northern Colorado’s mighty Front Range. With 3,500 feet of elevation gain and an equal amount of elevation loss, the route offers a little bit of something for everyone. It is designed to appeal to both veteran trail runners and those looking to experience their first trail racing adventure. The generous nine hour cut-off should ensure a successful day for everyone.The course is 100% dirt and 90% sweet Colorado singletrack. The terrain ranges in difficulty from smooth dirt trail to technical rock gardens. A small portion of the route is on smooth dirt road (no motor vehicle access) and gravel bike path, with the meat of the running done on the beautiful and distinctive redstone hardpack of the Blue Sky Trail.After the race, kick back and enjoy the always-popular barbeque and generous sponsor giveaways.
Never Summer 100k/60k
The Never Summer 100km & 60km will take place almost entirely within the boundaries of State Forest State Park and run between the Never Summer Mountains on the northern border of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the north of Cameron Pass.The first 20 miles of each race will offer a tour of the peaks and alpine lakes of the northern Never Summer Mountains, before the route crosses below Cameron Pass and heads north into the southern Medicine Bow Mountains for more peaks and lakes over the final miles.Cameron Pass sits at the top of the iconic Poudre Canyon and near the headwaters of the Cache La Poudre River, almost exactly halfway between Fort Collins and Steamboat Springs (1.5 hours either way), an hour south of Laramie, WY, and 2.5 – 3 hours from Denver.This is a mountain race in the truest sense of the term, with extended periods of high alpine ridge running, two alpine peaks, and five alpine lakes visited along the way. When above timberline, you will enjoy huge views of the northern Never Summer Mountains to the south, the stunning peaks of RMNP to the southeast, expansive vistas across North Park to the Park Range above Steamboat Springs to the west, and even north out to Wyoming’s Snowy Range.The race covers a huge variety of terrain, from cross country, to jeep and logging roads, to bomber alpine trail, and pretty much everything in between. There are some sections of the course that have seen very little foot traffic in recent years and are rough and overgrown as a consequence; this only adds to the ‘charm’ of the race. You’ll cross meadows and streams, you’ll wade through mud up to your shins, you’ll negotiate rocks, and perhaps negotiate a snowfield or two. There is quite literally something new around every corner on this course. Expect to see moose, elk and maybe some bighorn sheep through the course of your run.Our aim with this race is to offer a challenging ultra-distance mountain-running experience in a wild and beautiful setting. With a cut-off of 24 hours for the 100km, we believe that anybody with adequate training and the requisite mental fortitude can complete this run, but please also be aware that this is a true mountain wilderness experience in challenging terrain, much of it between 10,000ft and 12,000ft.
Quad Rock 50/25mi
Welcome to the Quad Rock 50 and 25 mile trail races, an event put on by trail runners for trail runners.
Taking place on the trails and hills west of Fort Collins in Lory State Park and Horsetooth Mountain Park, the Quad Rock 25/50 will take you on a tour of the Fort Collins skyline, situated on the northeastern edges of Colorado’s mighty Rocky Mountains. Look east from the course’s high ridges and you’ll see the Great Plains extending into Nebraska as far as the eye can see. Look west and you’ll take in the layered ridgelines and summits of Northern Colorado’s Rocky Mountain swell, dominated 30 miles away by a towering Longs Peak, the undisputed monarch of Colorado’s northern Front Range.
We aspire to not only offer a first class trail racing experience on a challenging, scenic and impeccably marked course, but also a top-notch post-race experience that will leave your bellies full, your feet tapping and your mouths yapping.
The 25-mile loop will take you to the base of two of the more prominent granite outcroppings atop the West Ridge of the Fort Collins skyline by way of the Mill Creek drainage and the Spring Creek Valley. All told, you will ascend a touch over 5,500 vertical feet on more than 23 miles of premium, gnarled-out singletrack connected by two miles of dirt road. Run the second loop in reverse for a full 50 miles and a net vertical gain in excess of 11,000 feet.
Hang around after your run for music, food, awesome awards, and some mighty tall tales.
Resolution Run 5K
Run out the old year, and welcome the new! Now in its 38th year, the Resolution Run is a family-friendly, neighborhood streets 5K starting & finishing at the Edora Pool Ice Center.
Kids, strollers, dogs & walkers welcome!
Finish in under 20:22 to earn a special prize!
The race is held after sunset – we’ll provide glow sticks by the bucket, and everyone is encouraged to show off their bright clothes and lights!
The ice skating rink at EPIC will also be open to the public from 6-8p. No preregistration required. Rink access is free – bring your own skates or rent them for $3 on site.
Last Call 50-Mile Endurance Run
Do you remember the last dance at Prom? Nervous looks around, everyone hoping to be picked to awkwardly dance to Time After Time or Stairway To Heaven. We choose you, you uncoordinated runner you. Come dance with us, we have the perfect partner for you.16-hours after the 100-mile runners have started their Silverheels adventure through these mountains, we’re making a Last Call for runners looking to take the last dance. Starting precisely at midnight, you’ll have 6 hours to navigate the course in the dark before the lights come on and you get to see who you’ve been dancing with all night. They’ll be as ugly as you remember. Your partner’s name is #Adversity, and it’s not done dancing yet. You’ll have ten more hours to get the deed done (16 hour cut-off math majors!). Will you find a new partner to dance with and finish the challenge, or get stuck dancing in the same suffer circle with #Adversity stepping all over your toes?
Leadville 10K Run
Held the weekend of the historic Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB, the Leadville 10K Run is the shortest run in the series, but covers the first and last 3.1 miles of the infamous Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva.
Run the Rockies Road 10K & Half Marathon
The Run the Rockies Road 10k and Half Marathon will feature the traditional Run the Rockies Road Race course with runners starting near Copper Mountain; runners will follow the paved recreation path through the Ten Mile Canyon. The 10k course is 100% downhill and the half marathon course is 75% downhill. This course will showcase the beautiful fall colors in Frisco!