The Quad Rock training preview is coming up this Sunday, April 15th.
We will meet at the official race start at the Soldier Canyon Trailhead in Lory State Park to run the first 25 mile loop.
Group start time is at 8am. Pete will be available at the start at 7:30am if anyone new to the area has questions or needs any additional information.
This is not a guided group run so every runner is free to run at their own pace and modify the route to run whatever distance they want. Our goal is to simply coordinate a common start time to give runners an opportunity to meet and run together. We usually get a very good turn out from the local trail running group on weekend runs so there is a good chance that any runner from out of the area will have a chance to buddy up with locals who know the trail systems. If you end up starting earlier or later or run at your own pace by yourself, there will be plenty of other trail runners out in the park to cross paths with throughout the day.
There is a $7 Day use fee to access Lory State Park. Feel free to join and post to the Fort Collins Trail Runners list if you want to try to coordinate a carpool.
Water will be available at the pump at the entrance to Lory State Park at the visitor center and at the Horsetooth Trailhead. Be prepared to carry water to cover the 10.5 miles from the start to Horsetooth and the 14.5 miles back to the finish.
The course will not be marked so please make sure that you have a map and review our course description for directions.
On race day, we will have aid station junctions staffed with volunteers and all turns will be well flagged. Without course markings there are a few tricky turns to make note of:
- At the top of the Horsetooth Rock trail, you will need to make a right to follow the Wathan sign post and then keep to your left to continue straight through to the Westridge trail that takes you back to Towers.
- Halfway down the descent on Mill Creek, there is a sharp left hand turn to continue on course down Mill Creek. If you’re moving fast, the right turn onto Loggers looks like the obvious route and will add significant bonus miles to your training run.
- After entering Lory State park at the end of Mill Creek, take the right turn to follow the Mill Creek link to the Arthur’s Trailhead. When you exit the Trailhead, start up the Arthur’s Rock trail and take a sharp left turn about half a mile up the trail in the meadow to connect to Howard.
For longer or shorter options, here are a couple suggestions:
19.8 Miles: Start out and follow the 25 mile route through to the Arthur’s Rock Trailhead (Mile 17.6). Skip the last climb around Arthur’s Rock and return to the finish on the 2.2 miles up the East Valley Trail.
34.6 Miles: Run the full 25 mile loop. Turn around and run the next section of the second loop back to the Arthur’s Rock Trailhead (mile 32.4). Return to the finish on the 2.2 miles up the East Valley Trail.
If anyone has questions, feel free to email me at pete@gnarrunners.com.
Pete
