The fall permitting season has been a busy one for us here at Gnar Runners headquarters, with more than a few twists and turns to keep us on our toes. But the pieces are now in place and we’re ready to announce our dates and news for the 2017 season, which we’ll once again be hosting with the generous support of our top brand sponsor, Salomon Running.
Registration for all Gnar Trail Races opens on December 15th, 2016.
Dates for the 2017 Trail Races
- May 13, 2017: Quad Rock 25 & 50 Mile Trail Races
– New This Year: Cap increase to 400 starters
– 50 Mile Early Entry: $85 (same bargain pricing as our very first year in 2012).
– Location: Lory State Park, Fort Collins, CO - July 22, 2017: Never Summer 100km
– New This Year: Cap increase to 350 starters
– Early Entry Fee: $175
– Location: State Forest State Park, Gould CO - September 9, 2017: Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon
– Race Cap: 300 runners
– Early Entry Fee: $60
– Location: Lory State Park, Fort Collins, CO
– New This Year: All-new picnic area and beefed-up after party - October 21, 2017: Blue Sky Trail Marathon
– Race Cap: 275 runners
– Early Entry Fee: $65
– Location: Horsetooth Mountain Park, Fort Collins Co
– New This Year: Date pushed back 3 weeks to improve parking logistics
What’s New for 2017?
- In 2016, we experimented with separate start times for the 25 and 50 mile Quad Rock Trail Races and things worked out well, so we’ll be continuing that format for 2017. The 50 miler will start as always with first light at 5:30, while the 25 mile race will start at 8:00. We implemented this change for a number of logistical reasons, but most importantly we wanted to create a larger and more social post-race BBQ. It’s that community vibe that makes trail and ultra running so special, so bring a chair and hang out for a while!
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The Never Summer 100km will be a 2018 Western States 100 Qualifying Race.
In partnership with our permitting agencies, we have negotiated cap increases for both Quad Rock and the Never Summer 100km. Both races have been sellouts from their opening years, so we’ve worked hard to figure out ways to build capacity and meet demand, while doing it in a sustainable manner. The cap for Quad Rock across both races has been increased to 400 starters and for Never Summer to 350. These caps are as high as we are comfortable raising them so they will remain in effect moving forward.
- Aside from the cap increase, much will remain the same for the third running of the Never Summer 100km. We are working hard to improve a number of behind-the-scenes logistical pieces, but the most significant changes from a runner/crew perspective will be the relocation of the Diamond Peaks aid station from the Highway 14 pullout down course to the Lake Agnes Rd. In addition, we have worked with our start/finish hosts at the Gould Community Center to significantly expand and improve the parking areas and will be offering a limited number of car camping spots on site.
- We’re ‘formalizing’ the Gnar Slam with an end-of-season award and a free entry into the 2018 Quad Rock Trail Races for all finishers. To be eligible for the award and free 2018 Quad Rock entry, participants must complete the Quad Rock 50, Never Summer 100km, Black Squirrel Trail Half, and Blue Sky Marathon. To date we have had just four finishers – all male – with Elijah Flenner (2016) our fastest Slammer. Who’ll take on the challenge in 2017? And who’ll be our first female finishers? Click here for more details.
We continue to do roads too!
The Fort Collins Running Club has extended our contract to manage the 44th running of the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April 2017. If you’re looking for an early spring road event that offers something a little more challenging than the road norm, then consider taking the journey from the Holiday Twin Drive In to New Belgium Brewery by way of the challenging hills of the easternmost hogbacks of the Northern Colorado Rockies. The beer and music at the finish will be flowing and rocking until the last person leaves, so if you’re looking for a spring sharpener we suggest you look no further.
Snow …or shine, the show goes on.Value for Money
As always, we seek to offer the best bang for the buck that we possibly can, without scrimping on any of the things that make Gnar Runner events the top-shelf experiences that you’ve come to expect. In that spirit, we’ve maintained first-year pricing for the Quad Rock 50, which at $85 continues to represent some of the best value in Colorado ultrarunning. And, as always, at all Gnar events you can expect:
- Hot food and cold beer after your run
- A fantastic post-race vibe
- Great courses on well-marked trails
- Unique awards
- Great swag giveaways
- High quality event t-shirts
- (Free) on-course training opportunities leading up to each event
Part of the reason we’re able to offer such great value for all our races is because we’ve worked tirelessly to partner with quality sponsors that share our vision for well-managed, yet affordable events. This year we are incredibly excited to be partnering again with Salomon Running, one of the greatest brand innovators in the sport.
We’ll be offering special Salomon shoe deals with our retail partners at all pre-race packet pickups. We’ll also be offering the opportunity to demo Salomon kicks at training runs and at race-day expos.
Our other top sponsors for the 2017 season include the following great businesses and brands:
We’ll have other exciting sponsor deals to promote as the season gets underway, in addition to tons of sponsor swag to give out during the BBQ awards and raffle at each and every race.
We’re incredibly excited for the 2017 season, and we can’t wait to welcome you to one, or perhaps all of our running events.
Be Gnarful out there!
