Registration for all four races in the 2018 Gnar Trail Racing Series will open on December 15. Once again, we’re proud to be hosting all four of our trail running events in partnership with our top brand sponsor, Salomon Running.
Registration for all Gnar Trail Races opens on December 15th, 2017.
Dates for the 2018 Trail Races
- May 12, 2018: Quad Rock 25 & 50 Mile Trail Races
– 50 Mile Early Entry: $95
– Location: Lory State Park, Fort Collins, CO
– Race Cap: 400 - July 28, 2018: Never Summer 100km
– Early Entry Fee: $175
– Location: State Forest State Park, Gould CO
– Race Cap: 300 - September 8, 2018: Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon
– Early Entry Fee: $65
– Location: Lory State Park, Fort Collins, CO
– Race Cap: 300 - October 20, 2018: Blue Sky Trail Marathon
– Early Entry Fee: $65
– Location: Horsetooth Mountain Park, Fort Collins, CO
– Race Cap: 300
What’s New for 2018?
- The Quad Rock Trail Races will again have separate start times for the 25 and 50 mile events. The 50 miler will start as always with first light at 5:30, while the 25 mile race will start at 8:00.
- The short re-route on the Spring Creek section of the Quad Rock course may be implemented again next year. Final plans will be published in April and will be dependent on where and if the eagles nest in the crags above Spring Creek.
- Due to the logistical challenges of getting into and out of the Clear Lake aid location at the Never Summer 100km, we have removed it as a crew/pacer access point for 2018.
- The cap for Never Summer has been cut slightly to 300 starters.
- Never Summer will again be a qualifying race for the Western States 100. In addition, we have submitted applications for both Quad Rock and Never Summer to serve as UTMB qualifying races.
- We have added a couple of extra age group award categories for the Black Squirrel Half and Blue Sky Marathon, with 10-year increments from <30 to 60+.
- With the success and excitement surrounding the Gnar Slam this year, we will again be offering end-of-season awards and a free entry into the 2019 Quad Rock Trail Races for all runners that complete the Quad Rock 50, Never Summer 100km, Black Squirrel Trail Half, and Blue Sky Marathon.
- Once again we’ll be managing the Horsetooth Half Marathon in 2018. This year, we’ll be celebrating the 45th running of Colorado’s oldest half marathon. The race will be offering all the fun you’ve come to expect from the Horsetooth Half, with group training runs beginning in January, a super-sized post-race party at New Belgium Brewing and the biggest half marathon purse ($8,000) in the state.
Great Partners
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 partner, Altitude Running, at all pre-race packet pickups. We’ll also be offering the opportunity to demo Salomon kicks at training runs, community events and 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.
Stay tuned for updates about new events, training opportunities, and our expanded Gnar Running Team. Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates as our 2018 season unfolds.
We’re incredibly excited for the 2018 season, and we can’t wait to welcome you to one, or perhaps all of our running events.