Roaring Fork Valley trail running enthusiasts will have an alternative to the Aspen Backcountry Marathon that was canceled this summer. They’ll just have to wait another two months and trek over to the other side of the Elk Mountains to do it.
Delta County School District’s outdoor education and equity program, The Nature Connection, is hosting the inaugural West Elk Challenge point-to-point trail marathon (26.2 miles), from Crawford Reservoir State Park to Paonia, on Saturday, Oct. 5.
“We wanted to create a fundraiser that raises money to support our programs, and that connects to our mission,” said Ben Graves, development director for The Nature Connection and a longtime teacher in the Delta County schools.
Proceeds from the race will go to support The Nature Connection’s Summer Camp Scholarship Fund, Graves said.
All year long, The Nature Connection connects students of all ages in the Delta County Schools to the outdoors. Programs include introducing elementary school students to bikes, taking middle schoolers on the river and backpacking, and forming crews of high school students to build and maintain trails, learn outdoor leadership skills and provide job exploration opportunities.
“We are intimately connected to the wild lands that the Elk Mountains offer, making them accesible while preserving and protecting the land,” Graves said.
Every student in the Delta County School District participates in outdoor programs and, including family programs, The Nature Connection serves roughly 9,000 individuals every year, he said.
Its reach even extends into the Roaring Fork Valley through a partnership with Sopris Elementary School in Glenwood Springs, and as part of the statewide Generation Wild initiative, which is funded by the state lottery’s Great Outdoors Colorado.
Though it will be a couple of months later, the West Elk Challenge fills a gap in the region’s trail running calendar left when the City of Aspen decided in May to cancel the popular Aspen Backcountry Marathon. That event would have taken place this week.
“This is a great opportunity to explore our backyard and the beautiful West Elk mountains,” Nature Connection Executive Director Jess Finnigan said in a February news release announcing the first-time event.
“These mountains can be intimidating to even experienced hikers, so by providing aid stations, transportation shuttles and support we are removing the barriers for folks to do this by themselves.”
The race will start at 8:30am on the shores of Crawford Reservoir State Park and proceed on gravel roads through farms and ranches at the base of Needle Rock.
After that, the course enters the Gunnison National Forest and climbs singletrack trails through aspen stands on the slopes of Mount Lamborn.
After about five miles of climbing, runners cross over the 9,762-foot Inter-Ocean Pass and descend through spruce, aspen and oak past Lone Cabin Reservoir to Paonia, finishing at the River Park on the North Fork of the Gunnison River.
The course will open at 7am for any hikers or “ruckers” (combination of hiking and running) who want to get an earlier start, and in an effort to make the event more accessible and to maximize the fundraising potential. The goal is to raise $20,000.
There will be shuttles between the start and finish, plus five staffed aid stations supplying participants with water, trail snacks and first aid if needed.
There will also be a pre-race dinner for participants hosted by the Learning Council in Paonia, and a celebratory party at the finish line hosted by West Elk Mountain Rescue, Paonia PUB craft beer and Big B’s Cider.
As of last week, the event had registered around 100 participants, Graves said. The event is capped at 200 participants, per its agreement with the Forest Service.
Advance online registration is $100 through the end of August, at www.thenatureconnection.net After that, the fee will increase to $125 until race day, or until the cap is reached. More information can be found on The Nature Connection’s website.
