A Curious Attitude

September 12 2026 – Year three is in the books and it was quite the day on the trails!
As with last year, the last week of registration the event would sellout, someone would drop and 5 mins later it was sold out again. Turn out was 52 runners, including a few unregistered runners from the past who dropped by in hopes of grabbing a bib. And grab a bib they did. The first hour was quite lovely but the day quickly warmed up and around mid day we were treated to a warm breeze that made even the shade feel hot.

I’m blown away to report we had runners who travelled from Las Cruces and Texas, as well as a runner from Oklahoma that recently moved to Albuquerque all come out to meet these trails I love so much. Common conversation topics included the altitude (7,700ish ft) and the heat, we didn’t get too high in the 80s this year though.

This year the reserved parking and access to the pit toilets also gave runners a place to do warm ups without having to dodge traffic. Changes this year included the race moving to elapsed time for timing, using a fancy little battery operated timer. The water dispensers also got an upgrade to prevent leaking (they’re also Yellow now).
This year the aid station was flush with goodies, including some fresh baked banana bread from Kathy (so yummy) and a cooler with ice and “ehem” canned beverages (thanks for recycling). Any leftovers have been passed on to Cliff for his next few races, so nothing’s gone to waste or been thrown away. It also featured the support of my partner Ryan, helping keep everyone organized and encouraging people to accomplish their goals. Several popular items were his idea, I won’t take credit for all the little changes.

The pick your start time really panned out well this year, allowing runners to show up rested, fully fueled and not stressed about missing the 7am start time. Most runners chose to start before noon and everyone was off the course with 15 minutes to spare. This year the park service has updated signs and made some changes to the documented trail names. Thankfully the course preview in June helped us update the maps with the trail names.

Everyone’s race was special for them, but I’ll carry the memories of introducing Andy to trail running and helping him through running more then twice as far as he’s ever run before. The awareness that everyone at that aid station was ready to go help anyone who felt lost find their way back. The community that finished their runs and hung around to see if there was anyone they could learn from, support or provide advice to. This is why I do it, these moments, all day, for 8 hours in the mountains.

This race allowed runners to pick their distance and here’s how it shook out!
17 runners knocking out 30k
3 killed it with 25k
10 conquered 20k
3 checked out both loops for 15k
12 runners cranked out 10k
7 made quick work of the short loop 5
We met 8 canicross doggos, with another 4 puppers that stopped through the aid station.

Results 2026
Photos 2026
For those of you who wrote your time on your challenge coin, make sure you check the Official results on UltraSignUp. I warned you all I was bad at math, and when I came home and used the computer a lot of you were faster than my headmath said.

I’ve heard your feedback.

• Next year the course preview will be better communicated, we will use atomic time instead of a counting timer.
• We will be in the actual “Locust” picnic tables (now that the signs make it clear we were using the wrong tables).
• I’m looking at options for a Long Course that doesn’t use BLM land (because 6.2 miles shouldn’t become 9) and alternative bibs so we can stop accidentally littering.
• I’m also looking for a volunteer photographer that’s willing to snap some pictures of people day of.

Thank you to EVERYONE who showed up and supported this free event in it’s third year. I earnestly believe it’s my privilege to support and witness people accomplishing hard things, and for the last three years this race has filled my cup. When people ask me how the race went I respond “It feels like a giant group hug for trail runners.” I know I get to feel this way because you all dream big and show up for yourselves and me.
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