Colorado Runner

Largest National trail running listing on the Internet. Information on all things running by serious runners for serious runners including running shoe reviews, races, training plans, mapping tools, forum, and blog. www.SeriousRunning.com Seriousrunning.com was inspired by the experience of an Army Officer who returned home from a deployment to Iraq. He used running to simplify and slow down his rapidly changing post-military life. We at seriousrunning.com strive to enhance your rapidly moving lifestyle with running advice and information. We intend to motivate individuals to become both physically and mentally healthier, inspire runners to achieve their goals, and build a community [...]

Green Mountain Park is an 2000-acre park located on the western edge of Lakewood. It is easily accessed off Alameda Parkway. To get to the Florida Trailhead, take Route 6 to the Union/Simms Exit. Go south on Union and turn right onto Alameda. The trailhead is on the right after about two miles. To get to the Rooney Road trailhead, continue past the Florida trailhead on Alameda to the light at Jewell. Turn right (this is still Alameda) and take this road over C-470 and turn right onto Rooney Road. The trailhead is on the right in less than 1/2 [...]

Devil’s Canyon loops through a striking and beautiful sandstone canyon. It travels along a creek across the canyon and through juniper trees. An unfinished and deserted cabin can be seen at the halfway point of the loop. Don’t be surprised if you encounter several horses, or even a donkey. The Devil’s Canyon Overlook Trail takes you to a beautiful overlook of the Grand Valley, Devil’s Canyon and The Flume Creek Canyon. The DT/ST trail travels trough junipers to Flume Creek Canyon where you can access the Pollock Bench Trail and its canyon. The D3 signs designate the trail for Devil’s [...]

Waldo Canyon is one of the most popular trails in the region, and for good reason. It has moderate grades, views of both city and mountains, cool dark forest, and (mostly) good running surfaces. Much of the trail faces south, making for reasonable conditions year round. Waldo provides trail connections to the Ute Pass Trail, Longs Ranch Road, Williams Canyon, Rampart Range Road, and the town of Cascade. It must have good vibes, since several members of the Incline Club have chosen it for the location of their wedding! Section 1: Highway 24 to Waldo Canyon (7 Miles total for [...]

Given its ready access, sterling views, and nice uphill grade, the Animas City Mountain 6.5 mile loop is a local favorite. The trail travels through a landscape of pinion-juniper and scrub oak, reveals magestic views of the San Juan Mountains, then snakes through a ponderosa forest. Give yourself one to two hours to run the loop – one if you zip through the course quickly and two if you take in the scenery! To reach the trail head from downtown Durango, drive north on Main Avenue to 32nd Street. Go left (west) four blocks to West 4th Avenue. Turn right [...]

Runner’s can spend years exploring Boulder’s maze of trails, from cruising the paths at Chautauqua Park to climbing the rocky edges of Mt. Sanitas. But a local trail favorite remains the Eagle and Sage trails, which sit to the north of the city near the Boulder Valley Ranch. The trailhead is easily accessible and offers gorgeous views of the Front Range and the Flatirons. The Eagle and Sage trails offer a smooth, dirt surface that is well maintained and ideal for beginning trail runners. In most spots, the trail is fairly wide and flat. This is the place to go [...]

The majestic views of Pikes Peak are mesmerizing and with trains zipping by to the west, the trail transports you to a simpler time. If you’re lucky, you’ll see elk, mule deer, coyotes, squirrels and a variety of birds. Greenland was once a bustling village and shipping point. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad were built through the area in 1871. A few years later, the 20-acre town was thriving with two general stores, a post office, a school, and even a saloon. Two railroad stations shipped out livestock, potatoes, grains, milk, building stones and pottery. The town began to [...]

When you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Summit County is the perfect escape. There are dozens of breathtaking trails to choose from, but I’ve chosen one easy and accessible trail to tell you about. The trail begins near downtown Breckenridge and has incredible views of the ski runs and the town. The course also has a fairly easy running surface, although watch for rocks and tree roots. For a fun three-mile run, start at the Morning Thunder trailhead. Follow the dirt singletrack up a short hill and to the right. The path is [...]

Deer Creek Canyon Park had its beginnings as a campground for wandering bands of Ute and Arapahoe. The 1,881-acre Open Space park was first homesteaded in 1872 by a man from Plymouth, England, John Williamson. Back then, Deer Creek’s rolling hills and fertile fields attracted both farmers and miners. John Williamson’s famed Glen Plym Ranch, as well as the Couch and Clark Homesteads, all sat within the current park boundaries. Other personalities that frequented the Deer Creek area included Alferd Packer, Jesse James, Chief Colorow and “Horse Thief” Thompson. Packer, Colorado’s famous cannibal, moved to Critchell in 1901 after being [...]

Durango is a trail runner’s paradise. Located in the high mountain desert in the Four Corners Region near the common corner boundary of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, Durango residents see the sun shine about 330 days a year. On the few days when running might be problematic, there is probably fresh snow on the trails that would also make for great snowshoeing. Will Rogers says, “Durango is pretty far out of the way,,, and glad of it.” The lycra-bound athletes are especially smitten that in the late 1980′s, USA Today named Durango the worst dressed town in America. [...]

The air is different here. As I sit in the parking lot on top of the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, I feel a bit lightheaded. Maybe it’s just the elevation – we are at 10,000 feet. I chalk it up to nervous excitement. Normally an 11-mile trail run wouldn’t give me butterflies, but the Crag Crest is different. First of all, you never know how your body will respond to running for nearly two hours at this altitude. The entire 11 miles occurs between 9,800 and 11,100 feet. This includes a breathtaking stretch of about four or five miles [...]

As you pull in to Crested Butte, the sign reads 8,885 feet. This should be your first indication that this won’t be a terribly easy trail run. The birthplace of “extreme,” Crested Butte is home to some of the toughest athletes around – harsh adventures are the norm. Nestled in a valley at the road’s end, surrounded by towering peaks, Crested Butte’s natural backyard provides a whirlwind of activities for the outdoor enthusiast. The Gunnison/Crested Butte area is remote with a myriad of trails all over the county. With “epic” 30-mile trail runs like West Maroon/Buckskin/Trailriders/Frigidair pass, or just running [...]

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Pikes Peak Marathon, I’m writing about the Barr Trail. This lung-burning trail travels from a parking lot in Manitou Springs, which is located just west of Colorado Springs, at 6,650 feet. The U.S. Forest Service trail winds up the east face of Pikes Peak in the Pike National Forest and summits at 14,115 feet. This trail is not for the weak hearted with a brutal 7,000 feet of elevation gain that covers 13 long, winding miles. It takes the average Pikes Peak Marathon runner more than seven hours to complete, top to [...]

Beep Beep Beep. Slap. My hand fumbles the alarm clock off. Ugh. Why is it so early? My brain slowly processes the time of 4:30 a.m. Ring Ring Ring. The phone? What the heck? Then I remember. I am meeting my buddy for a 5 a.m. run. After we’d each missed early morning runs we decided to call each other to make sure that both parties were out of bed. I pick up the phone. “Hey Matt, I’ll see you in thirty minutes.” The air is cool and silent as we begin running down the trail. There is one other [...]

“OK everyone, we will start the time trial in intervals,” announces Adam Feerst of the Denver Trail Runners. “The slower runners will go off first and the fastest runner will go last.” Unlucky for me, I happen to be the fastest runner today. Great, I get to chase everyone. But, this is Mt. Falcon, so at least I will get great views of the city if I can take my eyes off of my feet! Mt. Falcon is a Jefferson County Open Space Park located just south of downtown Morrison on Colorado Highway 8. The route we are running today [...]

Writing about the Mesa Trail is like discussing brushing your teeth… it’s really important, but no one ever talks about it, because everybody has to do it. Christmas Eve, 1999. The streets are deserted, the snow is softly falling, and the night is dark and still… a perfect time for a run. I drive up to Chautauqua, take a breath of cold sweet air, then put the headlamp back in the car, as the lights of Boulder below me cast a soft glow over the beautiful meadows, providing enough illumination for what will be a very still, and very lonely [...]

The car idled while I sat waiting to muster enough energy for my run in Lory State Park. I was feeling lethargic and running alone made the prospect more difficult. It had been a year since I had run the Arthur’s Rock trail loop. But finally, I turned the car off, laced my shoes and stood up. Outside the car at the trail’s terminus (5,420 feet)* my laziness left – the trail was like being reunited with an old friend. I started running. The trail climbs the shoulder of a rolling hill covered with grass and low shrubs. Its smooth [...]