Marathon Course Description
The Blue Sky Marathon will start and end at the Blue Sky Trailhead at Horsetooth Mountain Park in Fort Collins, CO. The route will run between Horsetooth Mountain Park and the Devil’s Backbone Open Space with approximately 3,300ft of vertical gain. The majority of the trail is single track with a variety of terrain ranging from smooth dirt paths to very technical rocky sections. A small portion of the route will be on smooth dirt road and gravel bike path.
| Station |
Total Distance
|
Leg Distance
|
Info |
| Blue Sky Start/Finish |
0
|
0
|
Full Aid |
| Soderberg |
1.2
|
1.2
|
Water Pump Available |
| Towers |
4.7
|
3.5
|
Water/Succeed Only |
| Soderberg |
8.0
|
3.3
|
Water Pump Available |
| Blue Sky Start/Finish |
9.2
|
1.2
|
Full Aid |
| Indian Summer North |
13.0
|
3.8
|
Full Aid |
| Indian Summer South |
15.4
|
2.4
|
Full Aid 11:00am Cut Off |
| Hunter Turn Around |
17.9
|
2.5
|
Bib # Check Only |
| Indian Summer South |
20.3
|
2.4
|
Full Aid 12:15pm Cut Off |
| Indian Summer North |
22.7
|
2.4
|
Full Aid |
| Finish |
26.5
|
3.8
|
Full Aid |
0 – 4.7: The starting line is located in the new Blue Sky Trailhead off of CR 38E across from the Canyon Grill. From the start, you will run north on the Blue Sky trail through the campground 1.2 miles to the Soderberg trailhead. You will not need to check your bib number here but a volunteer will be available to offer directions through the trailhead. You will continue north on the Swan Johnson trail and at the intersection with Towers Rd you will go straight onto Shoreline trail. After about a mile you will make a hard left to turn back south on Nomad. Nomad will take you back to Towers and you’ll make a right to go up the hill. This is the biggest climb of the marathon course which will take you up about 1000ft to the Towers aid station at the Herrington junction. This will be a limited aid station with water and Succeed Ultra only. Volunteers will direct you to turn left onto Herrington.
4.7 – 9.2: Shortly after the turn onto Herrington you will bear left onto the Stout trail. The descent down the Stout trail is rocky, so watch your footing, though be sure to check out the views. Stout will loop back across the hillside to take you back to Towers Rd. Turn right down Towers Rd and take another right back onto Swan Johnson south back to the Soderberg trailhead. A water pump is available at Soderberg if you need it, otherwise you will continue south back through the campground 1.2 miles to the Blue Sky start/finish area. You may encounter 2-way traffic through the campground merging in with half marathon runners. There is plenty of space to pass through this section but please be courteous to allow faster runners to pass and stay to the right to allow room for oncoming runners.
9.2 – 13.0: After you pass back through the Blue Sky start/finish area, you will continue south on the Blue Sky trail. This section of the trail will be winding, rolling single track with many blind corners. Please watch for oncoming runners and be aware that the trail is open for public use. Runners must yield to hikers and horses. Mountain bikers should yield to pedestrians but please use common sense and courtesty to share the trail, step aside to let faster bikers pass, and watch for oncoming traffic at corners. You will pass only one trail junction with the Rim Rock trail. Continue straight past this intersection down the hill into the valley. Do not turn left and climb over the ridge. The trail will be marked and you should see the Indian Summer north aid station in the valley from this point on the course.
13.0 – 15.4: The Indian Summer North aid station will be in the valley at the junction of the Indian Summer loop. Make sure that your number is recorded at the aid station and volunteers will direct you to turn right up the hill onto the Indian Summer trail. This section of the course is still on single track trail but you should be able to easily see any oncoming runners. When you reach the bottom of the loop, take a right at the trail junction to turn south onto the Blue Sky trail. A volunteer should be stationed here to help direct runners in the right direction. The Indian Summer South aid station will be located about a quarter mile south of this intersection. This is your last chance for aid before a long and difficult 5 mile section through Devil’s Backbone. Make sure you leave with plenty of water.
15.4 – 20.3: This next section through Devil’s Backbone is the easiest place to get lost on the course and is very rocky and technical. Please watch your step and keep an eye out for turns. We will do our best to clearly mark the course and will station volunteers to offer directions but you are ultimately responsible for navigating the course. After leaving the Indian Summer South aid station you will climb up onto the top of the ridge. At the first junction with the Laughing Horse loop, turn RIGHT. At the end of the Laughing Horse loop, continue straight ahead. At the second junction with the Hunter loop, turn RIGHT. At the end of the Hunter loop, a course marshal will record your number. Volunteers hike into this location so there will be no aid available. If you do not reach the end of the Hunter loop to check your number, you will be disqualified from an official finish. The course marshal at the end will direct you to the left to continue around the Hunter loop. On the return trip at the end of the Hunter loop, turn RIGHT and continue north. At the next Laughing Horse loop junction, turn RIGHT. At the end of the Laughing Horse loop continue straight north, back down off the ridge into the valley to the Indian Summer South aid station. Every year someone makes a wrong turn in this section but it is very simple if you just remember the rule to ALWAYS CONTINUE RIGHT at every turn until a course marshal checks your number and tells you to turn back around the end of the loop.
20.3 – 22.7: From the Indian Summer South aid station, you will return the way you came. About a quarter mile north of the aid station, you will turn LEFT to go back up and over the Indian Summer loop to the Indian Summer North aid station. A volunteer should be here to direct runners but if you take the wrong turn and go north on the half marathon course, the next aid station will either send you back to complete the correct route or will record your number as a DQ and let you continue to back to the start without an official finish.
22.7 – 26.5: After leaving the Indian Summer North aid station, you’ll have a short climb up past the Rim Rock junction. From there you’ll have just a few more miles of rolling single track to the finish. Again, watch for oncoming runners and other trail users through this section.
Marathon Course Map
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