Sold Out Cirque Series Snowbird Race Ready to Host USATF and Collegiate Mountain Running National Championships
Record number of college entries as athletes converge in Utah; USATF Championships to be held concurrently; US Mountain Running Team Members to be selected
July 13, 2024 - SNOWBIRD, UTAH – The sold-out Cirque Series in Snowbird welcomes a record number of collegians for the 2024 Collegiate Mountain Running Championships scheduled for Saturday, July 13th. The nation’s top mountain runners will converge on the Snowbird Race, hosted by the Cirque Series in Snowbird, Utah to crown the 2024 Collegiate National Champions and USATF Champions. The top participants will also compete for a coveted spot – one for men, one for women – on this year’s U.S. Mountain Running Team.
For the sixth year, prize money will be distributed to the top college finishers in the men's and women's collegiate championships. This marks the first year the Cirque Series Snowbird Race will host the Collegiate National Championships and the first time the event will host the USATF and Collegiate National Championships concurrently. Along with prize money, top collegians will take home JAMBAR, the official nutrition bar of the Collegiate Running Association.
“We are excited to see a record number of college students from across the U.S. entered in this year’s championship”, said Steve Taylor, co-founder of the Collegiate Running Association. “Over 80 college students from across the U.S. will test themselves on the Snowbird slopes demonstrating how the sport of mountain running is growing.”
In the fast-growing sport of mountain running this tough 8.7 miles race will force participants to climb over 3,566 feet. The race course is located on the Salt Lake Ranger District, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest with the fun starting at Creekside base area located at 7,760 feet in elevation. At the start competitors will run up towards Mid-Gad, then participants will head east onto Rothman Way, connecting to the steep Peruvian service road on Peruvian Gulch Trail. From there runners will turn onto the Ridge trail where they will feel the legs burn with large sweeping views of Snowbird’s Cirque and Mt. Baldy, ending up on Hidden Peak with expansive views of the entire Wasatch Range. With the beautiful, dramatic views it will provide an opportunity to catch your breath as participants loop around the backside of Hidden Peak and make their way down to Gorilla Pass and head straight up to the Summit of Mt. Baldy, the highest point in the race at an eye popping 11,068 feet elevation. From the high point runners will make their way down a steep and technical section of trail, being sure to save enough energy for one more uphill section to the cool refreshing shade and air of Snowbird’s Ski through Tunnel. From this iconic spot on the course, it will be a final mix of dirt roads and single track for the final 3 mile stretch down Peruvian Gulch, passing by Oktoberfest plaza & the Mountain coaster, then into the Finish Line back in Creekside.
“We are excited to be in Utah for the first time with our mountain running championships,” said Taylor. “Utah is one of the premier mountain and trail running destinations in the U.S., and the Cirques Series Snowbird Race delivers a great, destination event with a course that will challenge athletes at every level. Add many professional and top collegians train during the summer months in nearby Park City, Utah makes it even more intriguing. I’m sure participants will be truly inspired by the course, the people and the scenery. To be able to partner with the Cirque Series for the Snowbird Race is a win-win for the athletes, community, and the sport of mountain running. Prize money reserved specifically for college students, plus prize money for the top U.S. runners, coupled with the opportunity to qualify for the USA Mountain Running Team, all within the same event is triple exciting.”
Since the creation of the Collegiate Championships top collegians have the opportunity to compete for a collegiate national title, a U.S. Championship and automatic bids to the U.S. Mountain Running Team for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the World Championships all within one event. Many are transitioning to the trails from road, track, or cross country backgrounds, and may be running their first mountain race.
Cirque Series Director, Julian Carr, expressed similar enthusiasm over the partnership with the Collegiate Running Association, saying “We are thrilled to have the Collegiate Mountain Running National Championship as part of our Snowbird Race this year. This race is such a fun event and located in a great venue. Hosting this and the USATF Mountain Championship at the same time will certainly up the excitement level for all the athletes and spectators. We are especially eager to see these college runners competing against some of the best-known trail and mountain racers around. And, of course, we are elated to introduce more people to the Cirque Series as destination events.”
Carr founded the Cirque Series, which is in its sixth season. Widely recognized for the biggest airs in skiing, Carr has been featured in seven Warren Miller films, developing a reputation not only for big airs, but for all around skiing. He’s been recognized and received the 2021 George Mallory Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the 'Photo of the Year' award from Powder Magazine, won the prestigious Sickbird Award on the Freeskiing World Tour, X-Games GOLD Medalist, 3rd Place in esteemed Powder Magazine Reader Poll, and he holds two world records in cliff jump height. Julian serves as an ambassador for Protect Our Winters (POW), and is a board member of the Conservation Lands Foundation. He's the founder of Discrete Clothing, along with Blake Broncos – a classic Ford Bronco restoration business.
A Cirque Series event, the Snowbird Race is open to the public and one to place on your summer schedule as a destination event. Top runners will compete for prize money in the USATF Championships and separate prize money for the Collegiate Championships. To be eligible to compete in the Collegiate Mountain Running Championships, participants must either be enrolled in a college course at the time of the race or have completed at least one course between January 1 and July 13, 2024. Collegiate participants must also be free members of the Collegiate Running Association to be eligible for the collegiate prize money. To qualify for the US Mountain Running Team, participants must be current members of USATF and finish first in the U.S. Championship.
The Cirque Series, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, produces premiere max elevation gain, short distance, mountain adventure races in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Alaska. The races are held on scenic mountain trails in destination locations.
"Our U.S. mountain running program has greatly benefited from the work that Steve Taylor and Jon Molz have accomplished with the Collegiate Running Association. Fostering competitive opportunities for our nation's collegiate runners has been instrumental in attracting and retaining these same athletes well into their future in our sport. It's the perfect fit for our US Championship program and enhances the appeal to media, sponsors, and fans of our sport," said Nancy Hobbs, USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Council chairperson.
You can expect live race day updates from the Collegiate Running Association X / Twitter and Instagram. View results of all Collegiate Running Association Championships in Road, Mountain and Trail running at www.CollegiateRunning.org.
Friday July 12, 2024
3:00PM - 6:00PM: Early bib pick up
Location: Black Diamond retail store, 2092 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, Ut
Race Day, July 13, 2024
8:30AM - 9:30PM: Race Day Bib Pick-up
Location: Creekside Lodge, Snowbird, UT
10:00AM: Race Start
1:00PM: Awards approx
1:30PM: Giveaway *your Bib # is your ticket
ALL DAY: Vendor Village
9:00PM: After Party/Connect CRA. Fisher Brewery, Downtown SLC
2024 Collegiate Championships Home
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About the Collegiate Running Association
The Collegiate Running Association (CRA) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in November 2013 with a mission to promote healthy lifestyles among college students by providing and expanding opportunities in the sport of running. The vision of the CRA is to offer national championship events in road, mountain, and trail running with prize money specifically reserved for college students enrolled in at least one class. Since 2014, the CRA and our race partnerships have awarded over $560,000 in prize money, awards and travel specifically to college students in road, mountain and trail running events. Membership is open to the public (click here).
Follow the CRA on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and LINKEDIN.
About the Cirque Series
Cirque Series, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, produces mountain adventure races in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska. The premiere max elevation gain, short distance, mountain adventure races, in the nation. Visit https://www.cirqueseries.com/
Follow the Cirque Series on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK.
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Contact: Collegiate Running Association
