Black Squirrel Half Marathon

Black Squirrel Half Marathon

The Black Squirrel Half Marathon will take place on the wonderful trails of Lory State Park to the northeast of Fort Collins, Colorado.

The half marathon course offers a tour of the outer boundaries of Lory State Park, providing breathtaking views to the south and east of Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins and the Great Plains: and to the West of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain swell.

The race covers a variety of terrain, all of which is runnable although technical in places. After a mile of dirt roads, the course ascends a little under four miles and 1,500 feet to the apex at 7,000 feet on Lory’s west ridge. The views are well worth the climb. A bomber descent follows, leaving three and a half miles of beautiful, gently rolling hardpacked singletrack into the finish.

Our aim is to offer a trail running experience that is challenging, yet accessible to all.

Race Information

• Start: Lory State Park, Bellvue, Colorado
• Distance: 13.5 miles with ~2,000' of vertical gain/descent.
  • Kids: 1 mile on gently rolling singletrack.
• Min/Max Elevation: 5,400'/7,000'
• Average Elevation: 6,100'

• Terrain: 12 miles dirt singletrack, 1 mile dirt road
• Fauna: Black abert squirrels, black bears, other more colorful animals
• Registration Cap: 400
• Time Allowance: 5.5 hours
• Date: September 12, 2026

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Registration

Fees for the 2026 Black Squirrel Trail Half Marathon are as follows:

• Dec 15 – February 28: $90 + $6.40 fee
• March 1 – May 31: $100 + $7.00 fee
• June 1 – Sep 4: $110 + $7.40 fee
• Packet Pickup: $125

What You Get in Return for Your Registration Fee

• A beautiful, challenging and well-marked course on some of the best trails in Fort Collins
• Enthusiastic, knowledgeable race and aid station volunteers
• Fully stocked aid stations
• Free entry to Lory State Park for the day
• Generous 5.5 hour cut-off time
• Gender specific race T-shirt
• Pint glass finisher award and overall and age group awards
• Post race pancake breakfast
  • Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and non-alcoholic options are available as part of our standard race fare
• Professional medical coverage

Waiting List

In the event that the race sells out, we will maintain a waiting list and transfer runners from the waiting list to the race roster should other runners already registered not be able to attend.

Transfer Credit Policy

If you are not able to race, we will be able to offer a race transfer credit that can be applied to any future Gnar Runners race (valid for 12 months). Credit deadlines are as follows:

• Until March 31: 100% credit of registration (excluding RunSignup fees).
• April 1 - June 30: 75% credit of registration (excluding RunSignup fees).
• July 1 - September 3: 50% credit of registration (excluding RunSignup fees).

In order to receive your credit, you must cancel your registration through the RunSignup registration platform.

Course & Aid Stations

Half Marathon Course Map

Click to download PDF map of course.

A map of the Lory trails is available here.

Course Profile

All aid stations will be stocked with water and Gnarly Nutrition Fuel2O sports drink. The Arthur's West Aid Station at mile 8.5 will have additional snacks including fruit and chips.

Time Cut-Offs

Runners have a total of 5.5 hours to complete the course. There are no strict intermediate course cut-offs. If a runner reaches Arthur's West Aid (mile 8.5) past 4.5 hours elapsed, they may be offered a ride to the finish from a race official and/or advised that there will be limited services upon reaching the finish.

Drop Bags

Runners may leave a finish line drop bag at the start/finish. We will have a tarp to set bags out next to the start. Pack your gear to stay dry in case we get any rain.

Drop bags should be clearly labeled with your name and bib number. Please keep your drop bag to a reasonable size (small duffel bag or stuff sack). Please do not leave any valuable items in your drop bags - volunteers are not responsible for lost items. Drop bags will not be transported to any other locations on course.

Course Marking

The course will be well marked with pink flagging and pink pin flags. Important intersections will be supplemented with flour ground markings and directional arrows. On longer stretches of trail without intersections, confidence flagging will be placed approximately every quarter mile. Turns will be marked heavily.

Toilets

There will be ample facilities at the start/finish. In addition, there are park facilities that can be used at the Arthur's Trailhead, which is passed at mile 8.5 and 11.0. There is also a toilet at the Timber Trailhead at mile 1.

Crewing & Spectating

The best viewing points are at the start/finish line and at the Arthur's Trailhead, two miles south of the start at the end of the main park road.

The entire trail system is open to the public if you want to spectate and encourage elsewhere on course: however, crewing and pacing is not allowed outside of designated aid stations and will result in the disqualification of your runner.

Kids Race

We will hold a free one-mile kids race beginning at 10:30a from the race start. Parents are welcome to accompany their children on the course, and we will also have race volunteers available to help chaperone the kids through the course.

Training