Collegiate Peaks Trail Run: 2025 Race Report
The Collegiate Peaks Trail Run took place May 3rd, 2025 in beautiful Buena Vista, Colorado. This was my first race at altitude, and I picked it strategically to see how my body would respond to running above 8,000ft in prep for the Leadville Marathon end of June. The race offers two options: a 25 miler (one loop) and a 50 miler (two loops, the second loop run in reverse). The course is relatively 'tame' by Colorado-standards, which makes it a great first higher-altitude race option, a great course to set a PR, or a great long training run option. Most of the course is dirt road, with some mountain bike trail mixed in. The course boasts just shy of 3,500 ft of elevation gain, making it rather 'runnable'.
I personally loved the downtown area in Buena Vista (BV) - lots of nice lodging options, tons of bars and restaurants to choose from given the size of the town. BV is just a short 2.5 hour drive from Denver too, making it an easy drive for a long weekend.
Packet pickup was at the community center, an easy walk from my lodging location (everything was very walkable). There was plenty of parking on-site: everything was incredibly easy to find.
The race started at 6:30am on Saturday (it was a brisk 35 degrees at race start but quickly warmed up to over 60 at the end), with 50 milers taking off first and 25 milers starting at 6:45, so no headlamps were required. The course starts in the clockwise direction, with the first two miles on roads. The course then takes a turn onto some mountain bike trails, which were a bit sandy on and off until about mile 5-6, where the first aid station was positioned. Speaking of, aid stations were well-stocked with sweet and salty snacks, water and electrolytes. The course is net uphill until about mile 10-11, with a few steep punchier climbs toward the latter half. There's a break in the climbing through mile 15, then uphill again through mile 18, and downhill to the finish. The course is mostly dirt road through mile 20 or so, at which point you drop back into mountain bike trails until the end (for the most part).
The views were non-stop and the course is positioned 'across' from the Collegiate Peaks, making a beautiful view around every turn. I personally filmed a TON of content and took lots of photos (check out my race report video linked at the end here!).
As far as how challenging it was, I found the altitude the most challenging part about this course. My heart rate went through the roof fairly quickly, even though my legs felt great. I was careful to take in more carbs and electrolytes to account for this, and certainly slowed down a bit overall to accommodate the altitude (fun fact: for every 5,000 ft above sea level you generally need to slow down by 45 seconds/mile).
The race also draws what I consider to be a highly competitive crowd, with lots of strong runners coming in from Boulder and surrounding areas. I finished just ahead of mid-pack holding a 12:00 pace, a little over 5 hours for 25.3 miles.
I absolutely loved this race, the surrounding area, the organizers, the vibe, etc. I think it's an excellent event to start the season with!