This was my first trail run of any kind, so I have nothing to compare it with as far as trails, BUT after many road races I can compare the organization, the volunteers, the aid-stations, the scenery, the shirt, the post race MEAL and on those levels this race excelled!
The Reason: This was a very well run race for a worthy cause. Cloudcroft NM is a very small mountain town that has been hurt by drought, fires, and lack of snow. In a mountain tourist town, this is bad news. The race benefited the Middle School Athletics Programs which are not funded by the state. Middle school and high schoolers had teams participating and had made signs to cheer us on!
The Trail: This is 8 miles of mountain trail and trails that had at one time been railroad track. It was rocky (mostly gravel size), single track with some grass, tree roots and such over the trail in spots.
The Elevation: The race starts at almost 9000 feet!! Nine. Thousand. Feet.
The Course: Starting at ~9000 feet you drop down to ~7600 and then back up to ~9000. I do not have mountains like that to train on, so I struggled, but it was fun! The last 2.5 miles are all uphill. You will go through a tunnel & over a pedestrian bridge as you cross over the highway through town twice.
The Aid Stations: There were 3 on the course, one you passed twice, so four chances to get water, sliced oranges and bananas. I do not remember them having gatorade, only water. The spacing was perfect!
The Volunteers: Super helpful and supportive. They even had volunteers stationed at any turns that could be missed to make sure everyone stayed on course. This was in addition to the well marked signs all along the trail.
The Finish: The last quarter mile is probably the hardest part of the trail. It was very steep and had "steps" to navigate. These were railroad ties used as steps to make it safer to get from the visitor center (aka start/finish) to the lookout point that the race passed. We had to go up the steps. Then suddenly the trail opens up, turns to asphalt trail, and you can hear the band playing and people cheering. I found energy I didn't know I had and ran it in from there!
The Meal: The Cloudcroft High School Culinary Arts Program provided a post race brunch free for runners and $5 for guests. IT. WAS. AMAZING! The best (and most) post race food I have ever seen! Here's what I can remember being on the buffet they had set up for us and all were homemade no pre-packaged foods: cream puffs (CREAM PUFFS!!!), fruit salad, eggs, sausage, hash browns, burritos, french toast, yogurt/blueberries/graham cracker parfaits, apples, oranges, bananas, pears, orange juice, coffee and every imaginable condiment you might want for those foods. It was all delicious and the kids were great to help serve and keep the food stocked.
Overall: I may have fallen in love with trail running and Cloudcroft NM! This is a race I can't wait to do again!!! The scenery and views were fantastic! The picture I posted shows how high up we were that we could see White Sands National Park in the distance. I took several pictures along the route because it was so pretty. My husband says that I will never be a serious runner as long as I'm stopping to take pics, but if that's the case, I'll never be a serious runner. lol!