Distance-Running Opportunities in El Paso
As hot as El Paso can get, runners appreciate the amazing environment for running. Boasting almost 200 sunny days per year, there is rarely a day where people can’t go running, as long as they go at the right time.
For those distance runners, we’ve assemble some opportunities for running in El Paso.
Paso Del Norte Trail
The Paso Del Norte Trail (PDN Trail) currently has over 20 miles of trail to run, walk, and hike on. The trail currently runs from the northern parts of Upper Valley to the southern ends of the Mission Valley, making it accessible to people no matter what part of the city they’re in.
Segments run alongside the natural landscape of the Rio Grande, up the Franklin Mountains, through UTEP, loop around downtown, and race along farmland, giving runners the opportunity to run in different environments to suit their training needs, or just to explore a new setting.
But the exciting master plan is to build a 68 mile trail that runs through all of El Paso. The PDN Trail is an ambitious civic project led by the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation. Runners who love the initiative should consider becoming Friends of the Trail to support improvements and additions.
El Paso Marathon/Michelob Ultra Marathon
Many cities host Boston Marathon qualifiers, but people from all over the country travel to El Paso to qualify because of the superior conditions. The race is in February, a time of year which offers ideal running weather in El Paso. Not to mention the number one perk, the race is downhill! Elevation loss from start to finish is 1584ft, making for some very fast finishing times.
The El Paso Marathon is also a great opportunity to immerse yourself in El Paso’s run community, regardless of plans to qualify for the Boston Marathon. They offer scaled runs including a Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk, and a new kid’s dash for parents and children under the age of 9.
If you’re part of a Pantheon team, or even if you just have a group of friends that you share fitness with, the El Paso Marathon features team competitions. This is a great opportunity to build team spirit and camaraderie which undoubtedly make running a long distance race more fun. Not to mention, you could win an award with your team. The ‘Speedy' award is for the fastest team (score is the cumulative time of your team’s top five runners). The ‘At Least They Finished’ award is for the slowest team. The ‘Average Joes’ award is exactly what is sounds like (if there’s 20 teams, the 10th place team would win this award for example).
If you’re primarily interested in running to be with friends or for social reason, there’s awards for that too! The largest team, most motivated team, and best dressed team (best costumes) all get prizes.
Even Batman came out to run the El Paso Marathon
Franklin Mountains Trail Running
The Franklin Mountains Trail Run is a serious mountain race and an Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc qualifier. Whether you are a hardcore ultra-marathon runner or want to challenge yourself with a first time trail run, this is worth taking a look at. Most of the trails are technically trouble-free; however, the 100k and 50k definitely have stretches of straight climbing.
Many variations of the run include:
100K (63.6 miles) with approximately 13,500ft of gain and descent.
50K (33.5 miles) with approximately 8,000ft gain and descent
27K (17.1 miles) with approximately 5,500 gain and descent
21K (13.1 miles) with approximately 2,500ft gain and descent
10K (6.4 miles) with approximately 1,300ft gain and descent
5k (3.8 miles) with approximately 475ft gain and descent
King/Queen of the mountain - a 6-8mile race to the peak and back with approximately 2,200ft gain and descent
This is an amazing opportunity to explore the Franklin mountains and meet passionate runners from all around the world.
If you are considering participating in one of the longer races, prepare to carry enough water to hold you 6-8miles between aid stations, and if you decide to drop out of the race, you must make it to the next aid station as they are the only access points for vehicles.
