An estimated 1,500 runners of all ages and abilities from throughout the country are set to gather at the Garden of the Gods on Saturday, June 11, for the annual 10 Mile, 10K and Trail Run, a trio of races that together comprise one of the most popular summertime events in the Pikes Peak region.
“We’re looking to be the premier race for Colorado Springs,” said Michael Phan, the race director of the 10 Mile, the largest race that will feature more than 700 competitors. “We’re really pleased with the number of runners and volunteer helpers who turned out.”
The 10K is expected to draw nearly 500 runners while the Trail Run, in its second year, will feature about 300 runners, a 50 percent increase over its 2021 debut.
All three races are scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Each of the courses will begin at the main entrance to the park on Gateway Road and finish near the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. The 10 Mile and 10K courses will loop through the Garden on asphalt roads, reaching the Balanced Rock on the west side before heading back toward the finish line.
The Trail Run, also 10 kilometers in length, will take runners along the park’s Galloway-Homestead Trail on the east side of park and then over central trails before heading back to the finish line.
The race courses will feature eight aid stations manned by the members of area high school track and cross-country teams, who compete for prize money in the Aid Station Challenge.
“The high school aid teams are an integral part of our program,” Phan said. “We offer a donation to their programs, based on the amount of runner donations and contributions from the Pikes Peak Marathon.”
At the completion of the races, runners vote for the aid stations that offered the best experience, with money going to the top four high school groups. Last year, $10,000 was donated, some to support the high school track/cross-country teams and also to help maintenance of Garden of the Gods trails.
First place in the 2021 Aid Station Challenge went to the team from St. Mary’s High School. Manitou Springs High School team has a long history of helping in the event, having placed in the top four spot five times.
Preparations for the races began in January, Phan said, and included recruiting about 100 volunteer workers to help with food and refreshment booths after the race, helping operate the races’ timing equipment and assisting in the parking lot.
A post-race celebration area will be located near the Orchard House of Rock Ledge Ranch.
Organizers emphasized that the race courses will close at 9:30 a.m. Runners who do not cross the finish line by that time will not be listed as finishers.
Special instructions sent to race participants this year included an alert about road construction on 30th Street. Competitors are being asked to use Fillmore Street to access 30th Street instead of driving in from the north on 30th Street, and then to come to the race staging area from the south.
The Garden of the Gods 10 Mile (not the 10K) is the first leg of the Garden to Peak Challenge, formerly the Triple Crown of Running. Other races are the Barr Trail Mountain Race, set for July 17, and either the Pikes Peak Ascent or the Pikes Peak Marathon, scheduled for Sept. 17 and 18.