Crested Butte Colorado Events

The 2012 Sage-grouse Festival will feature the Sage Grouse 5k run/walk; 10k run; Sage-grouse 1500 Run/Walk just for kids; and Growler Series mountain bike race #1. The 5k run/walk; 10k run; and Kids 1500 run/walk are rain, snow or shine events; the Growler Series mountain bike races may be cancelled due to inclement weather, aka, too muddy and hard on the trails to hold the event.

ENTRY FEES: Kids in middle school and younger race for free; the entry fee for everyone else is $25 and include a super-cool t-shirt and a chili lunch in the WSC Student Center Ballroom. $35 for those hearty souls who will do both the running and mountain biking events. ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT GUNNSON SAGE-GROUSE EDUCATION AND PROTECTION EFFORTS.

These events are part of the 2012 Gunnison Sage-grouse Festival. Gunnison Trails has partnered with the Gunnison Basin Sage-grouse Strategic Committee and the local Gunnison Sage-grouse conservation community to raise awareness of this endangered bird among recreational and fitness-based trail users. It is vital for trail users to understand the importance of honoring seasonal closures and restrictions on lands important to the various life stages of the Gunnison Sage-grouse. These closures and restrictions take place primarily in the spring.  For more information on Gunnison Sage-grouse go to siskadee.org or check out the Gunnison Trails Sage-grouse page.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! SEND AN EMAIL TO: info@gunnisontrails.com

2012 Schedule – Saturday April 14, 2012

• 8am           Registration – WSC Student Center Ballroom (Upstairs near the Ruby Cinema)
• 10am         Sage-grouse 10k run start – South side of WSC Student Center
• 1005am    Sage-grouse 5k run/walk start - South side of WSC Student Center
• 1010am     Sage-grouse Kids 1500 run/walk start - South side of WSC Student Center
• Noon          Run/Walk Awards – WSC Student Center Ballroom
• 1pm             Mountain Bike races start – On the dirt above Mountaineer Bowl stadium
• 105pm        Kid's Mountain Bike races start - On the dirt above Mountaineer Bowl stadium
• 230pm       Mountain Bike awards - WSC Student Center Ballroom

(The 2012 10k course is much the same except that it starts and finishes at the Student Center on the WSC Campus and it will be a clockwise route instead of counterclockwise. The 5k is all new, also starting at the Student Center and also and out and back route. For 2012 it will cross Jorgenson Park and use the road that goes north and east of the airport runway toward the Wilson Ranch.)

DETAILS

The Sage-grouse 5k run/walk will head south from the Western State College Student Center, cross highway 50 at Jorgenson Park, find its way through Jorgenson to the road that runs north next the airport. This wide, flat gravel road will take runners to the turnaround point north of the runway and near the base of W Mountain. The return route will be the same as the outbound route.

The Sage-grouse 10k run course will start the same as the 5k but turn east on San Juan Avenue and ply the perimeter of Gunnison in a clockwise direction. Weather and conditions permitting, this will be a mixed surface route. Grass, gravel, dirt and/or trail sections may be included, for example, Jorgenson Park; WSC campus; Mountaineer Bowl area; Char Mar Park/Van Tuyl/Gunnison Community Schools areas, etc. The new underpass and bridge at the Twin Bridges will be used, as well. Start time for both the 5k and 10k events is 10am.

Sage-grouse Kids 1500 run/walk - Part of the federal Let's Move Outside program, the Sage-grouse 1500 kids race will start just like the adults but it will bang a hard left early on and it will stay on the WSC campus and never cross any major streets. The route will juke and jive around most of the academic buildings on the east side of the campus. The surfaces will include sidewalk, grass and some parking lot. The course will be well marked and well staffed and parents are encouraged to run or walk with their kids. This course is about 1.5 kilometers and the older kids will do two laps. Ribbons for all participants and great prizes for the top 3 in each age category. Here are the age groups:

1500 Running Event:

• 5-6 year old race
• 7-8 year old race
• 9-10 year old race
• 3K Running Event:
• 11-14 year old race

Growler Series Mountain Bike Race #1 at the Gunnison Sage-grouse Festival – This race will feature the classic trails and terrain that have been hosting mountain bike races for over 25 years. The course will ride clockwise out the Contour Trail toward the limb dump. From there, we'll ride up the road climb to the red tower and then head back down Ridgeline Trail to the south. The trail without a name, more of the Contour Trail and finally another unnamed trail will bring us back to the start/finish area, completing the lap. The lap is around 3 miles, number of laps is yet to be determined.

Kids mountain bike races will be on a much shorter course and stay close to Mountaineer Bowl. Here are the categories:

Mountain Bike Event:

Really little kids race (strider, trikes, etc. Around 3-5 year-olds)

• 10 and under race
• 11-14 year old race

Questions? info@gunnisontrails.com or 970-275-0485