I’m discovering that Fort Collins has no shortage of fantastic trail running opportunities. The East side of Horsetooth Reservoir has excellent trails with moderate elevation gain, and the West side has endless options for more challenging runs.

Reservoir Ridge Half-Marathon – I set a goal early in the year to run my first half-marathon before June 2021. Since it didn’t feel safe participating in a race due to COVID, I plotted a great route for a solo run.

Needing to get to the lab by 10am, I left the house shortly before 6, stashed a water bottle at the Maxwell Natural Area parking lot, and drove to the Reservoir Ridge trailhead. I ran up to the ridge, stayed on it until the swimming area, regained the ridge near the “A”, and ran down to Maxwell. After a short water break, I ran around Dixon Reservoir on the Timber Trail, stopped to finish my water, and ran home through Maxwell.

The route was phenomenal, and I would definitely repeat it. My first half-marathon was easier than I anticipated with infrequent training, but I still fought to keep running after about mile 8. I had to stop and walk after every mile or so for the last four miles, keeping my pace a bit slower than I was hoping for.

  • Date: May 1st
  • Distance: 13.1 mi.
  • Vertical Gain: 1,000′
  • Time: 2:20:14
  • Avg. Pace: 10:39/mi.

Mill Creek over Horsetooth Loop – Cody challenged me to do a long run over Horsetooth Mountain via the Mill Creek trail, and I happily obliged. The run to the top of Horsetooth went quite well, and I ran a large portion of it. The day was getting hot as I ran down to the falls, and I ran out of gas around mile 8 when the running went flat and uphill again. I ran as much as I could for the 5 miles to the car but was pretty beat and overheating.    

It was an awesome run, and I’m inspired to return for the endless options of trail runs in Lory and Horsetooth. I didn’t have enough water, but my new running backpack should help.

  • Date: Nov. 7th
  • Distance: 13.4 mi.
  • Vertical Gain: 2,600′
  • Time: 3:09:26
  • Pace: 14:12/mi.