Estes Epic grows in second year since its return

Last year, about 25 athletes showed up for the revived Estes Epic. This weekend, roughly 75 are already signed up to ride, run, or attempt both.

For organizers of the two-day mountain endurance event, that growth is encouraging not only because more people will be on the trails, but also because every additional registration helps support the Estes Park High School Mountain Bike Team.

The Estes Epic returns to Stanley Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, with a mountain bike 50K, trail running 50K, Heavy Half, and the Epic Double, which combines both 50Ks for 100 kilometers of racing across two days.

“I think bringing this back to Estes in its second year of this new iteration of the event, we had a big focus on engaging our local Estes Park and Estes Valley mountain biking and running community,” said Alex Shaughnessy, a race director with Running Wild Events. “The money we’re fundraising is staying here in Estes Park. It’s going to the high school, so we’ve been working to make locals really feel like it’s an event for them.”

That local participation is growing along with the overall field.

“We had a couple of locals participate last year, but a lot of people from the Front Range, for sure,” Shaughnessy said. “Last year, I think we had about 25 total over the course of the weekend. Right now, we’re sitting right around 75, so definitely a bigger field than last year.”

The Estes Epic existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, although it looked somewhat different. Shaughnessy says another organization operated the race before the pandemic, when its longer distance was 50 miles. The event disappeared during COVID and did not immediately return.

Running Wild Events owner Kevin Benes, whose family lives in Estes Park and is active in the local trail running and mountain biking community, had worked alongside the previous organizers. When that group decided not to restart the event, Benes offered to take it on.

Running Wild brought the Estes Epic back in 2025. The revived version replaced the former 50-mile distance with 50Ks and added the Heavy Half to provide a shorter way into the weekend.

Part of that change reflects which land can be used for the race, Shaughnessy says, but organizers also wanted the event to be more approachable. A 50K still provides plenty of challenge, particularly at roughly 7,500 feet above sea level, while leaving open the possibility for athletes who want to race both days.

“We call it the Estes Epic for a reason,” Shaughnessy said. “It’s more technical trails than some of our other races, and people should definitely be prepared for that.”

The climbing is substantial enough that walking is not unusual, even among experienced competitors.

“In both races, you’ll always see people walking the uphills,” she said. “There’s definitely some pretty fun elevation gains along the course, so it is definitely something that you need to train for in advance.”

Saturday belongs to mountain bikers. The MTB 50K begins at 8 a.m. and sends riders across roughly 31 miles of technical singletrack. Sunday shifts to running, with both the Trail 50K and Heavy Half starting at 7 a.m. There is also the option to do boththe biking and running courses called the Epic Double.

The field includes racers across a wide age range. Shaughnessy says many participants are in their 20s through 40s, but some runners registered this year are in their 60s.

Having established courses available well before race weekend may be one reason registration has increased. When the event returned last year, organizers had a shorter registration window and course information was not available as early.

Shaughnessy experienced that uncertainty herself before joining Running Wild in July.

“I had looked at running this race in 2025, and I couldn’t pull the trigger because I knew it was definitely going to be some intense trail courses, and I didn’t want to commit before the race course was posted,” she says. “So I think having that be established this year also helped people feel comfortable.”

Before anyone reaches the starting line, organizers and volunteers spend days preparing the route. Shaughnessy and the Running Wild team began marking the course Tuesday, Sept. 22, placing flags close enough to race weekend that they are less likely to disappear before athletes arrive.

About 20 volunteers are expected to work across the two days, staffing aid stations, assisting with road crossings, and handling other race operations. Auxiliary police officers will also help with crossings.

Putting on the event requires coordination beyond Stanley Park. Running Wild works with Larimer County on permitting, along with the Little Valley Landowners Association, Estes Park Police Department, and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

Aid stations for the 50K races are planned at miles 5.6, 8, 16, 21.5, and 25.5. Heavy Half runners will have aid stations at miles 5.6 and 9.7. The races are cupless, so participants must carry their own bottle or cup.

The weekend remains a fundraiser for the Estes Park High School Mountain Bike Team, which competes in the Colorado High School Cycling League. In past years, team members have sometimes raced or served as volunteers. This weekend, however, the team will be away from Estes Park for another competition.

That leaves organizers hoping the growing field of local runners and cyclists can help carry the hometown feel.

“I am looking forward to all of the runners and cyclists coming out, but especially our local athletes,” she said, “seeing people that we see out on the trails on a regular basis and kind of celebrating that community aspect of the race.”

And if participation continues moving in the same direction, the fundraising should grow with it.

“I would love to see this event grow, just as it has this year,” Shaughnessy said. “Having more people on the trails just means that that fundraising component can grow as well.”