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Big Bend 50 Ultra Run
Big Bend Ultra Run set for January 16, 2011The Big Bend Ultra Marathon, will return Sunday, January 16, 2011. This time the race will include 50K and 25K trail races and introduce a new Rio Grande Village–Hot Springs 10K race. The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend allows extra travel time to the remote, far West Texas location. The date also avoids larger park visitation times and other park activities. Proceeds from the Big Bend Ultra go to the Friends of Big Bend National Park , which works to raise funds for park preservation and improvement. Information on entry fees, deadlines, final courses and more will be available soon, along with information on area lodging and other logistical details. The best way to receive updates is to sign up for the Big Bend Ultra newsletter . You also can find details at the Big Bend Ultra website and the Big Bend Ultra Facebook page (no membership is required). The Big Bend Ultra is held in a national park, and participants need to be aware of that all the time. To minimize the impact on the park, there is a limited number of participants. Also, everyone involved must follow strict rules, including a zero-tolerance, anti-litter policy. Aid stations and backcountry privies will be located on the remote backcountry, park courses. The BB50 race is not run at altitude. It starts at 3,200 feet (975 meters) and drops to 1,900 feet (579 meters), so it's a steady downhill race on the park dirt roads. The 50K course goes down Black Gap Road, which many park visitors have not seen, then on to River Road, and back past the Mariscal mercury-cinnabar mines to Glen Spring Road. Weather can be windy, cold, light rain, snow, perfect, but normally it's beautiful, dry, cool, and the roads are easy to run, You will have Elephant Tusk, the Chisos Mountains, Mule Ears peaks, and the Mariscal mines to look at on the way, it's easy to get your eyes off the road. All you hear are natural sounds, overlaid with the sound of your feet on the road and your heart beating in this unique quietness. History of the RaceIn 2004, three San Antonio runners, backed by a supply team, ran the River Road in Big Bend National Park. Fleet Feet Sports San Antonio Owner Carroll Voss, Whitney Lawrence, Jr., and Jim Glasscock were so inspired, they immediately began planning the race and recruiting volunteers. The first Big Bend 50 was in 2005 with a 50-mile run for individuals and relays in Big Bend National Park. The course was along the park’s rugged River Road that runs across the. In the next two years of the race, it graduated to 50K and 25K races for individuals only, more than living up to its motto of “Endure Big Bend History”.  Backed by a small army of volunteers, the race took place on the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday weekend in January. Big Bend Ultra Run competitors took on primitive, four-wheel drive roads in the Chihuahun Desert desert area of Big Bend National Park. The trails included Glenn Springs Road, Black Gap Road, Juniper Canyon Road and River Road. The course had a net drop of 1,400 feet (426.7 meters). The Big Bend Ultra Run is the only race of its type run in a national park. To minimize the impact on the park, organizers and runners must follow strict rules, including a zero tolerance anti-litter policy. Race organizers also must set up portable toilets at each aid station along the rugged roads. Lack of entrants forced the cancellation of the 2008 race. Since that time, interest has continued to grow and the new event was announced in December 2009.
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