24 Hour of Towers
Schedule
Friday 26 July
I have campsite I41 reserved Friday night. I'll be there without my family Friday night so if you want to pitch a tent and share my site let me know. The sites near Soderberg were booked so this site is further down the camp road, near the bathroom by the turn in the camp road.
Saturday 27 July
8:00 AM First lap starts from the Soderberg lot. Headquarters will be campsite I41 though.
5:00 PM Family Lap - Come on out on Saturday afternoon for a low key, casual run/hike/walk up and down the hill with your wife/husband/children/grandparents/friends who don't understand your crazy ways. Show off our hill to those on the other side. Depending on pace lights may be needed for the end of the lap.
8:51 PM Civil twilight ends, about time to get out the glow bracelets and head lamps. If my kids haven't found them all I may still have a bunch of glow bracelets.
I have my campsite again on Saturday. If you want to crash on it let me know. If you have a site yourself let me know that too.
Sunday 28 July
5:23 AM Civil twilight begins
6:00 AM Last Lap - if you're up for it get out of your tent or drive back up to join us in one last trip to the top and back before breakfast. The sun will be just coming up
8:00 AM 24 hours are up.
8:30 AM Pancake Breakfast at campsite I41 Even if you didn't run all night (or at all) get out of your tents or drive back up and join us!
Breakfast
Last year I brought my stove and made some pancakes, I'll probably do the same thing again. If you want to bring something to share you can.
What
It's pretty self explanatory. 24 hours, one hill. Come and commune with the big hill, she who makes us stronger, she who litters race leaderboards with the words "Fort Collins, CO". Come join like-minded trail runners, be it for one lap or to run all through the night, come celebrate Towers Road.
Where
We will start at the Soderberg lot. 24 HoT headquartrs will be campsite I41 though, which is down the campground way a bit, by the bathrooms near the bend in the road. If the Soderberg parking lot is full you may have to park 1/2 mile down the road in the Marina parking lot.
Rules
- There really is just one rule, Have Fun!
- If you're going to count laps to brag or to add to our communal totals they must be done between 8 AM Saturday and 8 AM Sunday.
- We will define a "lap" as one trip from the sign near the bathrooms in he Soderberg lot to the corner of the service building in the first grouping of towers, following Swan Johnson and Towers Road, and then back down.
- We'll have a clip board or something at the campsite I41 to record laps so we can sum up totals at the end.
Where is 24 Hours of Towers?
We'll be starting right across the street from the Soderberg parking lot. Driving directions to the Soderberg lot. Parking should be at Soderberg unless you have a campsite. Only 2 cars are allowed per campsite so only pull into the campground if you know you have a space. If Soderberg is full you may need to park 1/2 mile down the road at the marina. Be aware that there is a daily parking fee at Soderberg and the marina if you don't have a Larimer County Parks pass.
Night access
Horsetooth Mountain Park is open all night long but the Soderberg lot gate might close during the night. I keep forgetting to check the exact times. If you are in the lot when the gate closes you can still leave by pulling up to the exit as the exit gate is automatic. The upper, main, Horsetooth Mountain Park lot is remains open 24 hours a day. I am unsure if the marina lots has a gate to close at night or not.
Campground
If you are staying at the campground or are in the campground please observe campground rules. Some of these include quiet hours of 10 pm until 6 am, 3.2 beer only, and no glass bottles. 8 people and 2 vehicles are allowed per campsite, along with 1 camping unit and 2 tents or 4 tents with no camping units. Daily parking pass or Larimer County pass are required in the campground just like at Soderberg/Blue Sky/Horsetooth Mountain Park.
Do I have to run all night?
This is probably the most often asked question I receive. NO, you do not need to run all night. You can run 1 lap, walk 2 laps, run only at night, do whatever you want. Remember, there really are no rules. If you want to come out and meet some fellow trail runners please to so, anything you add to our totals is gravy.
I probably forgot something. Ask questions on the list or in the comments section here. See also my other posts on 24 Hours of Towers.
