Trail Running Festival Desert Rats by UTMB®

Trail Running Festival Desert Rats by UTMB® runs over April 10–11, 2027, in Fruita, in Mesa County, Colorado, as part of the UTMB World Series. Four trail distances are on the program: a 100K with about 6,700 feet of climbing, a 50K with roughly 3,400 feet, a 21K with around 2,300 feet, and a 10K with about 660 feet. The routes cross forest, mountain and desert terrain, in a corner of Colorado close to Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, the Dinosaur Journey Museum and the vineyards of Palisade.

The climbing numbers tell you how to train. The 10K and the 21K are approachable off regular road running plus some time on trails, while the 50K and especially the 100K need long back-to-back weekends, deliberate hiking practice on the climbs, and a fueling plan you have already tested. As a UTMB World Series event, it also tends to attract runners working toward a longer-term goal on the circuit.