Lory State Park will host the second running of the Black Squirrel Half Marathon, Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7 a.m. The half-marathon course offers a tour of the outer boundaries of Lory State Park, providing breathtaking views to the east of Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins and the Great Plains, and to the west of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains.
The race covers a variety of terrain, all of which is highly runnable and largely non-technical — an opinion that is entirely subjective and perhaps open to interpretation. After a mile of dirt roads, the trail ascends a little under 4 miles and 1,500 feet to the apex of the course at 7,000 feet on Lory’s west ridge. The views are well worth the climb. A rapid and somewhat technical descent follows, leaving 3 1/2 miles of beautiful, gently rolling hard-packed single-track into the finish.
For more information and registration please visit: gnarrunners.com/black-squirrel-half. All spectators driving into Lory State Park will be required to purchase a Colorado State Parks Pass; $7 for a daily pass or $70 for an annual pass, good for 12 months at all state parks.
Lory State Park, located in beautiful Bellvue, offers visitors a variety of rugged terrain and the stunning vistas of the northern Colorado Front Range. The park covers almost 2,600 acres and features 26 miles of trails that lead through forest, meadows and rock-outcroppings, offering visitors great terrain for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, bouldering, and horseback riding. Additional information on Lory State Park is available at: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/lory
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