LEADVILLE – The Colorado Mountain College running club will host this year’s Colorado Cup races, which include snowshoe, fat bike and cross-country ski events, at CMC Leadville on Jan. 26.
The Colorado Cup will feature a 6.4K skate ski race, an 8K fat bike race and 5K/10K/sprint/medley snowshoe races at the Leadville campus. Beginners to experts are welcome to compete in one or all three of these thrilling races.
The 5K snowshoe race will determine the Colorado High School Snowshoe State Championship. Racers will compete on the trail system surrounding campus.
The Colorado Cup has taken place since 2009, under various names and in different locations, and has been the state high school snowshoe championship since 2010.
The Colorado Cup races will start at 8 a.m. and will continue until noon. Fees range from $20 to $40 and participants can register online at http://runningclub.coloradomtn.edu. All proceeds benefit the Colorado Mountain College Competition Club, which supports the running club.
After two years of tough competition, the CMC running club will join the National Junior College Athletic Association next year. By joining the NJCAA, the CMC club earns the designation of a team and will compete against two-year colleges in the Wyoming, Colorado and western Nebraska region.
Starting next fall the Leadville campus will host races and travel to other colleges. It will be possible for students to run with CMC for two years, then transfer to a larger program. It will also be possible for athletes to compete on the team from any of CMC’s campuses. A runner attending another CMC campus can follow the workout schedule online, attend meetings virtually and travel for meets. Members must attend school full-time (12 credits) and not have any previous college degrees.
For more information about the race, the club or the team, contact Darren Brungardt, coach of the college’s running club, at 719-486-4296 or dbrungardt@coloradomtn.edu.