Breathe Deep |  Running in the San Juan mountains surrounding Silverton is unlike anything you’ve experienced.  Find out why these mountains offer some of the most breathtaking scenery and difficult terrain in Colorado. Join us for a run in the Silverton Alpine Running series this next summer and find out for yourself.

Setting | Silverton, Colorado is nestled in the midst of the Silverton caldera at an elevation of 9,318 feet above sea level. The mountains only go up from there, climbing an additional 4,000 feet directly around town.   The area has been heavily mined since the 1880’s, leaving behind a rich history of ghost towns, mining structures and wild stories.

The Bet | Running in Silverton can be traced all the way back to August of 1908 when a wager was made on whether or not it was possible to race to the top of Kendall Mountain (elevation 13,066 feet) from town and back in under 90 minutes. Miner Neil
McQuieg, who worked at the Frank Hough Mine, high on Engineer
Mountain above Animas Forks was selected as the man for the job.  Although Neil lost the bet by a mere 1 minute and 42 seconds, the spirit of mountain running in the high country was born.

The Challenge | The idea of running up Kendall was not lost and the Kendall Mountain Run emerged in 1978.  Although the present day run does not follow the original route of the 1908 bet (a scramble straight up the face of the mountain), you can still conquer the same mountain just as Neil did.