⏵ Course guide · Front Range park nonprofit race
The Cheyenne Mountain Run puts a 5K, 10K, and 25K field on trail beneath the granite face of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, run by the nonprofit that supports the state park itself and billed as a trainer and qualifier for the Pikes Peak Ascent. I will walk you through the course and format first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for the 25K, plus free calculators to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park race page. Start times, cutoffs, and elevation figures are not published there, so confirm the current specifics before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Three distances share the same Cheyenne Mountain State Park setting, with the 25K taking on the park's narrow Dixon Trail directly beneath the mountain's granite face. This is a small, community-run race, not a mass-participation event, and the course reflects that: real trail, not a groomed loop.
The official race page markets The Cheyenne Mountain Run as a trainer for the Pikes Peak Ascent and a qualifier for the 2027 event. If you are building toward Pikes Peak, this is a course specifically positioned to prepare you for that kind of Front Range mountain trail effort, and a lot of the local field treats it exactly that way.
The Dixon Trail on the 25K is narrow, which matters less here than it would in a bigger race because the field stays small and community-focused. Expect rugged Front Range singletrack rather than a wide, groomed park path, with the granite face of Cheyenne Mountain as the backdrop for most of the route.
This is a cup-less event, so bring your own cup, bottle, or bladder to aid stations and the finish. Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park, the nonprofit organizer, puts proceeds directly back into the park, and the race is now in its 12th year under race director Pat Cooper. It is worth noting this event is distinct from the larger April Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race (a 50K/25K event held earlier in the year at the same park) and from Stories Trail Runs, a separate multi-distance event also hosted there.
The 5K and 10K are short enough to run on feel. The 25K on the Dixon Trail is where real pacing discipline pays off, especially if you are treating this as Pikes Peak Ascent prep rather than a standalone race.
Front Range trail beneath Cheyenne Mountain is not a place to chase a flat-ground number. A grade-adjusted pace target gives you an honest read on what effort you can sustain on the Dixon Trail's climbs, which matters even more if the goal is to arrive at Pikes Peak with a realistic sense of your climbing fitness rather than a number borrowed from road racing.
If The Cheyenne Mountain Run is part of your Pikes Peak Ascent buildup, treat your 25K result as real data. A race-time estimate from your actual training gives you a way to compare this effort against your Ascent goals honestly, rather than assuming a good day here automatically translates to a good day on Pikes Peak's much longer sustained climb.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Remember this is a cup-less race first: bring your own cup, bottle, or bladder to every aid station and the finish line, or you will not have a way to take on fluid.
If your 25K effort runs past about an hour, aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range given mid-August heat and Colorado Springs elevation. The 5K and 10K are typically short enough that water and how you feel on the day are sufficient, without a structured per-hour plan.
If this race is a stepping stone toward the Pikes Peak Ascent, use it to rehearse the exact fueling plan you intend to run on Pikes Peak itself. A shorter mountain trail effort like this 25K is a low-stakes place to test what your stomach tolerates at altitude and effort, well before it matters on the bigger day.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and Colorado Springs elevation with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a training plan built around YOUR fitness, this course's Front Range climbing profile, and your bigger goal race down the line. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the climbing legs a course like this and Pikes Peak demand, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The 25K is the real test here. It runs the park's narrow Dixon Trail beneath the granite face of Cheyenne Mountain, and the official race page markets it as a trainer and qualifier for the Pikes Peak Ascent, which tells you the organizers see real climbing value in this course even though it tops out well short of an ultra. The 5K and 10K are more approachable, but all three distances share the same rugged Front Range trail character.
Yes. The official race page lists it as a trainer for the Pikes Peak Ascent and a qualifier for the 2027 event. If you are chasing Pikes Peak entry or just want a tune-up on Front Range mountain trail terrain, that qualifying status is one of the main reasons local runners return to this race year after year.
This is a cup-less race, so bring your own cup, bottle, or bladder to the aid stations and finish line. For the 25K, treat it like any technical trail effort in Colorado Springs in mid-August: aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour if you are out for more than an hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range given the Front Range heat and elevation. The 5K and 10K are short enough that water and how you feel are usually enough. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator if your 25K effort runs long.
Expect rugged Front Range trail beneath the granite face of Cheyenne Mountain, with the 25K threading the park's narrow Dixon Trail. This is real mountain-adjacent terrain at the edge of Colorado Springs, not a groomed park loop, and the field size stays small enough that the narrow trail sections do not create bottlenecks.
Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park, the nonprofit that supports the park itself, organizes the race, and proceeds go back into funding the park. It is now in its 12th year, run by race director Pat Cooper, and it functions as a genuine community fundraiser as much as a competitive event, distinct from the larger April Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race (a 50K/25K event) held earlier in the year at the same park.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/cheyenne-mountain-run">The The Cheyenne Mountain Run course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.