⏵ Course guide · San Juan Mountains classic
The Imogene Pass Run sends its field 17.1 miles from Ouray, over the 13,114-foot summit of Imogene Pass, and down into Telluride, a point-to-point through some of Colorado's highest and most dramatic terrain. I will walk you through the climb and the altitude first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a strict 7-hour window, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official RunSignup registration page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and registration window before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
This is a point-to-point course with one dominant feature: a climb from roughly 7,800 feet in Ouray to the 13,114-foot summit of Imogene Pass, followed by a long descent into Telluride at about 8,750 feet.
From the start in Ouray, the course climbs more than 5,000 feet to the summit of Imogene Pass, a historic mining route through the San Juan Mountains. The thin air above 10,000 feet is as much a factor as the grade itself, and runners who have not acclimated to altitude often find their pace slows well beyond what the climb alone would explain.
From the summit, the course drops into Telluride, trading the sustained climb for a long downhill that tests quads already fatigued by the altitude and the ascent. The point-to-point format means there is no repeat terrain to learn on the way back, so whatever pacing decisions you make on the way up are the ones you live with on the way down.
The race caps entries at 1,550 and opens registration on June 1 at 6 AM MDT, historically selling out quickly with no waitlist. There are no transfers, refunds, or rain-checks for any reason, and cutoff times inside the 7-hour race window are strictly enforced, so both getting in and finishing require real preparation, not just enthusiasm.
With a strict 7-hour window and no grace period, your pacing decisions on the climb to Imogene Pass determine whether you have anything left for the descent into Telluride.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the climb out of Ouray gives you an honest number that accounts for the grade, but altitude above 10,000 feet will slow you further than the grade alone predicts if you are not acclimated. Build in a buffer beyond what a sea-level pace calculator suggests, especially in the final push to the 13,114-foot summit.
Because there is no grace period on cutoffs, a finish-time projection checked early against the strict 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM window matters more here than on races with soft time limits. If your climb pace is behind where it needs to be by the summit, you need to know that with enough race left to adjust, not at the finish line.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
At 17.1 miles, this race sits between a long trail race and a short ultra, and the altitude changes the calculus more than the distance does.
Most finishers are out for somewhere between 2 and 5 hours inside the 7-hour window. Aim for roughly 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour if your effort runs past 90 minutes, and since the official race page does not publish an aid station list, plan to be more self-sufficient with your own gels or chews than you might on a similarly short race with well-stocked aid.
Above 10,000 feet, the dry mountain air pulls moisture out of you faster than the effort alone would suggest, and many runners underestimate their fluid needs at altitude because they do not feel as sweaty as they would at sea level. Start the race well hydrated and take in fluids on a schedule rather than waiting for thirst.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a high-altitude September day 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 race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact climb-to-13,114-feet course profile, and your projected splits at the summit. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a sustained high-altitude climb, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The race climbs from Ouray, at roughly 7,800 feet, up to the 13,114-foot summit of Imogene Pass before dropping down into Telluride, at about 8,750 feet, over 17.1 miles. The organizers themselves call it "an extremely difficult race for well prepared athletes," and the combination of thin air above 13,000 feet, a sustained climb, and a strict 7-hour window makes it one of the tougher point-to-points in Colorado despite the modest mileage.
The race does not publish a single total elevation gain figure, but the geography tells the story: you climb from Ouray at roughly 7,800 feet to the 13,114-foot summit of Imogene Pass, a gain of more than 5,000 feet over the first half of the course, before descending into Telluride at about 8,750 feet. That is a serious amount of vertical for 17.1 miles, most of it above 10,000 feet where the air gets noticeably thinner.
At 17.1 miles run in a 7-hour window, most finishers are out on course for 2 to 5 hours, so this sits between a long trail race and a short ultra in fueling demands. Aim for roughly 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour if you are out longer than 90 minutes, and hydrate deliberately given the altitude, since the thin air above 10,000 feet dehydrates you faster than you will notice. The official race page does not publish an aid station list, so plan to be more self-sufficient than you might on a lower-altitude course of similar length.
The race runs on a strict 7-hour window, 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM MDT, with no grace period described. The organizers are explicit that there are no transfers, refunds, or rain-checks for any reason, and that cutoff times are strictly enforced, so this is not a race to enter undertrained and hope to survive on generosity from the clock.
Registration opens June 1 at 6 AM MDT for 1,550 available entries, and the race has historically sold out quickly. There is no waitlist described on the official registration page, so the practical strategy is to be online and ready to register the moment the window opens rather than waiting even a day.
It can be, if you respect the altitude. Climbing to 13,114 feet is a serious undertaking for anyone not acclimated, and a strict 7-hour cutoff with no exceptions means you need real fitness, not just enthusiasm, to finish inside the window. If you have run at elevation before and trained on sustained climbs, the point-to-point format between two of Colorado's most scenic mountain towns makes for a memorable first high-altitude race. If you have never run above 10,000 feet, build that experience on an easier course first.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/imogene-pass-run">The Imogene Pass Run course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/imogene-pass-run" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Imogene Pass Run course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and registration windows 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.
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