⏵ Course guide · Colorado Springs winter trail event
The Human Potential Running Series' Stories Trail Runs mixes 6-Hour and 15-Hour timed formats with a Sunday 10K, Half Marathon, and 20-Mile, all at Cheyenne Mountain State Park against the backdrop of Pikes Peak. I will walk you through how the timed and fixed formats work first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a cold February weekend. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Human Potential Running Series registration listing. Check the current year details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Stories spreads its offerings across a full weekend: Saturday belongs to the timed 6-Hour and 15-Hour divisions, and Sunday brings a traditional 10K, Half Marathon, and the new 20-Mile.
Rather than repeating the same short 1 to 2 mile track for the full 6 or 15 hours, HPRS spreads the timed divisions across multiple distinct loops within Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Your result is still simply the total distance you cover in the window, but the terrain keeps changing under you rather than becoming monotonous.
The 10K and Half Marathon share a 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM window, while the new 20-Mile gets an extra hour, running until 2:00 PM. All three are traditional point-course distances rather than timed formats, a more approachable entry if the Saturday timed divisions sound like too much unknown.
The main staging area and aid station sits at the start and finish of every loop, which HPRS leans into as part of the event's community atmosphere. Whether you are on your third loop of the 15-Hour or finishing the Sunday 10K, you pass through the same hub.
Whether you are chasing distance in a timed division or running a fixed course, early February cold at Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a real factor in how your pace should feel.
Since the loop mix will vary, build your 6-Hour or 15-Hour pacing around a sustainable effort level rather than a rehearsed splits sheet. A grade-adjusted pace target still gives you an honest read on what a repeatable effort feels like on this terrain, whichever loops you draw.
A race-time calculator built around your goal for the 10K, Half, or new 20-Mile gives you a pace target to check yourself against, but build in extra caution for the first mile or two while your body adjusts to a cold February morning.
⏵ Free tools to pace this event
Early February in Colorado Springs is genuinely cold, and cold weather changes appetite and fluid needs whether you are running 10K or the full 15 hours.
Aim for roughly 45 to 75 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the fixed distances, and 60 to 90 for the longer timed divisions. Cold weather can make typical gels harder to manage and less appealing, so lean on the aid station's warmer options where you can.
Sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range is usually enough in cold conditions, since visible sweat losses run lower than on a hot day. Do not skip electrolytes entirely just because it is cold, sustained effort still costs you sodium.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal duration, and a cold Colorado Springs weekend 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, whichever Stories division you're targeting, and your projected splits for a cold weekend at Cheyenne Mountain. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for sustained or fixed-distance trail effort, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The Stories 6-Hour and 15-Hour divisions are timed events: you run for the full window and your result is the total distance covered, not a fixed course. What makes them different from a typical timed race is that HPRS spreads multiple distinct loops across Cheyenne Mountain State Park rather than making you repeat the same short 1 to 2 mile track over and over, so you see real variety even on the longest timed effort.
Alongside the 6-Hour and 15-Hour timed formats on Saturday, HPRS runs a traditional 10K, Half Marathon, and a new 20-Mile option on Sunday, all with the same main staging area and aid station at the start and finish of each loop. That gives you a genuine range from a short Sunday morning race up to a full day-long timed effort.
A February date in Colorado Springs means cold-weather racing, and if you are out for the 15-Hour timed format, you will likely be racing through the coldest part of the day. Aim for roughly 45 to 75 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the fixed distances, scaling up toward 60 to 90 for the longer timed formats, and lean on warm, easy-to-digest options since cold weather blunts appetite. Sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range is typically enough given the cold. The main staging area and aid station sits at the start and finish of every loop, so use that frequent access rather than carrying big reserves. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 6-Hour runs 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday, and the 15-Hour runs 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday. Sunday, the 10K and Half Marathon both run 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, while the new 20-Mile gets an extra hour, 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
The course runs through Cheyenne Mountain State Park with the mountain itself and "America's Mountain," Pikes Peak, as a backdrop, plus sweeping views of the Colorado Front Range. Because the timed formats draw on multiple loops through the park rather than one repeated stretch, you experience a broader slice of the park's trail network than a typical single-loop timed race offers.
The 6-Hour format is a genuinely approachable entry point: a half-day window, a strong community atmosphere built around the shared start/finish aid station, and loop variety that keeps things interesting. If a 6 to 15 hour winter timed event still sounds like a big step, the Sunday 10K or Half Marathon are lower-commitment ways to experience the same course and community first.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/stories-trail-runs">The Stories Trail Runs course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and event menu 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.