Sierra Vista Trail Runs are March 11

The 12^th annual Sierra Vista Trail Runs, presented by the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance (SNMTA), will be held Saturday, March 11, beginning at the Sierra Vista North Trailhead, just off Dripping Springs road, approximately 7.6 miles east of Interstate 25, Exit 1 (University Avenue), SNMTA said in a news release.

The event consists of four separate trail races with distances of 50 kilometers (31 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles), 5k (3.1 miles) and a free one-mile kid’s fun run.

The 50k begins at 7 a.m.; the half marathon begins at 8 a.m.; the 10k begins at 9 a.m.; the 5k begins at 9:30 a.m.; and the kids’ run begins at 10:30 a.m. The cutoff time to finish is 5 p.m.

The race began in 2011 when two Las Cruces trail runners, Dan Carter and Eugene Smith, decided to create the area’s only trail marathon and half-marathon, SNMTA said.

“What started as a free, low-key event with fewer than 100 finishers quickly grew into one of the premier ultra-marathon trail races in New Mexico,” the news release said. “An ultra-marathon is generally considered any footrace longer than marathon length (26.2 miles), with most ranging from 30 to 100 miles.”

Beginning in 2014, the Sierra Vista Trail Runs became the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit SNMTA, which was created that year, SNMTA said. The all-volunteer SNMTA connects communities through trails and the outdoors by coordinating user groups to preserve and enhance trail and outdoor recreation opportunities in the region, the news release said. Its activities include organizing monthly trail maintenance work days; advocating for public input into government land use policy; educating trail users through workshops and informational materials; acting as a central resource for information such as trail maps and guides, event schedules and public lands policy input opportunities; and identifying potential new trail development opportunities.

The annual runs draw more than 300 participants from around the country and some of the top runners in the region, the nonprofit said.

The Sierra Vista Trail is a National Recreation Trail located on BLM land within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. National recreation trails are established under the National Rivers and Trails Act, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Register for the runs at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=98958 or https://ultrasignup.com. For more information, contact Jay Jarden at jay@pooltechplus.com.

visit www.facebook.com/southernewmexicotrailalliance and https://snmta.org.