Thursty Elk – Update February 2024
2024 Race Update
February 12, 2024 – It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the postponement of this year’s Thursty Elk Trail Race to 2025. We first shared the probability of the deferral earlier this week at our annual volunteer appreciation event and are now confirming the event will not proceed in 2024.
We know that this comes as an enormous disappointment, not only to participants, but also the volunteers, sponsors, and partners of this community and event. We realize that progress isn’t always a straight line forward and so we must pause for some brief zig zagging.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly and there are several concerns that have caused us to make this decision at this time.
There is a new reality that increased usage of recreation facilities combined with extremely limited resources and capacity to support the same are changing the landscape in how areas are both managed and used. Some challenges regarding permitting, logistics, and land management and maintenance are all outstanding factors outside our control causing us to re-evaluate the delivery of this event within the time frame for 2024.
Our primary concern is always the responsibility we feel towards not only our participants and volunteers, but also the greater commitment to the sustainability and responsible and respectful use of the trails and places that our events frequent. Taking the proper time and steps to ensure that our events are executed with this commitment at the forefront is the right thing to do.
We know that we are not alone in these challenges and others are experiencing similar challenges. As the landscape for outdoor recreation continues to change and evolve, it is more important than ever that we continue to advocate for increased resources, capacity, and support for the outdoors and natural infrastructure, in both urban and back country settings.
We look forward to the opportunity to review and re-imagine what Thursty Elk might look like for a return in 2025. As we move through the ongoing planning in the coming year we will share updates as we are able. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may have in anyone’s race plan’s this year and look forward to welcoming runners and volunteers back in 2025.
