The Aspen Backcountry Marathon has been discontinued as its organizer, the city of Aspen, focuses on other community events that serve more local residents.
The scenic trail race through Sunnyside and the Hunter Creek Valley was a destination event, drawing hundreds of runners from all over the country to compete each August. Wesy Armour-Cook, the special events assistant manager for the city, wrote in an email that the event was conceived as a way to “put heads in beds,” — and that tourism bump is “no longer necessary in our bustling mountain town.”
According to Armour-Cook, feedback from city council members was the driving factor behind the cancellation of the race. The current council has requested a focus on events that benefit more Aspenites.
Race results from last year show that in a field of more than 80 marathoners, there were 15 racers from Aspen and nine from other nearby towns like Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.
In the “heavy half” marathon field of about 150 racers, there were 15 runners from Aspen, and 17 from communities elsewhere in the valley. The majority of registrants hailed from other communities in Colorado; some also came from states like New York, California, Texas and Wisconsin.
Those numbers don’t account for total participation since the race’s inception in 2011, since some runners competed in just one year while others were repeat finishers. Overall, Armour-Cook said Aspenites accounted for 1% of total registrations for the event.
Although the city has discontinued their iteration of the race, there is potential for it to return in the future: Armour-Cook wrote that “dedicated race directors are considering taking over the race in the coming years.”
