Join us for Canya Cañon 2022! This year’s event will be virtual, meaning that you can complete the course alone or with friends and family any time between November 12th and 27th. We have put together a new course that features the new Sweetwater Trail System. These trails were funded, in part, by Friends of Cheyenne Cañon and made possible by donations from people like you.
HOW DOES A VIRTUAL RACE WORK?
DATES
Complete the course any time between November 12th and 27th.
COURSE
View the course at : https://caltopo.com/m/A1HFE/A4GVSL510PJ7J102
View route on Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/3023708159311256172
The course is about 11.5 miles long and is a grand tour of North Cheyenne Cañon Park. This distance may be quite long for some and we encourage you to still participate and make a variation of the route that it is a doable challenge for you.
Turn-by-turn description:
Start in front of the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center. Run around the building to the LEFT and continue LEFT and up the Columbine Trail.
Stay on Columbine until the junction with the newer Creekside trail and turn LEFT onto Creekside.
At the next junction on Creekside take a sharp LEFT (EASY TO MISS) and cross the log bridge and the road to continue up the Cutler Trail.
Follow the Cutler Trail up past the Cutler/Muscoco junction and turn RIGHT onto the Muscoco trail. This year the course does not include summiting Cutler or Muscoco.
Continue on the Muscoco trail to the Sweetwater Canyon Trail Junction. Continue on the Sweetwater Canyon Trail - do not summit Muscoco.
You will soon reach a junction with the Daniel’s Pass connector. Turn LEFT to stay on the Sweetwater Canyon Trail.
You will reach another junction with the Middle Sweetwater trail. Continue LEFT to stay on the Sweetwater Canyon Trail.
As you near the end of the Sweetwater loop you will come to a junction where you should continue RIGHT towards Daniel’s Pass.
Soon you will reach Daniel’s Pass and at that junction turn LEFT to head down Daniel’s Pass.
Don’t miss the turn for the Bruin Trail! At this junction, head LEFT to go down the Bruin Trail.
At the bottom of the Bruin Trail, cross the road and head up the connector trail to the Columbine Trail.
Once you reach the Columbine Trail junction, turn RIGHT on the Columbine Trail.
Continue on the Columbine Trail all the way back to the Starsmore. Don’t forget to stop your watch!
RESULTS AND PRIZES
The fastest male, female, and non-binary/non-gender conforming individuals will win a painting of Cheyenne Cañon by local artist Charles Morgenstern. To win the prize, you must register. Record your run in a way that we can verify your effort. If you use a GPS watch you can submit a link to your GPS track or to Strava. We will use your elapsed time - not your moving time or segment times.
If going fast isn’t your thing, we have a prize for you too! Take a photo of yourself on the route and share it with us! You can share your photo with us by posting it on social media and tagging us @friendsofcheyennecanon on Instagram or @tfocc on Facebook. If you don’t use social media you can email your photo to allisa@cheyennecanon.org and we may use your photos on our website. All registered participants who share a photo will be entered in a drawing for a painting of Cheyenne Cañon by local artist Charles Morgenstern.
We also have a brand new race logo that Charles designed! Race t-shirts are available for purchase when you register for the race. There will be a t-shirt pickup day at an upcoming Aravaipa group run. If you are organizing a group to run the race together and you would like to arrange to pick up shirts for your group, contact allisa@cheyennecanon.org. All other shirts will be mailed, but picking up your shirt via one of these options helps us maximize your donation.
Use the button below to submit your results. We encourage everyone to submit their results regardless of your time. This helps build camaraderie!
FAQ
Why is the race still virtual?
We had our first virtual race in 2021 and found that it came with many benefits. We are a small volunteer board and organizing an in-person race is time consuming and costly. Having a virtual race allows us to put all of the proceeds towards supporting trail work and programming in the park instead of towards race expenses. We also found that by having a virtual race, people organized group runs to explore the course and they were able to participate in the race at a time that was convenient for them. Some people raced more than once and pushed themselves to go faster each time. This format also allows people to hike the course at a leisurely pace. Since there are no course markings and you have to know the route, we think that this format will push you to learn the trails better and enjoy the park more fully.
Why should I pay for a race that is virtual?
The funds that are raised through this event allow trails in the park to be built and maintained. It also allows Friends of Cheyenne Cañon to support programming in the park, which fosters a community that values stewardship. We hope that you value these things!
How can I find out about trail work and other volunteer opportunities in the park?
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on volunteer opportunities and events. Sign up here.
The results are in!
Von Heckman 1:35 alternate route
Aaron Dockter 1:47:39 Fastest male finisher
Meghan Cogswell 2:13:50 Fastest female finisher
Luke Graham 2:20:29
Brian Pilger 2:21:17 alternate route
Kristen Pratt 2:29:01
Allisa Linfield 2:34:04
Melissa Mincic 2:37:43
Julie Powell 2:38:53
Gary Carollo 2:54:38
Kimberly Reece 2:59:10 longer route
Morgan Weinberg 2:59:21 longer route
Barbara Palmer 3:00:34
Natalie Wetzig 3:04:51
Jayne Sims 3:19:03 longer route
Kristina Robinson 3:41:40
Michelle Smith 4:39:00
Melissa Munro 4:39:31
Lots of great photos were submitted and the winner of the random drawing was Lois! Lois hiked an alternate course. Congratulations, Lois!