Events
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 24 Hour
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 24 Hour Team - 4 Person
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 24 Hour Team - 2 Person
Running Up for Air Staunton 12-Hour Night Owls
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 12 Hour Night Owls - Team - 2 Person
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 12 Hour - Early Riser
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 12 Hour Early Riser - Team - 2 Person
Running Up for Air 6-Hour - Early Riser
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 6 Hour - Mid Morning
Running Up for Air - Staunton - 3 hour
RUFA
Running Up for Air unites our community over a shared passion for running and a desire to drive real, lasting change in the fight for cleaner air. Through endurance events and strategic partnerships, every mile and vertical foot run and every hour volunteered amplifies support for nonprofits dedicated to air quality solutions, ensuring even small donations have greater impact. We tread lightly on the trails while standing firm in our commitment to a healthier planet and cleaner air for all.
Running Up for Air is a growing collection of endurance events created to amplify informed dialogue and empower individuals and organizations actively working on air quality solutions. Proceeds from Up For Air events are directed at carefully selected and vetted non-profit groups who demonstrate high value influence strategies and efforts in the battle for better air. The race platform is used to expose participants and the general public to science-based material about the importance of healthy air. All events are conducted with a minimal footprint philosophy.
Running Up For Air-Staunton is the Colorado edition of the Running Up for Air Series: a 3, 6, 12, or 24-hour winter endurance challenge that takes place at Staunton State Park in Pine, Colorado. Now in its 8th year, Running Up for Air Staunton was launched in 2017 to raise money in support of the fight for improved air quality for those who live along the front range of Colorado - extending all the way from Ft. Collins to Pueblo where air quality is a real and significant issue. The race concept is pretty simple: participants run a 7.1 mile marked trail loop as many times as possible in the allotted time. Each lap offers just over 1600' of gain, and conditions can be tricky in the winter months - think snow and ice! The time of year - February - is intentional as it coincides with the latter part of the winter inversion "season" here in Colorado. Given the time of year, the route is inevitably almost entirely snow and/or ice covered and can easily involve harsh winter mountain conditions.
RUFA-Staunton is scheduled for February 6-7, 2026. Back again this year is the option to do a team for the 24-hour and 12-hour events. In the 24-hour, teams can be 2 or 4 person, and in the 12-hour teams can be 2-person. All runners are expected to become fundraisers to support the good work of our selected nonprofit partner: Conservation Colorado Education Fund, chosen for their hard work improving our air quality and preserving and protecting our natural environment.
Wanna run for free: If you raise 10X your registration fee, you will be refunded what you paid to run the race!
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this RUFA, click the button below.
Location - Staunton State Park
Staunton State Park
12102 S Elk Creek Rd
Pine, CO 80470 US
View Location on Map
Course Map and Elevation
Here is the course map and elevation for the 2026 edition of RUFA here in CO, which is unchanged from 2025. This lollipop course was new a few years ago and has been well-received by our RUFA runners. FYI it is actually posible to get at 2 complete laps in during the 3-hour, but you're gonna have to hurry.
This year's course will again start and finish at the upper Lazy V parking lot. This lot is about 1.5 miles up the main Park road from the Park entrance. There are restrooms at the upper lot, and we'll have a porto or two! We will also have a heated tent at the S/F, which will serve as race HQ and our main aid station.
Each lap of the new course is approximately 7-ish miles with about 1500 feet of elevation gain (and descent). The course is as follows:
Start at the new upper lot, head up from the lot and ascend the Old Mill Trail to where it intersects with the Mason Creek Trail (approx 1 mile) , go right and follow Mason Creek to the upper intersection of Mason Creek and Bear Paw (about 1.2 miles), go right on to Bear Paw and follow Bear Paw to the lower intersection of Bear Paw and Mason Creek (approx 2.3 miles), go left up Mason Creek back to Old Mill, about 2 miles, then back down Old Mill to the Start/Finish area. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with course, before Feb ‘25!
Parking/Start-Finish
The map below - also viewable via this link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1PTsH-VkKRWGNaVbrUTJd4dzZkjETaG_i&hl=en&ll=39.51026639179409%2C-105.39327355691528&z=17 - Shows the location of the start finish and race HQ area. There will be NO parking in that upper most lot (the circle) but there is plenty of parking in those longer parking areas, just below the circle.
Important Race Info & Directions
RUFA - Staunton - 2026: A Green Event
Directions
Staunton State Park is located just 45 minutes from Denver, along highway 285. Staunton State Park is located here: http://bit.ly/RUFA-CO20 . There is a $10/vehicle fee for entering the park. This fee is not part of your race registration, so we encourage you to carpool to reduce both the number of cars going to the park (we are focused on clean air, after all) and the bucks you all spend on getting in. If you do carpool, and share with at least one other registered runner, you will not be charged the normal entry fee. Volunteers also do not need to pay the usual park entry fee.
This map shows the new parking lot and the location of the S/F. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1PTsH-VkKRWGNaVbrUTJd4dzZkjETaG_i&usp=sharing
Reuseable Cups Only!
In the spirit of what this event is all about, we are doing everything we can to ensure that we minimize our - and your - footprint (pun totally intended). To that end, we will not be offering cups for runners at the start. Of course, there will be hydration beverages and water available, but all runners will need to provide their own bottles or reusable cups. Thanks for helping us ensure that we are all doing our part.
Carpooling.
There is limited parking at the race site and we are always conscious of the environmental impact, especially since we are running up for cleaner air, of all kinds of cars, so we ask that all runners please carpool. No one should come with just a single runner in their car.
Getting to the Park
Staunton State Park is located here: http://bit.ly/RUFA-CO20
Carpooling
Of course, and it should go without saying, but we do anyway, since our focus for RUFA is air quality, and all of our vehicle emissions are a significant component of poor air quality, we invite, encourage and hope all of you will consider carpooling to Staunton for the run in February. Not only will you be directly lessening your and our carbon footprint for the day, but we'll also reimburse you for your Park entry fee (normally $10/car).
If that works for you, either as a driver or passenger, please add your info to the sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SQ6IqU2-f-KQWuwuyItxA0n_RvFB9mu631BTMhh6Now/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you.
Fundraising
We ask - expect even - all of our participants to fundraise. We do not require any specific minimum - or maximum, but we do encourage you to help us raise real dollars for the good work of our nonprofit partner - the Conservation CO Education Fund, which works tirelessly to improve the quality of our air and water and protect/preserve our public lands. We feel, as regular users of these special outdoor places, that we have an obligation to help protect and preserve them, something that is more important than ever. So, please, help us raise real money.
We will also have special prize packages for our 2 biggest fundraisers, thanks to the generosity of our incredible partners.
