The Big T - 2025

Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.

The Big T race is a 12-mile up-and-back run on the Aspen Vista Trail in the Santa Fe National Forest. Elevations start at 10,000 ft and top out at 12,003 ft at the radio towers. The race starts at the Aspen Vista trail head, 14 miles up Hyde Park Road, just before you get to the Ski Basin and there are guaranteed spectacular views when you break out of the trees before you get to the top.

Download: GPX file

Hello Runners!

The Big Tesuque Trail Run starts on Saturday, October 11th! We wanted to include some important information about the race. Please email us at bigt@santafestriders.org if you have any additional questions.

The Course

The race starts at the Aspen Vista Picnic Area, mile marker 14 on Hyde Park Rd (NM-475) in Santa Fe. The course climbs FS-150, a closed dirt-and-rock road. Runners will climb roughly 2,000 feet in 5.8 miles to the radio towers at 12,030 before descending to the finish. The grade is nearly constant, with a few short, flat patches and a few steeper patches. A link to a gpx file can be found above this section.

There are two aid stations, one at Mile 3/9 and one at the summit. At the summit, there will be a course marshal at the turnaround calling to you. The turnaround point is a metal fence pole with a bright pinata. Please go around the pole.

Parking

Please, please carpool to the race. Parking is very limited at Aspen Vista Picnic Area. When we get closer to race day, we will send a link to a Facebook page so you can connect with another runner or two. We recommend meeting at either Fort Marcy Park or Dale Ball Trailhead, both on the way to the race.

If you cannot find parking at Aspen Vista, there is more parking at Vista Grande, one mile past Aspen Vista and at Ski Santa Fe 1.5 miles past Aspen Vista. It is a downhill run from both locations, which can provide a good warm-up before the race.

Early Check-in

There will be an early check-in on Friday October 10, 1-4pm, at the Running Hub, 1100 Don Diego Ave, Santa Fe, NM. If you are concerned about time on race morning, please stop by on Friday. It will make your race morning less stressful and give you a chance to purchase some last-minute gels and gloves at the Running Hub. The Running Hub is a race sponsor, and they are our go-to running store. The staff there are all experienced runners and can help with any gear or training question. There will be no race-day registration for The Big T.

Race-day Schedule

Bib pick up on race morning will begin at 7:15am at Aspen Vista. If you’ve already picked up your bib, you are good to go.

THERE WILL BE AN 8:00AM “EARLY START” FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE MORE TIME TO COMPLETE THE COURSE. The main start is at 9am. All finish-times will be included in the general results. If you are competing for overall top-3, you must start in the 9am wave.

If you want to switch to the early start, especially if you think it will take you more than 3.5 hours to finish, please email us at bigt@santafestriders.org. There is no cost to switch.

Please wear your race number on your front and where we can see it. We use this number to record your finish time.

Prizes!!!

We plan on awarding prizes for the top three overall, as well as the top in each age group (10yr age groups). Awards will start at approximately 12:15pm.

Food

We will have Boultawn Bagels before the race and hot burritos after you finish, generously provided by Posa’s Tamale Factory. Please limit one burrito per race entry, as we’d like all runners to get food at the end of their run. Unfortunately, we don’t have extra food to feed spectators. We will also have coffee. If you want coffee, please bring a portable mug – we are a cupless race. A big thank you to Boultawn Bagels for the most-awesome bagels!

Cupless

The Big T is “cupless” so please bring a bottle for water or Gatorade. The volunteers at the aid stations will have pitchers to quickly fill bottles. The pre-race coffee is also cupless, so please bring a portable mug or similar.

Self-seed at Start

We ask runners to self-seed at the start. If you haven’t heard this term, it means the faster runners in front, medium runners in the middle, and slower runners and walkers in the back. Self-seeding on a trail race is an important safety issue and we ask that you take it seriously. If you think you are going to take 3 hours or more, you should be towards the back of the starting area.

Summit Aid Station

The summit aid station will start closing around 11:15am. This will give early starters 3 hours to summit, which is equivalent to 2 mph walk.

Dogs

Please leave your dogs at home. They present a serious tripping hazard to runners, especially to runners descending at speeds of 10+mph. Please show this courtesy to your fellow runners.

Shirts

If you didn’t receive a shirt at pickup, please stop by the registration table after the race. We will likely have extra shirts.

If you don’t plan on running the race and would still like to pick up your shirt, please stop by The Running Hub Friday October 10  between 1 and 4pm. Unclaimed shirts will be allocated to runners who didn’t get a shirt when they registered.

Sponsors

We are incredibly grateful to our many sponsors, without which our race would not be possible. Please thank them if you shop at one of their stores, and please support these local businesses. They are an integral part of our racing community!