Skip to main content

Events

50 Miler

Strikethrough Price: $175
Price: $169
Time: 7:00AM CDT 9:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 3:19pm CDT

8-Hour Run/Walk

Strikethrough Price: $130
Price: $115
Time: 7:00AM CDT 3:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 9:58am CDT

50K

Strikethrough Price: $120
Price: $95
Time: 7:00AM CDT 6:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 12:06am CDT

Marathon

Strikethrough Price: $99.99
Price: $89.99
Time: 7:00AM CDT 5:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 3:32am CDT

Half Marathon

Strikethrough Price: $89.99
Price: $79.99
Time: 8:00AM CDT 3:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 3:32am CDT

Half Marathon Ruck

Strikethrough Price: $89.99
Price: $79.99
Time: 8:00AM CDT 3:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 12:54am CDT

8-Hour Relay

Strikethrough Price: $150
Price: $130
Time: 7:00AM CDT 3:15PM CDT
Registration Opens September 15, 2026 at 12:44am CDT
Video thumbnail

Top Two Finisher Awards

Image

Event Description


LABOR DAY TRAIL CHALLENGE

RUN FREE: RETURN OF THE BULL

The gates are open. The bull is loose. Run Free.  Conquer the Lost Pines on single-track trails along the Colorado River

 McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Cedar Creek TX
8-HOUR RELAY · HALF MARATHON & RUCK · MARATHON · 50K · 50-MILE 
 
Labor Day Trail Challenge
 
TRAILS
Single-Track & Fire Roads
Labor Day Trail Run
 
ECOSYSTEMS
4 Unique Biomes
Labor Day Trail Run
 
SETTING
Colorado River
Labor Day Trail Run

About the Race

Trade the bullpen for the box canyons. Return of the Bull

You’ve been penned up all year. It’s time to break the fences. Kick off your Labor Day weekend with an unforgettable trail running experience at McKinney Roughs Nature Park, a stunning 1,140-acre preserve just 13 miles east of Austin along the Colorado River. Choose from seven events that wind through the park's rolling box canyons, wildflower meadows, and towering loblolly pine forests.

Labor Day Trail Run

This is Central Texas trail running at its finest. You'll traverse four distinct ecosystems. Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairie, East Texas Piney Woods, and a lush riparian corridor, all in a single race. Expect technical single-track, scenic river overlooks, and the kind of terrain that makes every mile an adventure.

Labor Day Trail Run

 

THE RIO COLORADO 250

The river you run above on Saturday is the one the series is named for.

Two hundred fifty kilometers with Fit Foundation in a calendar year earns the Rio Colorado 250 buckle. Not instead of your race hardware. On top of it. Every kilometer counts, including the ones you cover in the timed events.

That last part matters. The 8-Hour Solo doesn't credit you a fixed distance. It credits you what you actually walk, run, and grind out between seven in the morning and three in the afternoon. Some of you will put more on the board in one day than a 50K would give you.

Here is the calendar. Autumn Harvest on October 10. Fields of Gold on October 24. The Colorado River Run on November 27. Star of Texas on December 13.

Four events in nine weeks. September is the last quiet place to start.

The count begins at McKinney Roughs.

Return of the Bull marks the second chapter of the Rodeo Trail Run Series, following the inaugural Austin's Rodeo Trail Run at Grelle Recreation Area. All half-marathon, marathon, and 50K finishers receive a custom rodeo-style belt buckle and event shirt, the signature swag of the series.

Unleash the grit. Master the Roughs. Run Free.

Choose Your Distance

SIX EVENTS · ONE EPIC COURSE
 
POPULAR

🔥
HALF MARATHON & RUCK
13.1 Miles
Intermediate
 
 
MARATHON
26.2 Miles
Advanced
 
ULTRA

🐂
50K  or 50 Miles 
Ultra Distance

⏱️ 8-Hour Solo Run or Relay Challenge

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure: Run or walk for 8 hours. You can also grab your favorite running partner, build your duo, and take on the 8-Hour Relay Challenge! This high-energy format strips away the pressure of a fixed distance and replaces it with a fast-paced, strategy-driven race against the clock.

STARTS 7:00 AM · 8 HOURS
 

Course Highlights

WHAT AWAITS YOU ON THE TRAIL
Labor Day Trail Run
Lost Pines Forest Run through towering loblolly pines and eastern red cedars, an isolated pocket of East Texas ecology River Overlooks Scenic bluff-top views of the Colorado River from the Ridge and Bluff Overlook trails
 
Rolling Elevation Up to 469 ft of elevation gain on technical single-track through box canyons and ridgelines Aid Stations Fully stocked with water, electrolytes, snacks, and encouragement. Our main aid station at the start/finish hub is fully stocked with hot food, fruit, pickle juice, cold drinks, and more. This is your primary fueling point each loop. On-course aid stations provide water and light supplies to keep you moving between loops. Plan to refuel at the hub each time you come through.
 
Wildlife Corridor Four ecosystems converge here, home to 250+ bird species and diverse Central Texas wildlife Rodeo Series Buckle Every half-marathon, marathon, and 50K finisher earns a custom rodeo-style belt buckle from the Rodeo Trail Run Series

Race Swag & Awards

WHAT EVERY FINISHER TAKES HOME
TRAIL RUN RODEO SERIES
Rodeo Series Buckle
Custom belt buckle, signature of the Rodeo Trail Run Series. Every half-marathon, marathon, 50K & 50 miles finisher.
 
Event T-Shirt
with rodeo series branding
 LOST PINES
Finisher Medal
Custom design for all finishers

Awards

FOR THOSE WHO RIDE THE HARDEST

Overall Winners

Plaque award for top male & female finisher in each distance event

 FINISHER RODEO TRAIL RUN SERIES

All Finishers

Every half-marathon, marathon, and 50K runner who crosses the finish line within cutoff earns a Rodeo Trail Run Series buckle. Medals for other distances.

 

We Do Our Part

Why the eagle rides with the bull

In 1933 the country put an eagle in the window. Every business that signed on to a wage floor, a limit on hours, and an end to child labor hung a blue eagle placard out front, and the line printed under it was We Do Our Part. It is the most American thing ever put on a poster, and it is the right sentence for a race run on the weekend that honors work.

The bull gets you out of the pen. The eagle is what you carry home. Nobody does your part but you.

The Eagle Earns It An eagle does not scavenge somebody else's kill and call it a day. It hunts in the open where everyone can see. Same deal out here. There is no way to fake a 50K. The Summer Was the Job You did not train for this in September. You trained in July and August, in Texas, before sunrise, on trails that never cooled off overnight. That was the labor. Saturday is what it was for. Patience Is a Working Virtue Eagles perch for hours and move once, when it matters. Go out honest, hold something back, spend it late. Everyone who has gone too hard in the first hour has paid for it in the fourth.
Eight Hours Is a Workday

You clock in at seven. You keep showing up lap after lap. What you have at three is exactly what you put in, and there is no shortcut in a timed format. Only the willingness to go back out one more time.

Earn it in the heat. Take it home in your hands.

The Eagle Award

Ultra Champions · Labor Day Weekend
ULTRA ONLY

Top male and female finishers in the 50K and 50 Mile take home an eagle trophy. It is the one award on this course you cannot get by being fast for an hour. Every other distance is recognized with the standard overall awards.

Eagle trophy, Labor Day Trail Challenge

Course Records

McKinney Roughs · Set at the Inaugural, 2026

First year on this course. Every mark below is standing there waiting for somebody to take it.

DistanceRecord Holder
50 MileJonathan Gardner · 14:51:43
50KAndrew McGregor · 6:17:51
MarathonKimberly Pilcher · 4:57:24
Half MarathonNicole Bitter · 2:00:30
10KJames Bales · 38:56
5KNoah Bales · 19:26
8-Hour Timed Run CHIP TIMED AT THE 50K MARKNatalie Harvey · 50K in 6:54
The Crossover Rule

Every 8-Hour runner is chip timed at the 50K mark. If you cover 50K faster than the registered 50K field, the overall 50K award is yours. It runs one way only. A registered 50K finish does not count toward the 8-Hour award, because the 8-Hour is scored on total distance for the full eight hours.

Records are made to be broken. Come take one.

Race Details

EVERYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW
  
DayLabor Day Weekend (Saturday)
Start Time7:00 AM for ultra distances and 8-Hour; 8:00 AM Half-Marathon & Ruck
LocationMcKinney Roughs Nature Park
Address1884 State Hwy 71 West, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
SurfaceDirt / Single-Track Trail
Chip TimedYes
Stroller FriendlyNo (trail course)
Getting There: Located on Hwy 71 just 13 miles east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Look for the distinctive rock wall entrance with windmill on the south side of the highway. Free parking available in the main lot with additional overflow parking.

Nearby Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa is adjacent to the park. Additional hotels available in Bastrop (8 miles east). Make a weekend of it, race Saturday, relax Sunday and Monday.

Rodeo Trail Run Series

The Labor Day Trail Challenge is the second event in the Rodeo Trail Run Series. Ran the Austin Rodeo Trail Run at Grelle in March? You're a series veteran. New to the rodeo? Welcome to the herd. Either way, you'll earn one of the two signature series buckles and shirt when you cross the finish line.

LABOR DAY TRAIL CHALLENGE 
McKinney Roughs Nature Park · Cedar Creek, TX 
Sponsor Opportunities Available
Fit Foundation
Half Marathon Ruck
13.1 miles. Same trail. Weight on your back.

Rucking is covering ground with a loaded pack. Same course as the half marathon, same start, same finish line, same cutoff. The only difference is what you are carrying and who you are racing.

Ruckers are scored as their own division with their own results and their own awards. You are not competing against the runners and they are not competing against you.

Minimum pack weight
20 lb  ·  30 lb
20 lb if you weigh under 150 lb. 30 lb if you weigh 150 lb or over.
The rules
  • Weigh in before the start. Bring your pack to the start area at least 30 minutes before your wave. We weigh it, we tag it, you go.
  • Water does not count. Your hydration, food, phone and layers are on top of the minimum. The weight is dry weight.
  • Any weight is fine. Ruck plates, bricks, sand, books, dumbbells. It has to be secure and it has to stay in the pack for the whole course.
  • You finish with what you started with. Weight is checked again at the finish. Anything under the minimum moves you out of the ruck division.
  • Carry it yourself. No handing your pack off, no dragging, no wheels.
  • Run, walk, or anything between. There is no rule about how you move, only about what you carry.
  • Rucking counts toward your Run the River mileage exactly the same as running. Thirteen point one miles is thirteen point one miles.
First time rucking?

A loaded pack on a trail is harder than the same distance on your feet, and most people go out too quick. A few things that help:

  • Train with the weight before race day. Even two or three loaded walks makes a difference to your shoulders.
  • Get the load high and tight against your back. Weight that sits low and swings will wreck you by mile six.
  • Wear the socks and shoes you have already tested. Rucking changes how your feet hit the ground.
  • Pack the weight so it cannot shift. Movement inside the pack is the most common reason people stop.
Same trail. Same finish line.
Considerably more of it on your back.

Course and Aid Stations

Course by distance

5K

3.12 mile lollipop, 1 loop.

10K

3.12 mile lollipop, 2 loops.

Half Marathon

4.5 mile loop, 3 loops.

Marathon

3 loops of the 8.20 mile course, plus a short 1.6 mile run to the halfway point of the 5K course.

50K

3 loops of the 8.20 mile course, plus 2 loops of the 3.12 mile lollipop.

8-Hour Solo

8.20 mile loops, then switch to the 3.12 mile lollipop for remaining time.

Aid stations

4 aid stations along the course

Mile 1.6

Manned

Mile 3.3

Unmanned

Mile 5.3

Manned

Mile 7.4

Unmanned

Note: Aid station placement is still being finalized, as LCRA permit requirements may require some adjustments.

5K (1 lap) and 10K (2 laps) Course

Half-Marathon (3 laps)

Marathon, 50K, 50M and 8 Hour Course

Packet Pickup

Packet Pickup

Date and time

Saturday, Sept 4

6:00 AM race morning

Location

McKinney Roughs

In front of the classroom building near the car park

What's included

  • Bib number
  • Timing chip
  • Race shirt
  • Course map

Important info

Parking

Onsite parking available. Follow the main road to the car park.

Picking up for someone else

Bring a letter of authorization from that person.

Race Cutoffs and Start Times

Labor Day Trail Challenge

Race start

7:15 AM

All distances

Course closes

6:30 PM

11 hour 15 minute window. 50 Mile course closes at 8:15 PM.

Short and mid distances

5K

Complete by 6:30 PM course close

10K

Complete by 6:30 PM course close

Half Marathon

Complete by 6:30 PM course close

Half Marathon Ruck

Complete by 6:30 PM course close

Marathon

Complete by 6:30 PM course close

50K Ultra

Based on 21 min/mile pace

Last 8.20 mile loop must start by

1:15 PM

Last 5K loop must start by

5:15 PM

Course closes

6:30 PM

50 Mile Ultra

Six 8.20 mile loops plus one 1.19 mile spur (50.33 miles). Based on 15:30 min/mile pace.

Loop 4 must start by (mile 24.6)

1:40 PM

Final 8.20 mile loop must start by (mile 41.0)

5:50 PM

Final 1.19 mile spur must start by

7:55 PM

Course closes

10:15 PM

Headlamp required after 7:00 PM

Sunset is approximately 7:50 PM. Any runner still on course for the final loop or spur must carry a working headlamp. No headlamp, no continuation.

8-Hour Solo

8.20 mile loops, then switch to 5K lollipop

Last 8.20 mile loop must start by

12:30 PM

Last 5K lollipop must start by

2:30 PM

Event ends

3:30 PM

A note on timing

All cutoffs are measured from the actual gun time, not the clock. If the start shifts because of LCRA park operations, every cutoff on this page shifts with it by the same amount. Listen for the announcement at the start line.

Cutoffs are enforced at the start/finish area. If you arrive after a cutoff you will not be permitted to begin another loop, and you will be recorded at the distance you completed.

Image

Rio Colorado Ultra Buckle

Every Fit Foundation finish counts toward the Rio Colorado 250. Complete 250 km across our 2026 races and the buckle is yours, in addition to your individual race awards.

Timed events count the distance you actually cover, so the 8-Hour Solo, the 12 Hour at Fields of Gold, and backyardultras, including the Big Bastrop Backyard, can each put significant kilometers on the board.

Contact Form

If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.

Event Location

McKinney Roughs Nature Park
1884 State Hwy 71 West
Cedar Creek, TX 78612 US View Location on Map

If you continue to use this site, you consent to use all cookies. We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Read how we use cookies and how you can control them by visiting our Privacy Policy.

If you continue to use this site, you consent to use all cookies.