20 running, fun run, ultra, and other events in Bozeman, Montana

The Headwaters Relay is a 3 day, team run, team-supported, adventure race that goes through the backcountry of Montana. There are no aid stations. The exchange points are not marked and are found by following written leg descriptions. Legs very in difficulty and terrain, and range from 1 to 6 miles. Each day has a definitive start and end point, and overall team time is a compilation of cumulative time from all legs. Runners do not run through the night. Every team runner must run a minimum of one leg per day.

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Due to Forest Service permits, we are limited to a field of 26 teams, with preference given to teams that ran the previous year. Team size ranges from 4 to 10 runners.

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Team size:

ULTRA TEAM 3-5 Runners ($1000 per team)

STANDARD TEAM 6-10 runners ($1500 per team)

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Teams choose their own name

Teams must have one designated team captain

Teams are responsible for their own support and aid along the way, including liquids, food, navigation, and anything else to keep their runners going.

A maximum of 2 support vehicles per team allowed on the route one must be high clearance

Each runner is required to run a minimum of one leg each day of the Relay

Teams determine who runs which leg. Each team must complete all the designated legs

Once a runner begins a leg, he/she should complete it. If a runner cannot complete a leg for whatever legitimate reason (e.g., medical condition), then another runner from the team must complete their leg

Teams must run the legs in succession(i.e., one at a time), not two or more at a time (concomitantly)

The Sweet Pea Run 5K/10K is a great community event hosted by the Big Sky Wind Drinkers and is one of the oldest running races in Bozeman. It's held the weekend of the Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts as a liaison event. This is a fun, family event as well as a competitive running race offering cash prizes. Thanks to our special sponsors, The Billings Clinic and members of the Big Sky Wind Drinkers Running Club, this race will be FREE this year for kids 15 and under! The Sweet Pea Run also gives free entries to groups like the Cancer Support Community Montana and is the Big Sky Wind Drinker's biggest fundraiser. Proceeds from the race fund scholarships to local high school athletes, support BSWD community fun runs, and are donated to THRIVE and the Bozeman Track Club.

Join us for the annual Sweet Pea Children’s 1K Run, a beloved tradition that leads the Sweet Pea Parade down historic Main Street!

🏁 Start Location: Main Street & Eighth Avenue

🏅 Finish Line: South Church Street

📋 Check-In: Please stop by the Parks & Rec table before the race to check in

🎽 Optional Race Bibs: Can be picked up at the Parks & Rec table by the RecMobile flag near the start

🎉 Perks: All participants receive a ribbon and post-race refreshments

👨‍👩‍👧 Note: Children age 5 and under must be accompanied by an adult

✅ Race day registration is available!

This fun, family-friendly event is a great way to kick off the parade—come check in, grab a bib if you'd like, and enjoy the run with us on race day!

This event is separate from the Annual Sweet Pea Run.

The Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run is a remote and aesthetic ~20 mile foot-race along the crest of the Bridger Mountains, near Bozeman in Southwest Montana. It is a not-for-profit event enabled by about as many volunteers as participants.

The Bridger Ridge Run is put on & sponsored by the Big Sky Wind Drinkers, which is a premier running club for runners of all ages and abilities. Some videos, photos, and history of this event can be found on this Big Sky Wind Drinkers webpage.

Remote and Technical!

Essentially the entire route involves unstable footing, challenging ascents, brutal descents, and unpredictable weather along an exposed ridge. Experience with mountain running is important.

No part of the route can be accessed by a road. All supplies, including water, are hauled to Aid Stations through human volunteering. Aid Stations will carefully track each participant's progress, and will have limited medical teams, supplies, and snacks. Except for water, we expect each participant to carry what they think they'll need.

• Note: the race is "cupless" (ie, Aid Stations will not have cups). We expect each participant to carry a water vessel, which can be filled at each Aid Station.

Volunteering

This entire event is enabled through volunteer effort. We offer a diversity of volunteering opportunities -- some well in advance of the event, and some during the event. Check out our Volunteer page for specific opportunities.

Our registration process is designed to reward and incentivize volunteering for this event. Volunteering within a given season is a promising way to all-but-ensure entry into the following season's event.

Registration Process

(See the Registration Process page for more details.)

The number of participants is limited to 250, as per the permit we receive from the US Forest Service. So we developed an application process intended to offer broad participation in this special event while also rewarding volunteering, local non-profit organizations, and general commitment to our community. We intend for this process to be fair and supportive of the spirit of the Bridger Ridge Run.

Anybody seeking to register for this event must submit an application to our lottery. This amounts to answering a series of prompts and entering a valid credit card. If an applicant is not selected through the lottery process, their card will not be charged. All applicants will be notified of their status before the close of May, shortly after the registration window closes.

• Note: we do not use a "Wait List".

We will send periodic emails to registered participants with detailed instructions, information, and policies about the event. We expect registered participants to receive and read such emails.

Cancellation Policies

If, for any reason, a registered participant cancels their participation in the race after they sign up, they will not be granted a refund.

This event is committed to complying with governmental guidelines. For instance, we may impose strict rules of participation, or cancel the event altogether, due to a forest fire or due to CDC guidelines. If, for some reason, we cancel the race, registered participants will have these options:

1. “Roll-over” their registration to the following year.

2. Donate their registration fee (and still get swag).

• Note: as a non-profit event, all unused proceeds are donated to Big Sky Wind Drinkers and to the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, both of which are non-profit organizations that enable trail use and stewardship in the area, as well as other regional non-profit organizations.

Pre-Race Meeting

Participants, especially first-timers, are strongly advised to attend the pre-race meeting which will take place at 5:30pm the Friday before the Start at the Fish Hatchery (ie, Finish Line, near the Drinking Horse Trailhead). This meeting will cover all sorts of specific information, including the following:

• Up-to-date conditions and weather prediction. Discussion of lightning hazard, and how to mitigate it.

• Description of the route, and answers to questions or concerns thereabout.

• Race rules, including disqualification policies.

• Description of Aid Stations, including the medical support and snacks and water present at each.

• Discussion of race-day logistics, including how to arrive at the Start Line.

• Much more ... this meeting is an opportunity to ask questions, and connect with other participants -- it is informative and energizing!

Start Line Logistics

The race starts at 6:30am at the Fairy Lake Trailhead, which is a 45-minute drive from the Finish, the final 25 minutes of which is along a dirt road requiring a high-clearance vehicle.

Each participant must arrange their own transport to the Start Line. There is no shuttle to Start Line, nor is there a shuttle from the Start Line to the Finish Line. We provide a drop-bag service from the Start Line to the Finish Line. All participants are encouraged to park their vehicles at the Fairgrounds, and self-organize carpooling to the Start Line from there. The pre-race meeting can serve as a good place to arrange such logistics with other participants.

Start Waves!

• Given the nature of the trail, registered participants will be grouped into Start Waves, each spaced 5 minutes apart. Come mid-July, registered participants will be assigned a wave number. Such wave assignments will be announced to registered participants by email, and will be posted here:

• Wave Assignments

• Registered participants are assigned to a wave based on information they provide through their registration process: the wave they request, the finish time they estimate, and whether or not this is their first time participating in the event. We do our best to meet wave requests, subject to balancing wave sizes. Except for special circumstances, we do not accommodate requests to change wave assignments.

• Each participant's finishing time will be recorded according to when their assigned wave starts.

• Note: overall winning awards are determined according to the first three men, first three women, and first three non-binary finishers to cross the finish line.

Route Description

Here is a link to a downloadable GPS file of the route, including aid stations and other information.

• Note: distances generally run short in this GPS file, due to its sampling method.

The route embarks from Fairy Lake parking area (elevation 7,600'), which is forested. From there it follows a clearly defined trail that steeply climbs well above tree line into a granite basin to gain a pass, then to Sacagawea peak (elevation 9,650') at which there is a minimal Aid Station with water only. The route continues along a vague trail to Naya Nuki peak, then down a steep loose shoot to gain the Foothills Trail. The route then follows the Foothills trail South-bound to Ross Pass (elevation 7,650') where there is an Aid Station and medical team. The route then follows a vague trail that steeply ascends along the Bridger ridge. The route continues to be rocky, sometimes braided difficult to follow precisely, and sometimes exposed, to the top of Bridger ski lift (elevation 8,500') where there is an Aid Station and a medical team. This nature of the route continues along the ridge up Saddle peak (elevation 9,150'). After Saddle peak, the route becomes less technical as it

rolls along the ridge to Baldy Mountain (elevation 8,900') where some limestone blocks require a bit of scrambling. Then the route becomes smooth to Baldy peak (elevation 8,680'), where there is an Aid Station and medical team. The route then follows a clearly defined trail that steeply descends to a brief respite of descent (elevation 7,100') where there is a minimal Aid Station. The route continues steeply descending to the M parking area. From the M parking area, participants are directed through the Drinking Horse tunnel, to the Finish Line at the Fish Hatchery (elevation 4,900').

We impose the following cut-off times. Any participant who arrives at one of these spots after its accompanying cut-off time is automatically disqualified, and can join the volunteers' transit back to the Finish Area.

• Sacagawea -- 8:05am

• Ross Pass -- 9:40am

• Bridger -- 11:05am

• Finish -- 2:30pm.

If a participant drops out of the race, it is imperative that they do so at an Aid Station and that they clearly notify the Aid Station Lead. (If a participant is unaccounted for, we assume the worst and we commence an open search for them across the Bridger mountain range.)

Finish Area

The Finish Line is at the Fish Hatchery, by the Drinking Horse Trailhead, which is across the highway from the M Trailhead.

Participants will be clearly directed from the M Trailhead through the Drinking Horse tunnel to the Fish Hatchery.

The Finish Area will have a medical team, snacks, and aid for participants. All drop-bags from the Start Line will be laid out at the Finish Area.

Awards will be given to top three overall finishers in each gender category, as well as in each 10-year age division. These awards will be announced and given as each award category is filled -- so the "award ceremony" will be rolling through the Finish Area Party.

Everybody is invited to hang around the Finish Area, where shade, BBQ, beverages, and good spirits can be found. The Finish Area will have very limited parking. A shuttle bus will be operating roughly 9am-4:30pm to take anybody (participants, friends/family/supporters) between the Finish Area and the Fairgrounds Park & Ride Lot just off of East Oak Street. (Note: there will be a port-a-potty at the Fairgrounds parking.) Here's a link to a map:

• Map: Fairgrounds Park & Ride to Finish Area

Results

Muddy Dog Sports does the timing for the race.

Results can be found on My Race Results.

Kick-off the Bozeman Half Marathon & 10K weekend with a limited edition, Friday night brew run brought to you by Brooks! This 5K run takes place at MAP Brewing at 6 PM.

Registered runners get:

• (1) Free Drink (MAP or N/A)

• Access to the vendor beer garden

• Chance to try-out a Brooks shoe demo fleet

• Entry to win a pair of Brooks running shoes

• Entry to win a growler, fill and gear from MAP

Course:

• Mix of gravel/dirt trail and pavement. 3.2 miles.

• Stroller-friendly and dog-friendly (on leash).

The largest brew run series is in Bozeman, Montana, brought to you by the Bozeman Distance Project 501(c)3. For all information, visit the event website.