San Juan Softie

100 mile Ultra Marathon

August 15, 2025
Durango, CO

The softest 100 miler in the San Juans

This 100 mile ultra marathon starts and finishes just north of Durango, Colorado. The race will take you through some of the most stunning and rugged terrain with breathtaking views of the Colorado Trail, Engineer Mountain, Wilson group of 14ers, Lizard Head, and many other incredible peaks and valleys in this region.

With an average run elevation of 10,000′ feet, and 19,000’ feet of vertical climbing, you’ll be challenged by steep ascents and descents, and possibly, variable weather conditions along your 100 mile trek.

38 hour cut-off

Start: 6am MT Friday August 15

Finish: 8pm MT Saturday August 16

Race Details

Packet Pick-Up:

Thursday, Aug 14, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM MT @ Durango Running Company

Friday, Aug 15, 5:00 AM – 5:30 AM @ the starting line

Course

~19,000 ft total elevation gain*

average elevation of 10,282 ft

highest point: 12,438ft on Colorado Trail

*we are using CalTopo for elevation calculations

Aid Station Total Miles Distance to Next (mi) Gain/Loss to Next (ft) Type Opens Cutoff Crew Access Drop Bags Elevation (ft)
Start 0 8 +1,902-245 Full 4:30 AM 6:00 AM Yes No 8,770
Cascade #1 8 11.5 +1,009-2,197 Basic 7:00 AM No No 10,427
EMT #2 19.5 8.5 +3,507-620 Full 10:00 AM 12:30 PM No Yes 9,239
Engine Creek #3 28 7.8 +1,333-1,851 Basic 11:30 AM No No 12,126
Middle of Nowhere #4 35.8 10 +1,162-2,153 Full 2:00 PM 8:00 PM No Yes 11,608
Cross Mountain #5 45.8 7 +1,079-925 Full 3:30 PM 10:00 PM Yes + Pacers Yes 10,617
Calico #6 52.8 12 +2,773-3,971 Full 5:00 PM 12:00 AM No No 10,771
Burnett #7 64.8 6.5 +458-1,281 Basic 6:00 PM No No 9,573
Ryman Creek #8 71.3 8.6 +2,549-794 Full 8:00 PM 8:00 AM Yes + Pacers Yes 8,750
Coral #9 79.9 7.9 +1,372-2,156 Full 10:00 PM 11:30 AM No No 10,505
Big Lick #10 87.8 7.7 +1,382-532 Basic 1:00 AM No No 9,721
Elbert Creek #11 95.5 8.2 +32-1,833 Full 2:30 AM 6:00 PM Yes + Pacers Yes 10,571
Finish 103.7 Full 3:30 AM 8:00 PM Yes No 8,770
Full Complete aid station with food, drinks, medical support, and supplies
Basic Limited aid with water, basic snacks, and minimal support

FAQs

  • The SJS starts and ends a few miles north of Durango, CO. Durango is a full service town on the border of the San Juan mountains. Access is possible via road (approximately 3 hours from Albuquerque and 6 hours from Denver) or air through La Plata County Airport.

  • The SJS is approximately 104 miles long. No other distances are currently offered

  • We strongly encourage having completed other mountain ultras before attempting SJS. That said, we will not be gatekeeping this race; if you feel prepared, you are welcome to run.

  • Yes. For your safety, all runners are required to carry a rain jacket, 2 light sources, and gloves throughout the race. The race director reserves the right to require rain pants depending on weather forecast; a decision to require rain pants will be communicated to runners at least 5 days before the event. A tracker may be required; this will also be communicated with plenty of advanced notice. Required gear may be checked at any time by race staff/ volunteers, including at the starting line, aid stations, on the course, or at the finish. Failure to carry all required gear may result in a DQ. In the event of a dispute, the race director has final say.

  • Yes! First, second, and third place prizes for men and women will be provided by Durango Running Company, as well as a cash prize provided by the race: $500 for first, $250 for second, and $100 for third.

  • Yes. This can include a runner’s primary headlamp and an emergency keychain/fob light. Light belts, flashlights, etc. are welcome as well. No, a phone doesn’t count.

  • Yes. We highly encourage sharing your live tracker with your crew and family. We will not have a centralized live tracking platform. We will use OpenSplitTime to provide updates on runner locations.

  • Yes. Poles would be quite helpful.

  • Yes, pacers are allowed starting at mile 45.5 at the Cross Mountain aid station. Pacers can join runners at Cross Mountain, Ryman Creek, and Elbert Creek aid stations. (These locations are indicated in the aid station chart above). Runners are allowed 1 pacer at a time. All pacers must complete a waiver and have a pacer bib before joining their runner.

  • No muling allowed.

  • Yes, all participants must be at least 18 years old on the day of the race.

  • Deferrals for pregnancy will be considered. All other reasons, including injury, travel restrictions, or failure to train do not qualify for deferral. If you will not be able to run, please unenroll yourself on Ultrasignup or let the race director know so that we can make space for another runner.

  • Transfers will be considered up to 1 month prior to race day, which is July 15 for 2025. To request a transfer, email rd@sanjuansoftie.com and share the name and email of the individual you wish to transfer to. Only one transfer per bib is allowed.

  • Compared to other 100 mile races in the area (Hardrock, Ouray 100, High 5), this is easy! But make no mistake – this is a challenging mountain ultra with significant vert and exposure above treeline.

  • Not yet!

Thank you to our sponsors

Contact SJS

Have questions? Email us and someone will get back to you soon. We aim to respond promptly, but the SJS crew is a labor of love, so please exercise some patience.