Race Day Info
📢 Race Day Info + Course Update- Friday, Oct 16 packet pickup: 4:00 to 6:30 PM at Cloudcroft Brewing, 1301 Burro Ave, Cloudcroft, NM 88317.
- Race morning bibs: Pickup opens 1 hour before each start, at the start location.
- Shuttle: Only for runners who signed up during registration. Park at the Cloudcroft Pavilion, 1100 James Canyon Hwy. That's the finish, so your car is waiting for you. Miss the shuttle and you miss the start.
- Sky Race 50K: Shuttle 4:00 AM, leaves by 4:10. Start 6:00 AM, Oliver Lee State Park, 409 Dog Canyon Rd, Alamogordo. Headlamp required.
- Cloud Run 32K: Shuttle 6:30 AM, leaves by 6:40. Start 8:00 AM, Cathey Peak Vista, 6 Canyon Trail. Only one porta pot at the start, so use the Pavilion bathrooms first.
- Check in: Informal. Let the crew know you're at the start, and give your bib number at each aid station.
- Course change: Sunspot Solar Observatory is closed, so the 32K start moved. Final routes are set.
- 50K aid stations:
5.5 Joplin Ridge: water only
12 Cathey Peak Vista: hydration, food, bathroom, drop bags. Cutoff 10:35 AM
15.5 Atkinson: hydration and Honey Stinger
19.5 Alamo Peak Rd: hydration and food. Cutoff 2:00 PM
25.5 Karr-C FR 636: hydration and food. Cutoff 4:10 PM
30 Trailhead: water only - 32K aid stations (no cutoffs):
3.5 Atkinson: hydration and Honey Stinger
7.5 Alamo Peak Rd: hydration and food
13.5 Karr-C FR 636: hydration and food
18 Trailhead: water only - 50K drop bags: Drop your bag at the start. We'll haul it to Cathey Peak Vista, so it's waiting for you there.
- Race closes 6:30 PM. If you drop, tell our staff so we know you're accounted for. Need a ride from an aid station? We'll get you out. Cup-less event, bring your own.
- Finish: Cloudcroft Pavilion. If you didn't ride the shuttle, you're on your own getting back to your car. Soup, coffee and snacks await. Awards for the top 3 men and women go out at the finish once the podium is in.
- Sun hoodies: Pickup at the finish. We don't ship awards, medals or hoodies.
Final maps and GPX files are linked below. Download them before race day so they work without cell service.
CACTUS TO CLOUD SKY RUNS
Where Desert Dreams Take Flight
New Mexico's Original Sky Race invites you to journey from desert floor to mountain peak, where cactus gives way to clouds and every step lifts you closer to the southwestern sky. This isn't just a trail race – it's a vertical adventure through the Land of Enchantment.
Wanderlust Running sponsors
Additional support provided by...
Thanks to the partners who help make this event happen: Seeberger Dermatology, Cloudcroft Animal Hospital, Rocky Mountain Supply, First National Bank, Golden Sky Residential Construction, Otero County Electric, Aspen Trails Realty, PVT, Cloudcroft Reader, Back-in-Action Therapy, and Toby Collins.
Sacramento Mountains Ultra Series
Cactus to Cloud is the third event in the inaugural Sacramento Mountains Ultra Series
Set among the towering fir and spruce of the Sacramento Mountains, just above the Tularosa Basin, this series takes you into one of New Mexico’s most beautiful and dramatic landscapes. Over three distinct summer-to-fall events based out of Cloudcroft (elevation ~8,676 ft), you’ll experience crisp mountain air, high-elevation single-track, historic rail-bed trails, and views that stretch from the desert floor to cloud-kissed ridges. Sign up once, commit to the full season, and race your way through memorable terrain.
Register for the full series and save on your race entry! Register Here
Choose Your Skyward Journey
Sky Race 50K
- Start: Oliver Lee State Park (409 Dog Canyon Rd, Alamogordo)
- Start Time: 6:00 AM
- Finish: Cloudcroft Pavilion, 1100 James Canyon Hwy, Cloudcroft, NM 88317
- Cut-off: 6:59:59 PM
Cloud Run 32K
- Start: Cathey Trailhead, parking lot 6
- Start Time: 8:00 AM
- Finish: Cloudcroft Pavilion, 1100 James Canyon Hwy, Cloudcroft, NM 88317
- Cut-off: 6:59:59 PM
SHUTTLES
- 50k: Shuttle pickup is at 4:00 AM from the Cloudcroft Pavilion (1100 James Canyon Hwy, Cloudcroft, NM 88317). It takes runners to the start.
- 32k: Shuttle pickup is at 6:30 AM from the Cloudcroft Pavilion (1100 James Canyon Hwy, Cloudcroft, NM 88317). It takes runners to the start.
- Please decide if you will be in need of a shuttle during the registration process
Shuttle is included for free in the Sacramento Mountains Ultra Series registration
50K Course Map Data
Footpath
Click on the map title to view full map detail on Footpathapp.com, print map, and share/export the GPX
32K Course Map Data
Footpath
Click on the map title to view full map detail on Footpathapp.com, print map, and share/export the GPX
Summit Line - Course Guide
Know the course before you're on it. Summit Line's course guide breaks down every climb, descent, and turn on this route, so you're not guessing when it counts. Check out the guide.
Why It's Special
- New Mexico's only point-to-point ultra trail race
- Highest elevation course in the state
- Journey from desert ecosystems to mountain peaks
- Unmatched scenic diversity
- Where cacti meet clouded summits
For All Finishers
- Custom designed shirts
- Unique finisher medals
- Stories of sky-high adventure
- Desert-to-mountain bragging rights
Wanderlust Running
This event is organized by Wanderlust Running, hosts of premiere endurance events across the American Southwest. Learn more at wanderlust.run.
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Event's current local time: 3:34 AM MT
