Race Day
Date: Saturday, September 27th
Packet Pickup and race day registration are available from 7 to 8:15. Please arrive early so that you can demo shoes if you are interested and get warmed up! Mandatory Pre-Race meeting 7:50 am
Half Marathon Race Start 8 am
5K Race Start 8:15 and 5K Walking Course start at 8:20 AM
Course Description
RACE COURSE UPDATE: The section up Honeycomb has been deemed none permittable, so we will have a longer more challenging route up and over into Little Cottonwood Canyon. The sections before and after Honeycomb will remain the same. Update coming soon…. This is now a Half Marathon Course: The race starts at the Crest ski lift just south of Molly Greens at Brighton Ski Resort. It will then cross the parking lot to Milly Chalet and take the access road up to Twin Lakes. From there you will turn right and go down the SolBright trail to Solitude. SolBright will drop you onto Kruzer trail, follow that down to the base area at Moonebeam. Take a left and go down the dirt road to Eagle express chair lift. Head up the mountain on Honeycomb Return Road, at the end of the road take a hard right and head down a connector to Silver Fork Canyon trail. Take that up and over into Little Cottonwood Canyon, around the back via the Lazy Prince trail and over Grizzley Gultch. From there traverse above Twin Lakes and you'll be back to the dam, but now there is an aide station!! Traverse below the dam and up the other side, take a left on the trail at the top of the hill. This trail connects to Lake Mary, from there it is down to the finish! You did it! You ran 12ish miles and climbed 3500 feet.
5k Race Route: The race starts at the Crest ski lift just south of Molly Greens at Brighton Ski Resort. It will then cross the parking lot to Milly Chalet and take the access road up to Twin Lakes. When you get to the dam (aide station volunteers) will direct you to continue up and to the left. You will traverse across Mount Milly to Lake Mary. Go around the lake and down to the finish on Brighton's Lake Mary/Catharine's Pass Trail.
Aide Station
There is one aide station on the half marathon route, that is at the base of the Twin Lakes Dam. This aide station you will pass through twice, at mile 1 and 6.5. Water and electrolyte drinks are available aide stations on this route at mile 1 on your second time through you will celebrate your Honeycomb canyon climb victory with chips, Oreos, soda, grapes, oranges, bananas, peanut butter and jelly, water, and electrolyte drink.
Training Programs
Conquer the Big Cottonwood Classic half marathon
Whether you’re chasing your first trail finish or looking to PR in the mountains, these custom-built half marathon mountain training plans are your perfect companion for a fall race in the stunning Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Designed by Tara Warren of @onthemountaincoaching, these plans combine structure, progression, and joy — helping you build endurance, hill strength, and confidence on technical trails.
Choose from 1-, 2-, or 3-month plans, each with:
Daily workouts with mileage and elevation goals
Athlete-friendly tracking sheets (printable + Google Sheets format)
Strategic recovery weeks, race simulations, and a proper taper
Built specifically for the Cottonwood terrain and fall conditions
Add on a training plan and get started as you begin your preparation for race day!
3 month plan: $50
2 month plan: $35
1 month plan: $25
Swag
Things that your race entry fee covers: Views for days, good company, suffering, a race shirt unlike any other (new and improved logo this year). Get ready, it's going to be your favorite shirt to wear around the house, to work, or doing yard work! Also, a finishers magnet and entry into our raffle!!
Prizes
There will be prizes for the top five men and women to finish the half marathon and 5k!
Event's current local time: 4:33 AM MT
