Christmas Mountain 5 Mile Run
About this race
Celebrate Thanksgiving weekend and the lighting of Christmas Mountain in Salida with a 5 mile and 1 mile race! The 5 mile course begins and ends by Riverside Park in downtown Salida. Race course is very scenic and mostly flat (around 160 feet of elevation gain) and takes place on city and county roads and gravel or concrete pedestrian paths. This event is designed for all runners, and we encourage all ages and abilities to come out! Packet pickup, post race drinks and snacks, and awards will also take place in Riverside Park in downtown Salida.
Race begins at 10am, giving participants time to sleep in after Thanksgiving, and then relax with friends and family before heading back to downtown Salida for the lighting of Christmas Mountain. Festivities in town associated with this event include the annual Christmas Mountain parade, beginning at 6pm, followed by fireworks. This is one of Salida's biggest and most celebratory nights each year.
The goals of this event are to encourage health, fitness, fun, and community connection around the Thanksgiving holiday; to offer another competitive racing opportunity in Chaffee County; and to raise money during the holiday season for the Chaffee County Community Foundation. Prize money will be offered to the top finishers: top 3 M/F overall ($150/$100/$75), along with the first place M/F masters runner ($100).
There will also be a one mile run, which will begin at approximately 10:05am. Participants will run down Sackett Avenue, turn around after 1/2 mile, and head back to the finish line. This race will be timed, all competitors will receive a participant ribbon, and post race snacks are included.
For more information or if you're interested in sponsoring or volunteering at this event, please contact Kristy Falcon at christmasmountainrun@gmail.com.
Pick your distance
Running
Christmas Mountain 5 Mile Run
Registration for this event incudes custom race socks, chip timing, a race sticker, post race snacks, and awards for the top overall finishers plus the top 3 in each 10 year age group. Please note that dogs and strollers are not allowed in the 5 mile race. This is due to insurance reasons, plus the fact that this race takes place on potentially icy and narrow gravel paths by the Arkansas River and on Colorado Parks and Wildlife land.
Christmas Mountain 1 Mile Run
Registration for this event includes chip timing, a finisher ribbon, and post race snacks. Leashed dogs and strollers are allowed in the one mile run!
Typical race-day weather
Based on 6 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Salida, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:58 AM and sets at 4:44 PM local time (MST) in Salida on November 27, 2026 — 9h 45m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Results — Christmas Mountain 5 Mile Run
Other races near Salida
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Find upcoming events by distance:
- Salida Running Calendar 2026 3 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 5 Salida events
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