XRedRocksRun

XRedRocksRun is a 4-day adaptive trail stage race held alongside the XRedRocks hike-and-fly competition in Monroe, Utah.

Inspired by the Challenge division of XRedRocks, each day features a shorter runner-specific trail task built from the same mountain/desert landscape, waypoint culture, and daily race format as the hike-and-fly event. Runners will travel only on foot, tagging official GPS waypoints and progressing toward a daily runner goal.

This is not a traditional fixed-distance trail race. Daily routes are selected based on weather, terrain, safety, access, retrieval logistics, and the official XRedRocks task structure.

Runners should be prepared for four consecutive days of mountain/desert trail running and fast hiking, with daily task-goal distances varying by division and conditions.

Trail Sport: approximately 3–10 miles per day
Trail Long: approximately 10–20 miles per day, with the possibility of one longer stage

*Reminder: Task distances vs travel distances will vary. Part of the unique tactics of this event are the "choose your own adventure" style of the tasks. This will be explained ahead of the event and before each task.

Saturday-only: Interested in just a single day? Join us on our final day for a single task!

Each runner’s best three scored days will count toward the final standings. Runners who reach the daily goal are ranked by time. Runners who do not reach the goal are ranked by official progress along the course. Lowest total score wins.

More Than a Race: The Full XRedRocksRun Experience

XRedRocksRun is hosted by TROT alongside the XRedRocks hike-and-fly competition, creating a one-of-a-kind week of trail running, mountain travel, community, and adventure.

Participants will experience more than four days of running through Southern Utah. This is a chance to spend the week learning, exploring, and connecting with athletes across mountain, ultra, trail running, and hike-and-fly sports. Led by Altra-sponsored athlete, coach, and race director Cal Neff and the TROT team, runners will have opportunities throughout the week to talk training, racing, mountain movement, stage racing, gear, and endurance preparation in a relaxed and welcoming setting.

Evening sessions may include shared meals, recovery time in the natural hot springs, optional bonus trail runs through the red rocks, athlete talks, route previews, training conversations, and social time with the broader XRedRocks community. Runners will also have the opportunity to schedule personal photoshoots with our event photographer, giving you a chance to bring home something more unique and personal than traditional race photos.

One of the most exciting parts of the week is sharing the event atmosphere with incredible hike-and-fly athletes from around the world. You may share miles on the trail with them, watch them climb to launch, see them ride thermals above the peaks, and experience the energy of a sport that blends endurance, mountain travel, and flight. Depending on conditions and availability, there may even be opportunities to connect with local pilots for a tandem sunset flight from Monroe Peak.

Expect cool mornings, comfortable afternoons, yellow aspens, bright red rocks, high desert trails, mountain views, and the full Southern Utah landscape as the playground for four packed days of racing and adventure.

The week finishes with an awards ceremony and celebration, bringing together runners, pilots, crews, volunteers, and the full XRedRocks community sharing their stories.

Supported by Altra Running

XRedRocksRun is proudly supported by Altra Running.

Altra will be part of the week with trail running footwear demos, giveaways, prizes, and opportunities for runners to check out some of their latest trail shoes built for mountain, desert, and long-distance trail adventures.

As part of the XRedRocksRun experience, participants will have the chance to connect with the Altra team, learn more about their trail lineup, and test gear designed for the kind of rugged, all-day movement that defines this event.

What is XRedRocks?

XRedRocks is a multi-day hike-and-fly paragliding competition based in Monroe, Utah. The event sends athletes across the high mountain desert using only two forms of travel: paraglider or foot. Each day, the Race Committee sets a task with required control points and turnpoints, and athletes try to reach the daily goal as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The event is structured as a stage race with multiple divisions, including Pro, Adventure, and Challenge. The Challenge division is designed for athletes newer to hike-and-fly, with an emphasis on safe fun, uphill movement, cross-country flying, mentoring, and good decision-making in Utah’s mountain/desert environment.

At its core, XRedRocks is about adventure, strategy, endurance, weather judgment, and self-sufficiency. Athletes carry what they need for the day, move through the course without outside support, and are scored by who reaches goal first or who makes the most progress along the course line.

What is Hike and Fly?

Hike and Fly is mountain adventure racing with a paraglider: hike/run when you have to, fly when you can, and keep moving toward the goal.

Hike and Fly is an endurance paragliding discipline where athletes move through mountain terrain by combining hiking/running uphill with paragliding flights. Instead of starting from one fixed launch and flying a single route, athletes may need to hike to a launch, fly toward a waypoint, land, hike again, relaunch, and keep progressing through the course.

In a race format like XRedRocks, the goal is to reach daily control points as efficiently as possible using only your body and your wing. Good athletes need more than fitness or flying skill alone. They need mountain judgment, route selection, weather awareness, navigation, patience, and the ability to make safe decisions when conditions change.