Wasatch Trail Run Series a community of its own

Wasatch Trail Run Series race at Solitude Mountain Resort on July 28. Photo: Wasatch Trail Run Series

SOLITUDE, Utah — Every Wednesday evening this summer, people have gathered at dirt trails to race and enjoy the lush mountain scenery.

The Wasatch Trail Run Series has been developing a community for these runs since 2012.

Founder Mitt Stewart quit his job at the time and was throwing things against the wall to see what would stick.

Originally a mountain bike racer, Stewart developed the idea of a trail race series and things took off from there.

Race crowds “gathered steam every year” according to Stewart. Their big boom was four years ago when they really saw attendance explode.

Social media has been a big variable in spreading awareness of the event. It’s still common for newcomers to come to the registration table and say “I never knew about this!”

“It’s been great all around,” Stewart said of this year. He said it’s certainly the most people they have consistently seen come out.

He partially credits that to people wanting to get out after the pandemic.

Last year, with the series canceled, runners still found a way to compete and connect.

Stewart hired a software engineer to develop a program that allowed runners to come to trails and track their time. They could then upload their performance to see it ranked versus other participants.

At every race, they offer both a long and short course. The long course ranges from 7-9 miles and the short 3-5 miles.

At the Solitude race on Wednesday, elevation gain for the long course was roughly over 1,100 feet. The short course had about 700 feet of elevation gain.

To keep things competitive, they keep a ranked point system that goes for the entire nine-race season.

Despite the competitiveness, there is an aura of genuine joyfulness at the races. Everyone is cheering each other on, people are setting and breaking fitness goals, and there are beautiful mountains abound.

“People are happy,” Stewart said.

Their next race will be on Wednesday, August 4 at Brighton. Registration begins at 5 pm, and races start at 6:30.