Howdy, all. Bryon from iRunFar here to let you in on a bit of news. Over the past week, I have packed up the iRunFar offices and moved them from the outskirts of Yosemite National Park in California to Park City, Utah. There were many reasons for moving on as well as was plenty of time to consider where to end up. As I can operate iRunFar wherever I have an internet connection and a post office (and a girlfriend with similarly high locational flexibility), I could live anywhere I wanted. I was living a trail runner’s dream – trail access could be one of my highest considerations in the move … and it was.
It didn’t take long for me to narrow things down to Colorado or Utah. It should be no surprise that I love high elevation trails. I’ve thought to myself more than once, “My life begins at 7,000 feet.” So true. As much as the topography of these states makes my spirits soar, so, too, do the people who live there. While it’s true that I proudly bring some East Coast traits with me, I find I relate more easily to a greater percentage of people in the Mountain West than elsewhere.
Ah, but which Rocky Mountain town to call home? Among those seriously considered were Leadville, Carbondale, Breckenridge, Silverton, Telluride, Moab, and Park City. So why Park City? Well, I spent the summers of 2005 and 2006 here and I’ve never enjoyed trail running more than I did during those summers. How could I not with 350 miles of trails, much of which is singletrack on the flanks of the Wasatch Mountains and in the abundant open space around town. From nearly anywhere in town you can be on trails within a mile or two. The summers are moderate with low humidity. The autumns are even nicer. Admittedly, I find the prospect of winter and spring here daunting, but I’ll make do with more snow running and I’m excited to give Nordic skiing and snowshoe running a shot. On top of that, of the towns I considered, Park City had the best airport access and was more centrally located for driving to the big ultra races throughout the Western US.
A view of Park City Mountain Resort (foreground), Masonic Hill (midground), and the Uinta Mountains (distances) from Park City's trails.
So now you know that I and iRunFar moved to Park City. Quite simply, there’s no place that I’d rather be for trail running.
Call for Comments
Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite town for trail running and why?
