Hey Trail Sisters!
Gina here, Trail Sisters Founder and Race Director of the Trail Sisters Half Marathon & 10k that will be held for the 6th year in my hometown of Buena Vista, Colorado on September 12th 2026.
We asked some very special women to tell you about what makes their yearly trip to Buena Vista so special. For the past 5 years, we’ve had recurring visitors from the Iowa City Local Group and we thought, who better to tell you why you, and your local group, should come run our Half Marathon or 10k!
Below are some of their own words about what makes this trip so special and keeps them coming back year after year. I hope you’ll take the time to read them all. Please consider making a trip to what we consider the best day of the year!
We love traveling to Buena Vista, it’s such a welcoming community! From our very first year, we felt totally welcomed. Buena Vista offers great restaurants, coffee shops, restaurants & yoga studios. Trail Sisters put on a well organized race from registration to packet pickup to race experience, to the beautiful scenic course on well maintained trails. This is a well organized race offering a great experience! The Iowa City Trail Sisters look forward to this event every year!
Kelli Slocum
In September 2023, the BV trail sisters race was my very first race ever! I had just started running/training in the spring. The course to me was challenging but beautiful. What an accomplishment for me, a new runner! All of the trail sisters I came in contact with were so encouraging. The pre and post race vibe was exciting. BV is a lovely town. I look forward to going back every September now!
Sue Braverman
I joined the group a year after it originally started, when the 10K was added. I was so nervous that I’d be the one holding everyone up—exercise and I have never really been friends. I’d never done any kind of “K” before, let alone a 10K, and running? Not my thing at all.
When I finished—third to last—I was incredibly relieved, especially because I was greeted with the same enthusiasm from the staff as everyone else.
I hope this encourages other women to show up, move at their own pace, and still feel every bit of the accomplishment.
Cari Kaut
The Buena Vista Trail Sisters half marathon has become a place I return to year after year. The course itself was challenging for me as a relatively new runner, yet every uphill felt worth it because of the sweeping Mountain Views. What stayed with me even more than the scenery was the feeling surrounding the event—the great energy before the race, the people we meet and remember us year after year give us a genuine sense that we belonged there. What began as a single brave trip to a race I wasn’t sure I could finish has grown into an annual gathering I look forward to all year. Buena Vista isn’t just the backdrop to a half marathon for me anymore—it’s a community that has cheered me on as I’ve grown from a nervous beginner into a confident trail runner.
Mary Cox
“Love at first sight” is the phrase that best describes Buena Vista for me. When I caught the first peek of Buena Vista from my passenger side car window, I fell truly, madly, deeply in love. (I even told my husband, when I got back home from my first trip there, that we would be retiring in Buena Vista…upon winning the lottery.) The people, the scenery, the food, the whole BV vibe emanates such goodness and joy.
Not gonna lie though- the thought of a half marathon in the mountains frightened me! (I had never done anything remotely close to this previously, as a native “flatlander”.) But by the time I heard the rushing water of the Arkansas River and cheering people off in the distance that first year, I knew I was almost to the Finish Line (and hooked)…I had accomplished something I didn’t believe possible. The well-groomed trail, volunteers, aid stations, Trail Sisters organization and participants all have made this attainable for me. Every year I make new friends and learn new things on the BV trail! Our Iowa group so enjoys this experience, that we start making plans for the next year’s BV race, once we all have crossed the Finish Line 😊
Side bar: As a lil’ friendly competition, we Iowa Trail Sisters challenge each other to be the first to sign up once registration opens for the Buena Vista Trail Race. One of our group has even been known to set her alarm for midnight to be the first 🤣
Jennifer Lee
After spending almost 30 years visiting my parents and sister in the Buena Vista/Salida area, I was thrilled to learn that Gina/Trail Sisters are based in BV. The 2025 TS half marathon was my first race for that distance, and I worried that my Iowa lungs and legs might be pushed to the limit on the trails in the mountains. My goal was simply to finish before the time cutoff. Starting line nerves quickly disappeared as woman after woman demonstrated the TS philosophy – welcoming, supportive, and encouraging. After we started, I was able to look at the gorgeous views as I ran and chatted with several women about how lucky we were to be there at that moment. It was an amazing experience, made even more fun by being there with trail running friends from home. I’m excited for September 2026, when our group will head west once again, and line up in Buena Vista for another incredible day running on the trails in the Rocky Mountains.
Sara Bright
Looking forward to my third Buena Vista TS race! The weekend has become such a fun, relaxing escape for our group. With stops in Morrison, Red Rocks and Mt. Princeton Hot Springs on the drive from Denver. The Buena Vista community is so welcoming, with amazing people, great coffee, awesome restaurants and lots of cute shops within walking distance. The course is challenging, and the views are beautiful! Gina, Justin and crew put on a well-organized race from start to finish, which is why I keep coming back.
Kerri Larson
Don’t wait to register! We’ve sold out 3 years in a row and while 2026 will be our biggest year yet, registration is going faster than last year. Click below to go to the race page to learn more about the courses and commit to an incredible day on the trails. Gather your local sisters, start your training, and prepare for a weekend of mountain views and lifelong memories! We can’t wait to cheer you across the finish line in Buena Vista.
~ Gina and Justin
