Bull of the Woods Trail Marathon

Bull of the Woods is Taos Ski Valley's trail race weekend, and the full marathon is its hardest assignment: a route that tags Kachina Peak at 12,481 feet, then climbs Fraser Peak at 12,168 feet on the Northside trail system. The race has run for about a decade and treats altitude and climbing, not the clock, as the point.

The marathon combines the event's two half marathon routes, climbing from the base village to Kachina Peak before crossing to the Northside trails and Fraser Peak. Expect sustained singletrack, long climbs, thin air above 12,000 feet, and hiking-pace grades that make road time goals meaningless.

Early September in the high mountains of northern New Mexico means cold starts, strong sun, and a real chance of afternoon storms above treeline. Conditions can swing from freezing to warm within one race, so carried layers are standard.