Horsetooth Half Marathon

The 53rd Horsetooth Half Marathon, presented by Fort Collins Connexion, takes place on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Fort Collins, Colorado, sending nearly 2,000 runners on a point-to-point course from the start area near Hughes Stadium along the eastern shoreline of Horsetooth Reservoir to the finish line party at New Belgium Brewing in Old Town Fort Collins. The course is established among the most challenging and rewarding half marathon routes in the American Mountain West: the opening 1.7 miles climb Monster Mountain to a summit of 5,579 feet, followed by a rolling traverse of the reservoir’s eastern shoreline on Centennial Drive, a Bingham Hill road segment, and a final descent on the Cache la Poudre recreational trail into Old Town, producing a net elevation loss across 13.1 miles that rewards strong downhill running technique without allowing runners to dismiss the early climbing investment as optional preparation.

The Course Character and the Prize Purse

The Horsetooth’s $12,000 prize purse distributes cash across overall and masters divisions by gun time, with age group awards determined by chip time, providing competitive incentive across the full field rather than concentrating rewards in the elite category. The first man and woman to reach the top of Monster Mountain at mile 1.8 earn a cash prize in a race-within-the-race that spectators at the summit can observe directly, as the top of Monster Mountain is accessible by car from the Rotary Park day-use area. Packet pickup runs Saturday, April 18, noon to 6 PM at Raintree Athletic Club, which also provides registered non-member runners a complimentary five-day membership for the race weekend. Additional race-morning packet pickup is available from 6:30 to 7:45 AM on Dixon Canyon Drive south of Maxwell Natural Area.

Good to Know: The New Belgium Finish Line Party in Old Town Fort Collins includes free beer for finishers over 21, post-race food, live music, and sponsor expo programming that extends the event’s social dimension well beyond the race itself. Free shuttle buses run from New Belgium back to the start area for participant vehicle retrieval. The race is Colorado’s oldest road half marathon, having operated continuously since 1973 through the Fort Collins Running Club and Gnar Runners’ management. Spectators at the top of Monster Mountain, the Bingham Hill turn at mile 6.4, and the Old Town finish area represent the course’s three best public viewing positions.

Horsetooth Reservoir and the Northern Colorado Foothills

Horsetooth Reservoir, the race’s defining geographic feature, sits in Larimer County in the foothills above Fort Collins behind a series of four earth-fill dams constructed between 1945 and 1950 as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. The reservoir’s 1,900 surface acres and 11-kilometre length through the Dakota Hogback ridgeline provide the sailing, paddleboarding, fishing, and shoreline trail access that makes Horsetooth the primary outdoor recreation resource for Fort Collins’ 175,000 residents. Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, which flanks the reservoir’s western shoreline through Larimer County Open Lands management, provides trail access to Horsetooth Rock, a quartzite feature visible from much of the Fort Collins urban area at a distance that understates its 120-metre height above the reservoir surface. For runners and families building a Fort Collins race weekend stay, Lake.com lists vacation rental options across the northern Colorado lake and foothills corridor.