Cirque Series - Alta

Event overview

The Cirque Series race at Alta, UT is a mountain running event covering 7.1 miles with 2,545 ft of vertical gain. The venue is listed as 10520 East Day Lodge Road, Alta, UT, and the course is on the Salt Lake Ranger District, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Registration categories include Sport, Expert, Pro and Volunteer. Entry fees for the Sport, Expert and Pro divisions are listed at $99; volunteer registration is free. The race field is capped at 500 entries. A National Forest fee of $2.00 applies.

Course and safety

The course runs clockwise from the base of Goldminer's Daughter (elevation 8,650 ft) and follows service roads and singletrack including Albion Meadows Trail, East Baldy Traverse and the ridge to Mt. Baldy (summit elevation 11,068 ft). Notable waypoints and features include Alf’s mid-mountain restaurant (9,200 ft), the top of Collins (10,400 ft, aid station), Sugarloaf Pass (10,500 ft), the top of Wildcat Lift (9,780 ft, aid station), Watson Shelter (9,280 ft) and the bottom of Collins Lift (8,530 ft). The route includes steep technical sections, loose rock where hand-assistance may be needed, and a snowy northwest ridge descent; runners are instructed to follow orange flagging and exercise caution. Hydration is supplied at two aid stations and at the finish. A strict cut-off applies at Alf’s Lodge/base of Sugarloaf chair: 30 minutes for the first 1.7 miles with 700 ft elevation gain.

Prizes and series points

Per-race prizes are listed by division: Pro cash prizes for top three positions ($1,000, $250, $150), and gear awards for Expert and Sport categories. The series awards points to the top 20 finishers at each event with a points table for overall season standings. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.