A: The SJS starts and ends a few miles north of Durango, CO. Durango is a full service town on the border of the San Juan mountains. Access is possible via road (approximately 3 hours from Albuquerque and 6 hours from Denver) or air through La Plata County Airport.

A: The SJS is approximately 104 miles long. No other distances are currently offered

A: We strongly encourage having completed other mountain ultras before attempting SJS. That said, we will not be gatekeeping this race; if you feel prepared, you are welcome to run.

A: Yes. For your safety, all runners are required to carry a rain jacket, 2 light sources, and gloves throughout the race. The race director reserves the right to require rain pants depending on weather forecast; a decision to require rain pants will be communicated to runners at least 5 days before the event. A tracker may be required; this will also be communicated with plenty of advanced notice. Required gear may be checked at any time by race staff/ volunteers, including at the starting line, aid stations, on the course, or at the finish. Failure to carry all required gear may result in a DQ. In the event of a dispute, the race director has final say.

A: Yes! First, second, and third place prizes for men and women will be provided by Durango Running Company, as well as a cash prize provided by the race.

A: Yes. This can include a runner’s primary headlamp and an emergency keychain/fob light. Light belts, flashlights, etc. are welcome as well. No, a phone doesn’t count.

A: Yes. We highly encourage sharing your live tracker with your crew and family. We will not have a centralized live tracking platform. We will use OpenSplitTime to provide updates on runner locations.

A: Yes. Poles would be quite helpful.

A: Yes, pacers are allowed starting at mile 45.5 at the Cross Mountain aid station. Pacers can join runners at Cross Mountain, Ryman Creek, and Elbert Creek aid stations. (These locations are indicated in the aid station chart above). Runners are allowed 1 pacer at a time. All pacers must complete a waiver and have a pacer bib before joining their runner.

A: No muling allowed.

A: Race cutoff is 38 hours. Several intermediate cutoffs will be implemented for the safety of runners and our volunteers. Intermediate cutoffs are meant to be generous; you do not want to find yourself chasing cutoffs.

A: Registration opens on December 1, 2024!

A: The Softie registration fee is $350 from December 1, 2024 – January 31, 2025. Starting February 1, 2025 the registration fee increases to $375. On April 1, 2025 registration increases to $400. We chose to implement a tiered pricing structure to reward early registrants. This also helps us with planning.

A: Yes, all participants must be at least 18 years old on the day of the race.

A: Deferrals for pregnancy will be considered. All other reasons, including injury, travel restrictions, or failure to train do not qualify for deferral. If you will not be able to run, please unenroll yourself on Ultrasignup or let the race director know so that we can make space for another runner.

A: Transfers will be considered up to 1 month prior to race day, which is July 15 for 2025. To request a transfer, email rd@sanjuansoftie.com and share the name and email of the individual you wish to transfer to. Only one transfer per bib is allowed.

A: Not in 2025. We will allow runners to register on a first-come, first-served basis until we reach our Forest Service permit cap of 100 runners. This may change in future years.

A: Compared to other 100 mile races in the area (Hardrock, Ouray 100, High 5), this is easy! But make no mistake – this is a challenging mountain ultra with significant vert and exposure above treeline.

A: The 2023 race was cancelled because we could not come to an arrangement for the starting/ending location in time to allow runners ample opportunity to consider and register for the race. This will not be an issue in 2024 as we have already spoken with relevant parties and confirmed a plan for this year.

A: No