Coyote Run Recap

On Saturday, April 27 I ran the 25k at Coyote Run. This was a trail race at Cleburne State Park outside of Cleburne, TX. There were other distances which included 50 mile, 50k, 8 mile, and 4 mile.

I hadn't originally planned to run this race, as my weekends were filling up. Once Trail Racing Over Texas posted that the course was one of the toughest in Texas, I just had to jump on in and see what it was all about.

Coyote Run Recap

I headed up to Cleburne late Friday morning. I was planning on taking advantage of the free primitive camping and wanted to pick up my packet so that I could sleep in as much as possible. Luck was on my side as I pulled into the camping spot... a few friends had just arrived so I got my tent set up and hung out with the cool kids the night prior.

Saturday morning started out coolish 63, sunny, and breezy. After getting changed and pulling my gear together, I went to wait for the shuttle to get to the starting line.

The 25k started right at 8:00 am. I took a place in the back 1/3 of the pack and started with a brisk hike... uphill.

During the first half of the trail there were several rocky inclines and declines. I spent a lot of time hiking these sections. When we got to the beautiful soft single track that ran through meadows and forest, I was able to run.


The second half of the loop had a water crossing, a lot of people jumped between the rock ledges. I took it old lady style and got my feet wet crossing the creek.

Soon after, there were switchbacks. While many trails have switch backs, that go across the incline, these went up and down this very steep hill, many rocky parts. I lost count after 4. I clocked my first 8 mile loop in around 2:30.

During the first loop, I consciously made the decision to take the 2nd loop easy and enjoy the trail. I was spending so much time looking down so that I wouldn't crash and burn that I didn't have time to enjoy much of the scenery. During the second loop, I ran/walked/took pictures the whole second loop and really enjoyed the time on the trail. I even got to spend some time walking with one of the TROT athletes before he started running again. My final time for the course was 5:30.

Now, for some of the shots I took during my second loop.

Bottom Line

Coyote Run is a must do. It is a challenging course in a beautiful park. The elevation gain is 1250' per 8 mile loop and much of it is rocky and technical. With all the distances the race offers, it's a win for any level. The race is put on by Trail Racing Over Texas and has amazing volunteers and aide stations.