The Alley Loop is not your typical Nordic marathon. It is a premier American Birkebeiner qualifier and Crested Butte’s most outrageous costume party of the year, and it does both at once. The course winds through the snowy streets, alleyways, and narrow bridges of downtown, cheered on by revelers and occasionally waylaid on a bridge, then opens onto the groomed tracks and big views of the Crested Butte Nordic trail network. If you like normal, this is not your race.
Saturday, January 30, 2027. Distances from a 1.5K kids’ race to the full 42K marathon, with 21K, 10K, and 5K options in between. The 42K classic goes off at 9 AM. Awards and the costume contest results on Elk Avenue at 2:30 PM; the finish line closes at 3 PM.
Registration and bib pickup: Center for the Arts, Friday, January 29, 4 to 7 PM. Online registration is open through Friday at 5 PM on RunSignup, with day-of registration available. Wax service drop-off at the Nordic Center before 8 AM Saturday. Full details in the Alley Loop racer manual on the Nordic site, or email events@cbnordic.org.
