Sandia Mountain Shadows Trail Run

The Sandia Mountain Shadows Trail Run begins and ends at Piedra Lisa Park on Menaul Boulevard in northeast Albuquerque, situated below the Sandia foothills. This annual fall event offers 10K and 5K race distances, with the 10K starting before the 5K. RunFit, a New Mexico nonprofit, organizes the race, which benefits its initiatives to combat childhood obesity. The course navigates the area near Menaul and the foothills, providing vistas of Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Valley, and the Sandia Mountains. Organizers note that participants might observe hot air balloons below. All 5K and 10K finishers receive a medal and shirt. Awards are presented to overall winners and age-group recipients who use the official bib timing chip. Now in its twenty-second year, the race maintains a local Albuquerque trail morning atmosphere rather than resembling a large road race.