Bitterroot Runoff Trail Runs | Missoula, Montana

Kick off trail racing season in Montana with the Bitterroot Runoff Trail Runs!

With 5k, 5 Mile, & 10 Mile courses, there are options for beginners and seasoned veterans alike. All three courses follow private single & doubletrack trails on the Rossignol Ranch outside of Lolo, Montana. After the race, runners will be treated to a homemade brunch and a Big Sky Brewery beverage.

We are working hard to create a festival experience for our Runoff runners this year and we are so excited to have multiple vendors and partners joining us on race day to engage with our runners, demo products, and contribute to our raffle!

Registration & Pricing

2.18.25 – 3.17.25

5k: $35

5 Mile: $45

10 Mile: $60

3.18.25 – 4.13.25

5k: $40

5 Mile: $50

10 Mile: $65

4.14.25 – 4.19.25 (Race Day)

5k: $45

5 Mile: $55

10 Mile: $70

Runners Receive

Race shirt (unisex)
2025 Finisher’s Award
Post-Race brunch of pancakes, sausage, & fruit (we will have gluten free pancake & vegetarian sausage options)
Hammer Nutrition products at our Aid Station
2025 Bitterroot Runoff T-Shirt (please see example below)
Free Post-Race Massage from Sapphire Physical Therapy
Big Sky Brewing Co. post race beverage
Post-race trail festival with vendors, shoe demos, and raffle
The perfect start to kick off trail racing season in Western Montana!

Schedule

Friday (4.18.25)

12:00pm – 5:00pm: Packet pick up in the Runner’s Edge basement

Saturday (4.19.25)

7:00am – 8:50am: Race day packet pick up and race day registration
8:00am: 5k Start
8:30am: 5 Mile Start
9:00am: 10 Mile Start
8:00am – 12:30pm: Bitterroot Runoff trail fest with shoe demos and vendors
8:30am – 12:30pm: Post race pancake breakfast
9:30am: 5k Awards Ceremony
10:30am: 5 Mile Awards Ceremony
11:30am: 10 Mile Awards Ceremony

*We start the shorter events first to limit congestion on the course.

Awards

Awards will be given to the top 3 male and female overall as well as to the top male and female in each age group.
Our age groups are: 0-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+.
Overall awards will be based on gun time, age group awards will be based on chip time.

Aid Stations

For the 10 Mile race, runners will pass by the same aid station at miles 2 and 6.5. Runners in the 5 Mile race will have one aid station at mile 2. There will be no aid station for the 5k.

See the map below for aid station location.

Aid stations will provide:

Water
Gels
Electrolyte Drink
Snacks

Courses

10 Mile Course | 2,025 feet of Climbing

The 10 mile route follows double and singletrack trail, climbing for 2 miles up to the first aid station through open ponderosa pine forest. After the aid station, the grade lessens before runners join up with “The Viking” trail, which leads to the highpoint of the course at mile marker 4. From the highpoint, the route descends back to the aid station (mile 6.5), allowing runners a second chance for water and food before the final push to the finish.

5 Mile Course | 1,000 feet of Climbing

The 5 mile course will climb the first 2.5 miles on both double and singletrack trail, reaching an aid station at mile marker 2. After the aid station, runners will take a right hand turn and begin the descent back to the finishing area. The course winds down the “Owl Alley” singletrack section before popping out of the trees and into the finishing meadow.

5k Course | 500 feet of Climbing

The 5k route follows doubletrack road and a singletrack trail along both the 5 mile and 10 mile courses for the first mile. The 5k course then takes a right turn onto a flatter section of doubletrack before rejoining the 5 mile and 10 mile courses for the final mile of singletrack trail to the finish line. Most of the climbing for the 5k is in the first mile of the race.

Course Maps

To view the map, click ‘Load Bitterroot Runoff 5k, 5 Mile & 10 Mile.’ To toggle between the distances, select the course distance from the upper left hand corner of the map.

Location

This event is located on the Rossignol Ranch just west of Lolo, MT. Click here for a map showing the parking area and start/finish line of the race.

Directions to start line from Missoula:

Head south on HWY 93.
At the first stoplight in Lolo, take a right onto Ridgeway Drive.
Quickly take your first right onto Coulter Pine St.
Follow along Coulter Pine for six-tenths of a mile, then turn right onto Bristle Cone Pine.
You will head through a gate and into a field where parking and the start-finish area of the races are located.

Parking is limited, please carpool if you can!

Volunteers

We are always looking for volunteers to help out at our races! Whether it is with parking, packet pick up, or working an aid station, there are a wide variety of roles which you can be a part of. Thank you for taking the time to make our events possible–we are forever grateful to our volunteers!

Sign up to volunteer here.

Volunteers will receive: