Dog-Friendly Trail Races

Four-legged friends welcome here

Graham Johnson with Mia at the Beacon Rock 50K in North Bonneville, Washington. Photo by Glenn Tachiyama

Did you catch our story on running with dogs in the latest issue of Trail Runner? Check out ‘Dog Days on the Trails’ [April 2013] for an array of tips on running with your pooch, including gear suggestions.

In the same vein, we asked our Facebook followers several weeks ago to help us compile a list of dog-friendly trail races. Below are some of the dog-friendly races you shared with us. If you have more to share, let us know in the comments below. (If the race website does not include a dog policy, we will verify with race directors before adding to our list.)

Please note: Never assume that your dog will be permitted to run a race with you. Leash regulations vary. All rules subject to change. If the race website does not specify its policy on dogs, you should always consult the race director ahead of time.

Pacific

• Rainshadow Running (Year-round) Pacific Northwest Region – All races dog-friendly except Sun Mountain and Winthrop Marathon/Half
• Peterson Ridge Rumble 20-Miler (April) Sisters, Oregon 
• Lake Youngs Ultra 50K (June) Renton, Washington
• All Star Dog Run 5K & 10K (September) Santa Cruz, California

Rockies

• Salt Flats 100-Miler (April) Wendover, Utah – Dogs can win buckles, too! Elvis, a German Shepherd mix participated as an official entrant last year, completing all 100 miles with owner Dee Crossmun
• Vail Mountain Games Rocky Dog Trail Race 5K (June), Vail, Colorado
• Kite Lake Triple (September), Alma, Colorado
• Pony Express 50-Mile & 100-Mile (October) Faust, Utah

Midwest

• All Trail Nerds events, 5K to 100K (Year-round), Kansas City area 
• Cross Timbers Trail Run (February) Sherman, Texas

East

• Pineland Farms 5K Canicross (May) New Gloucester, Maine
• CVR Mutt Strutt 3-Miler (May) Waterbury, Vermont 
• Dirty Dog 15K (May) Charleston, West Virginia
• K-9 5K (June) Cape Cod, Massachusetts