Tortugas Mountain 24 Hour Challenge
About the race
The Tortugas Mountain 24 Hour Challenge is the only 24 hour trail race in New Mexico.
This year will again be a free "Fatass" race. Donations will be accepted as a fundraiser for the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance.
The race is capped at 50, and we expect it to fill up.
Aid stations and crews
An aid station is located at the start/finish under the covered picnic area, and at the 2-mile mark on the course. Aid stations have water and Heed electrolyte drink, and minimal food. Participants should plan on providing most of their own food.
This will be a "cupless" event, so bring your own preferred drink vessels (bottles, bladders, cups, etc.).
Participants can have crews and supporters at the start/finish aid station.
Race schedule
- Friday, November 20, 2026: 5:30 pm runner check-in
- Friday, November 20, 6:00 pm: race begins
- Saturday, November 21, 6:00 pm: race ends
Registration and donations
If you register and decide not to run, please cancel your registration to allow others an opportunity to register.
Please bring your lightly worn shoes for donation to our local shelter.
Race director contact
Questions can be sent to the race director, Doug Hooton, at [email protected].
Lap recording and leaving the course
Participants need to record each lap they complete on a registration board provided at the start/finish. Mark the time of day completed for each lap corresponding to the official race clock positioned at the start/finish.
Please mark yourself "away" on the register if you leave the course. You can leave and return to run additional laps within the 24 hour period.
The course
The race starts at the Arroyo Loop trailhead at the Monte Vista Parking Lot and proceeds clockwise around Tortugas Mountain. Subsequent laps alternate direction. The trail is a rocky, rolling single track with some two-track. The route is well flagged with orange or pink flagging, rock cairns, and brown BLM trail markers. Runners record each lap on a registration board at the start/finish, and there is no requirement to be present for the entire 24 hours.
Location
City insight: Las Cruces
Las Cruces is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in New Mexico and the largest in southern New Mexico, with the Organ Mountains rising about 10 miles to its east. The high desert climate brings very hot summers and mild winters, so early spring and late autumn are the best seasons to race.
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