Updates on Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon

GRANTS, NM – The 41st Annual Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon is coming up this President’s day weekend with the Quad taking place on February 17 and the Kids Quad taking place on February 18. So far, as of February 8 there are 215 participants registered for the Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon.

Due to construction still taking place on Roosevelt Bridge, there are some changes in how the race will be run. In the morning, they will be closing Roosevelt Bridge and racers will be led through by local police officers. According to Race Director Kendra Brown this should take no longer than 15 to 30 minutes. Towards the end of the race traffic is going to be more affected with the westbound lane being stopped for racers coming back and delays will vary depending on how many racers are coming through at a time.

Brown spoke about how preparations have been going for the Quad, “It has been great, preparations have been going well. We have lots of volunteer support lined up and conditions are perfect. We have had people on the mountain working on the course and plowing the road and we have more snow than we have had in a lot of years.” Brown also said that she is feeling great about the Quad this year and that she is excited for the race.

Brown also spoke about one of the racers that will be participating in this year’s race, “One of the longtime racers and winners of the Quad from like the mid-2000s time frame is coming back. He has won ten or more times, and he took a little break to focus on some other endeavors and he is coming back to race this year. His name is Josiah Middaugh. Should be a tight race at the front this year.”

This year BHP Mining is sponsoring the Kids Quad and all kids will have free entry and they will receive a free T-shirt. It was also announced that if there are twenty-five or more kids from a local school participating in the Kids Quad, BHP will be donating $100 worth of books to that school site.

Registration for the Kids Quad is on Friday February 16 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday February 17 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Those that win in their age group will also win a free bike.

The Mt. Taylor Quad is also changing how awards will be given. They will only be doing awards for overall winners first, second and third, male, female, and co-ed for teams and pairs. For soloists they will continue to give awards for age group winners. If participants also participate in both the Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon in the winter and the 50K Trail Race in the fall they get an award called the Mt. Taylor Doubler Award.

Brown spoke about why she likes doing the Quad both as a race director and as a participant, “As a volunteer I like doing the Quad because I think it’s important to our community and I appreciate that it brings people to town to spend money at our local businesses and I also appreciate that it’s a great reflection of who we are and the natural resources and beauty that exist in Grants. As a participant I like to do it because it is a lot of fun. It is the most fun endurance event in which I have participated.” For those interested in participating in the Quad but are a little unsure, Brown said that those individuals should begin training in the fall, believe in themselves, participate in a team, and work up to being a soloist.

For more information regarding the Quad, you can check out their website at mttaylorquad.org. For those interested in volunteering for the event you can reach out to staff on their Facebook page, Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon.