The fifth-annual Northern Utah Trailfest is scheduled to return to North Fork Park in Eden from Oct. 2-4. According to a September 30 report, the event, known locally as "The NUT," will feature a full slate of activities including two new race challenges and various community events.
The race schedule for the upcoming weekend includes the addition of the Cutler Challenge and a Duathlon. The Cutler Challenge is a three-round, elimination-style race that replaces the previous nine-hour run and is designed to test endurance, pacing strategy, and head-to-head racing. The NUT Duathlon will combine the festival's three-hour trail run and bike races into a single competition, with final standings determined by the total number of laps completed across both events.
Saturday race activities are scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. with the three-hour run and duathlon. These will be followed by a six-hour run at 11 a.m. and the Cutler Challenge, featuring 5K and 10K distances, at 11:45 a.m. General admission to the festival is free, while camping spots can be purchased at northernutahtrailfest.com/camping. Camping opens on Friday at 4 p.m.
Planned community activities for the weekend include a live performance by Second Hand Sun, a "Night Ride" with Weber Davis Mountain Biking, and horseback riding with Backcountry Horsemen. Other scheduled events include fireside poetry with Sunni, a mountain bike ride with the Wilderness First Aid Clinic of Weber State University, and various activities such as a fossil hike, STEM activities, climbing wall, and crafting.
The festival is a collaboration between the Ogden-based GOAL Foundation and the Trails Foundation of Northern Utah (TFNU). Aric Manning, the executive director for the TFNU, noted that the event has grown into a marquee event since its 2022 launch at the 2,600-acre North Fork Park on the eastern side of the Wasatch Mountains.
