Mad Moose Events Brings Technical Desert Trail Racing to Moab This April

The Amasa Trail Race returned to Moab's Kane Creek recreation parking area on April 11, with Mad Moose Events sending runners across three distances through some of the most technical desert terrain the Run Moab series has to offer. The 25K, 15K and 10K all launched at 7:00 a.m. from the same Kane Creek trailhead, threading into Kane-Springs Canyon and the Amasa Back trail system before the morning chill burned off.

The elevation numbers give the courses their character. The 25K packed roughly 2,431 feet of gain and loss into its distance; the 15K offered about 1,700 feet; and the 10K, the shortest option, still climbed approximately 1,183 feet. On paper, these read as moderate distances. On slickrock, they are not.

Runners moved through sections called Cliffhanger and Rockstacker, named features that any regular on Moab singletrack will recognize immediately. Exposed traverses opened views over the Colorado River and the Behind-the-Rocks formations, the kind of backdrop that explains why destination athletes fly into Moab for spring desert racing rather than running something local. The combination of hard rock underfoot, early-season temperatures and genuine technical exposure makes the Amasa course a legitimate early-season fitness test for endurance runners across the region.

Mad Moose Events ran aid stations on a cupless policy throughout, requiring every runner to carry their own reusable cup or bottle. Course GPX files and interactive maps were published ahead of race day, alongside packet pickup windows and cutoff time policies built to protect runners on exposed terrain. Leave No Trace compliance, trail-only travel and packing out trash were all emphasized in race communications, standard expectations for any event operating in Moab's backcountry.

Coordinating the Kane Creek base required working with land managers on parking, trailhead access and safety patrols. With a 7:00 a.m. start and a limited trailhead footprint, getting to the venue early was less optional than it sounds.

April timing is deliberate. Amasa sits squarely in Moab's shoulder season, and the concentrated race-day traffic, runners, crews and spectators filling local restaurants and outfitters before summer tourism fully arrives, is exactly what businesses in the area count on. For an event with three distance options drawing both local regulars and visiting athletes, it delivers that footfall in a concentrated window that a quieter spring weekend simply does not.