Volunteers sort waste at Jemez Mountain Trail Run finish line
At the Posse Lodge finish line, volunteers sorted trash, recyclables and compost from the 19th Jemez Mountain Trail Runs instead of sending it all to the landfill.
Trash, recyclables and compost moved through a sorting station instead of straight to the landfill Saturday at the Los Alamos Sheriff’s Posse Lodge, where Jody Benson and Dorothy Brown of the Los Alamos Sustainability Alliance worked alongside Jemez Mountain Trail Run organizing committee member Kristine Coblentz. The waste station sat outside the finish line at 650 N. Mesa Road, putting the cleanup process in full view of runners, families and spectators as they came off the trail.
The setup turned a busy race finish into a small lesson in waste diversion. Volunteers separated materials on site rather than letting mixed event trash disappear into one bag, a practical step for an outdoor race that brings together athletes, supporters and food service at one of Los Alamos’ most visible community venues. The 19th annual Jemez Mountain Trail Runs took place Saturday, May 9, and included 50k, 50-mile and 15-mile races on a course known for steep climbs, descents, high altitude and technical terrain.
That terrain helps explain why the finish line matters. After hours on the Jemez Mountains trails, runners and spectators generate the kind of disposable waste that can pile up fast at a lodge parking area, especially when the event also serves as a social gathering point. A visible sorting station gave the race a way to capture recyclables and compostable material before it was mixed with trash, making the waste stream easier to manage and keeping more material out of the landfill.
The race is organized under the High Altitude Athletics Club, and listings say proceeds support the Los Alamos High School cross country team. The event is also part of the local calendar for Los Alamos County and Visit Los Alamos, underscoring its place as both a competition and a community fundraiser. Results from the 2026 race were posted online afterward, and organizers were already looking ahead to the 20th running in 2027.
The waste-diversion effort was not a one-off gesture. A Jemez Mountain Trail Runs sustainability post says the Los Alamos County Sustainability Alliance and the Environmental Sustainability Board work with citizens, businesses and county departments to reduce waste, with recyclable materials separated and compostable waste sent to Reunity Resources in Santa Fe for commercial composting. A 2024 report also noted that LAHS EcoClub members had helped sort materials at the Posse Lodge in past years, including aluminum cans, plastic, cardboard, food scraps, glass and trash. That pattern suggests the race has become a local test case for how county events can reduce their footprint when volunteers, organizers and sustainability groups build the system into the event from the start.
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