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Meet your race directors

Race Director

Jon Juleus

Colorado trail runner, ultramarathoner, and the person who thought Bear Creek Lake Park needed its own backyard ultra.

Jon Juleus asleep in the car after finishing the Silverheels 50-mile ultramarathon, still wearing his finisher medal and bib number

Photo credit: Leah Williams, Jon's wife.

My First Ultra

This summer, Jon ran his first ultramarathon: Silverheels, a roughly 53.3-mile mountain race with about 9,500 feet of gain and a night start. He had so much fun out there, exhausted and all, that it got him thinking Colorado needed another race like it, closer to Denver, built around the same kind of scrappy, out-there spirit. Bear Creek Lake Park Backyard Ultra is the result.

Ephemeral Run Club

Jon also hosts a run club in Denver out of Ephemeral Brewing. If you're around Denver and want to run with the crew before race day, that's the place to find them.

Why this race exists

The backyard ultra format rewards patience and consistency over raw speed, and there wasn't one in this part of Colorado. Bear Creek Lake Park Backyard Ultra is Jon's answer to that: a low-key, well-run race close to Denver, built by someone who's stood at plenty of start lines himself.

Questions before race day?

Find @bearcreekbackyardultra on Instagram, or log in to ask a question directly on the UltraSignup listing.

Race Director

Josh Shelley

Colorado trail runner, ultramarathoner, North Table Mountain enthusiast, and committed rattlesnake avoider.

Josh Shelley smiling on a Colorado mountain summit, holding two beers

From the Smokies to the Rockies

Josh traded the trails of the Smoky Mountains for Colorado three years ago and has been happily running around the Front Range ever since. His first Colorado ultra was the Bridge Burner in Cañon City, but most weeks you're more likely to find him logging laps around Sloan's Lake or running his favorite 7.2-mile loop around North Table Mountain.

Ephemeral Run Club

Josh co-hosts Ephemeral Run Club in Denver and especially enjoys helping newer runners find their way onto the trails. That same spirit is a big part of what excites him about Bear Creek: creating a race that feels welcoming to runners who might be trying an ultra, trail race, or backyard format for the first time.

Race Director

Josh has loved coming alongside Jon to help bring Bear Creek Backyard Ultra to life and is excited to serve as Race Director. He'll be helping with plenty of the behind-the-scenes work leading up to race day, and presumably doing his best to keep Jon from coming up with too many more ideas.