Conquer The Canyon
Merus Adventure Park, Claude, Tx
5k, 10k, 25k, 50k, 50Mi & Youth Trail Run
November 2025
Conquer the Canyon
By Merus Adventure Park
Known as "The Grand Canyon of Texas" this trail run will be hosted in the heart of Palo Dura Canyon on uncharted trails. There is so much rich history in the land that runners will be crossing in order to Conquer the Canyon. Members from the tribes of the Comanche and Kiowas once traversed the same trails that our participants will be adventuring through.
Merus Adventure Park, located in the Palo Duro Canyon offers huge elevation gains throughout the land. The base elevation at the rim of the canyon is 3,412 feet above sea level. The lowest point on the floor of the canyon at MERUS Adventure is 2,500 feet. Most of the elevation gains range from 100 to 500 feet in drop, creating ample opportunities for a challenging race course.
Millions of years of erosion have created incredible colors and a
variety of surface materials. As you cover the miles, you’ll traverse sand, sandstone, red dirt, rock, stone, clay, and witness some of the most amazing views! Come to Merus Adventure Park and Conquer the Palo Duro Canyon!
All attendees must sign a waiver! Regardless if you are running or not, we need all spectators, runners and people coming out for fun at Merus to fill out the park waiver. Click the button below to complete the waiver.
What Distances Where, & When???
Races Offered:
5k 10k 25k 50k & 50Mi Trail Run &
Youth Trail Run
Each of these distances will have a 15 minute window to start their race. Each participant will receive a "Gun Time" and a "Chip Time". Awards will be based off of "Gun" time, therefore, it benefits every competitor to start on time.
Results:
Schedule of Events:
Friday Packet Pickup 4:00 PM - 7:00PM
Friday Pre-Race Briefing 7:00PM - 7:30PM
Race Briefing: There will be a short briefing 5 Minutes before the start of each Race.
Saturday Packet Pickup - 5:00AM - 8:30AM
The Race Briefing will include details about the course as well as insights for each race distance. This is not mandatory for our runners, however it may give a competitive edge for those who are competing for a podium spot.
50 Mi - 6:00 AM - 6:15 AM
25k & 50k - 7:00 AM - 7:15 AM
These two events will start at the same time and traverse through the same loop. The 25k will complete the loop once and the 50k will cover the loop twice.
10k - 7:30 AM - 7:45 AM
The 10k will have its own unique loop, and will descend into the canyon.
5k - 8:00 AM - 8:15 AM
The 5k will cover the ridge of the canyon and will end on a jeep road leading back to the race hub.
Kids Mile - 10:00 am
Location:
4510 County Rd 9,
Claude, TX
79019
Medals /Awards
Medals:
Medals will be given to all finishers. We understand that sometimes there are circumstances that prevent someone from finishing the race. As a token for your effort we would still like to offer those who make an attempt at any distance, a medal to commemorate the miles they did complete. Hopefully it will serve as a reminder to comeback and get the job done!
Awards:
For Conquer the Canyon, Awards will be given out to the top overall male and female winners, for each distance.
Trail/Course Maps
50 Mile (3 Loops) Map
25k (1 Loops) & 50k (2 Loops)
10k Map
5k Map
Aid Station
For this event the will have 4 aid stations including the start finish. Two of these aid stations will be fully serviced and (Start/Finish & Playground) the remainding two will be water/ice/electroclytes only.
The 5K will have not have an aid station on course, but can supply themselves with enough water/nutrition at the start/finish aid station.
The 10K will only have 1 aid station on course, and it will be water/ice/electrolytes only.
For this event at a "fully serviced" aid station, you will be able to find the following for fuel:
Cookies, PBJ sandwiches, Oranges, Bananas, Watermelons, Pickles, Pickle Juice, , Fruit Snacks, Pringles, Coke, Mt. Dew, Ginger Ale, Tailwind & Saltstick
We have found that these items will allow runners to properly fuel themselves to get through any ultra.
The 25k, 50k and 50mi will touch all 4 aid stations. With their longest stretch of mileage being 5.84 before receiving aid.
Disclaimer: We are a CUPLESS EVENT! For those new to the trail running world/etiquette, we like to treat our venues with respect and do not use plastic or styrofoam to serve out water. Please bring your own cup, water bottle, hydration vest, or other form of water containment so we can help maintain the clean environment we are permitted to use for this event.
Pacing
Pacers
Pacers are allowed at this race for 50 miler racers ONLY on their 3rd lap. All pacers will need to pay a $10 Special Event fee upon arrival (cash/check only). Pacers must start and end at the Race Hub. Only one pacer with a runner at a time. No mule-ing. All pacers must complete free registration.
Volunteering
Come out and volunteer with us at Merus Adventure Park for Conquer the Canyon! Every race that you have ever participated in has had a crew of volunteers to make it possible. Without the support of volunteers, races wouldn't exist! Take this opportunity to give back to your running community and sign up to volunteer!
P.S. If and when you do decide to volunteer, there are some pretty cool swag and discounts available for future races!
Lodging
Merus Adventure Park has tons of accommodations to better your Conquer the Canyon experience! From primitive camping sites with spectacular views to of the canyon, to rv sites to cabins on the rim, Merus has so much to offer, to keep you in perfect proximity to the race site!
Festival style camping is available near the start finish line. Click this link for reservations:
The closest towns with hotels/lodging are Claude, Lake Tanglewood, and Amarillo.