World Championship Pack Burro Race 2026 — Fairplay, CO

The first year of the World Championship Pack Burro Race in 1949 saw 21 entrants with only 8 finishing the race. These days there are nearly 100 racers and burros that take on this historic challenge. Some choose the “lower altitude” short course of approximately 12.3 miles while others take on the long course and attempt the grueling climb to the top of Mosquito Pass and back, 29+ miles and an elevation change of 3,232'! The racers start at 9,953 feet in Fairplay with long course runners hitting their halfway point at the top of Mosquito Pass, elevation 13,185'! Short Course Map Long Course Map ***Disclaimer: On June 15th the Town of Fairplay Board of Trustees voted to set a Long Course time cutoff for Checkpoint 6 Outbound at 4:00pm. Checkpoint 6 is at the Y intersection of CR 12 and 696 before racers go up through the mine and American Flats. Long Course racers have been reaching Checkpoint 6 by 1:30pm at the latest in the last few years; 4:00pm should be a generous cutoff time. The start time of the Long Course has not changed. There is no cutoff time for the Short Course. The added rule reads as follows… “TIME CUTOFF Teams registered for the Long Course must reach Checkpoint 6 - Outbound by 4:00pm in order to continue the course. If the team does not meet this requirement, they will have two options. The team can choose to turn around and take the designated course back to town in order to receive credit for their completed miles OR the team can choose to be trailered out which will result in a DNF. The runner is responsible for organizing transportation off of the course. Town of Fairplay will not provide transportation. There is no cutoff time for the Short Course.” This rule change has been in discussion for the past couple of years and has been implemented with the safety of the burros, racers, owners, volunteers, and staff in mind. Free race photos provided by Pack Burro Racing Photographers at PBRphotos.org