MANIC IGNITE 2022

MANIC Ignite is back for 2022 FRIDAY MARCH 4th - 6th with new challenges to motivate you. This year the proceeds will be given to the Trail Maintenance Endowment Fund.

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THE 4 HOUR CHALLENGE

Virtually identical to the 2021 Short Course with just slight modification to the Snowshoe portion, this challenge will take you about four hours to complete (not including travel time between events). And so, we've named it the FOUR-HOUR Challenge, imagine that. Just like last year, you can enjoy the fun of this challenge on your own, with a partner or as a team. The events can be done over the course of the weekend or all at once - you decide! And just like last year, there's a virtual option too - to create your own version of a pentathlon.

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THE 12 HOUR CHALLENGE

Based on the David Goggins 4x4x48 Running Challenge, we have come up with three new options for this year's IGNITE. The 12-HOUR Challenge takes place on Saturday, March 5th at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM and at 4:00 PM. You can sign-up to RUN (4 Miles), ROW, BIKE or use the SKI-ERG for 40-Minutes at each of the three times listed. Yes, we know, it sounds a bit confusing but it's not. Plus, this challenge can be done from anywhere in the world!

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THE 24 HOUR CHALLENGE

The 24-HOUR Challenge takes place on Saturday, March 5th at 4:00 AM, 8,00 AM, 12:00 PM and at 4:00 PM, 8:00 PM and on Sunday, March 6th at 12:00 AM. You can sign-up to RUN (4 Miles), ROW, BIKE or use the SKI-ERG for 40-Minutes at each of the six times listed. Plus, this challenge can be done from anywhere in the world! If you don't run or have access to a piece of gym equipment, you can hike, swim, kayak or perhaps paddleboard?

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THE 48 HOUR CHALLENGE

The 48-HOUR Challenge is the full Goggins 4x4x48 Experience. It starts on Friday, March 4th at 6:00 PM and ends after the final session on Sunday, March 6th at 2:00 PM. You can sign-up to RUN (4 Miles), ROW, BIKE or use the SKI-ERG for 40-Minutes at each of the 12 sessions. Not in Steamboat? Not to worry, you can pick your own adventure and repeat the fun every four hours.

THE TRAIL MAINTENANCE ENDOWMENT FUND

This year's charitable partner is the Train Maintenace Endowment Fund. Our region’s trails and trail systems give residents and visitors unparalleled access to the out of doors.  The Trail Maintenance Endowment Fund affords a permanent endowment for non-motorized trail and trailhead maintenance projects on public lands within Routt and Moffat Counties.  Your donation to the Trail Maintenance Endowment Fund will help maintain the trails you love, forever.

The fund is managed by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation.

The Yampa Valley Community Foundation (YVCF) has awarded three Trail Maintenance Endowment Fund (TMEF) grants for the 2021 cycle, a total of $29,122. Stagecoach State Park was awarded $7,000 for repairs to trails and culverts damaged by runoff, the City of Steamboat Springs and Steamboat Digs Dogs were awarded $7,122 for trail improvements at Rita Valentine Park, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are receiving $15,000 for two shared summer seasonal full-time staff.

2021 was the sixth granting year for TMEF, established in 2015 to provide permanent funding support for non-motorized trail and trailhead maintenance projects on public lands in Routt and Moffat Counties. Total award amounts are based on YVCF’s endowment spending policy and increase as the fund balance grows. The fundraising goal of $1 million to $1.5 million by 2026 will provide approximately $60,000 for trail maintenance projects each year when reached; the current fund balance is $958,156.

Decisions on how to spend TMEF revenue are made by a board comprised of four land managers including the City of Steamboat Springs, one representative each from the City of Craig and the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association and two community members at large. Grants can be made to public land managers or nonprofit organizations partnering with a public land organization.

Since inception, $77,130 has been awarded out of the fund, supporting a variety of projects highly valued by trail users in the Yampa Valley. Grants have been used for materials for bridge repairs in Loudy-Simpson Park, trail stabilization around Pearl Lake, and restoration of the NPR downhill biking trail on Emerald Mountain, as well as funding seasonal staff focused on trail maintenance projects. The full-time seasonal USFS employee hired in 2021 with a $9,500 TMEF grant assisted with many trail projects across the district’s 350 miles of non-motorized trails, including proving essential for quickly re-opening the popular Mad Creek trail after a rockslide in spring 2021. Brendan Kelly, USFS Recreation Specialist, said “Without the extra seasonal staff we were able to hire with TMEF funds, the highly trafficked Mad Creek trail would have been closed for weeks rather than the 2 days it took to clear it.”