Steamboat Springs’ Run Rabbit Run 100 offers over $100,000 in prize money and has donated nearly $600,000 to charity. RD Fred Abramowitz shares what makes this Colorado ultra unique.
Unlike many ultras, Run Rabbit Run blends old school grit with big-stage excitement. With a prize purse exceeding $100,000, it attracts the fast trail athletes, while also honoring the community spirit of ultrarunning through significant charitable contributions. Since its inception, the race has donated nearly $600,000 to causes, most of which benefit Colorado kids.
At the helm of this unique event is Race Director Fred Abramowitz, who, alongside Paul Sachs, has shaped Run Rabbit Run into both a celebration of competition and a force for good. We sat down with Fred to learn more about what makes this race special, the challenges athletes face, and what’s ahead for course records and race dynamics.
We are not just one of the most competitive 100 milers in the world, offering over $100,000 in prize money, but also a charity race – we’ve contributed close to $600,000 to various charities over the years, and we donated close to $70,000 last year, mostly benefiting Colorado kids. For highly competitive 100 mile runners we have a Team Challenge (fastest combined time, man and woman) and a top-of-the-gondola preem. We think long and hard about what we do at Run, Rabbit, Run – we all know our sport is changing, and changing fast, but we believe in combining what’s good in both the “old school” of ultra running and the new, and we’re trying our best to do that, to appeal to both the elite runner (what we call Hares 🐰) and the rest of us (the 50 milers and what we call Tortoises 🐢). Steamboat Springs is an incredible venue with incredible mountains that prides itself on having more Olympic athletes than any town in America – of course, those are mostly winter athletes, but now we’re bringing world class summer athletes to Steamboat. And we can do this because of our great sponsors and volunteers. And it doesn’t hurt that Paul Sachs and I (RDs), are a couple of dummies who just volunteer our time putting on this thing.
I am not sure this is a feature, but I really like the separate start for the 100 mile Hares and Tortoises, with the 100 milers starting four hours later. It gives those not quite so gifted a chance to see some of the best runners in the world in the middle of the race. I still remember a fellow who came up to me after the race and said, “Hey, at mile 60 I saw (and I will not mention the runners names) go by, and it was so cool, watching them put moves on each other, and you know what? They puke just like the rest of us!” Plus, the 100 mile winner usually finishes just as the 50 milers are taking off, so they get cheered by hundreds of 50 milers and their families. In most races in America, the 100 mile winners finish pretty much alone. Not at Run Rabbit Run.
Because our event is incredibly competitive, there is a tendency, particularly among the men, to go out too fast. At the suggestion of a well known elite athlete whose name will not be mentioned, we added a $1,000 “Preem” last year for the first runner to the top of the first climb under the gondola, which is at about mile 3, and which is very steep, but you have to finish. Suffice it say, the first guy to the top of the gondola last year did not finish. So my advice, guys, is not to go out too fast. We also have a $5,000 “Team Challenge,” combining men’s and women’s times. Women do not seem to have the same “go out too fast” problem, so a further bit of advice is to listen to your teammate and do not mess it up for them, guys, by DNFing. As for the women? The women seem to do great. I have no advice for them. They seem to know what they are doing.
Jason Schlarb holds the course record, and a few men have gotten very close since, but I think it will take a perfect performance in perfect conditions. With the field we have, maybe this is the year. Or maybe we should add a course record bonus? It is worth noting that Schlarb’s record was set on a different course, which makes it difficult to compare directly to times on the current layout.
We have had some incredible women win Run Rabbit Run, Courtney Dawaulter (twice), Michele Yates (three times), Tara Dower, Annie Hughes, Addie Bracy, I could go on. But Emelie Mann’s performance last year, faster than all of them, was off-the-scale amazing. And while our field of women this year might be the most competitive ever, beating that course record will take some doing. I will be rooting for it.
Run Rabbit Run is not just about testing limits. It is about celebrating community, competition, and giving back. From the “Hares vs. Tortoises” race dynamic to the roaring finish line energy, the event is built to honor both elite talent and everyday perseverance. With prize money, course records on the line, and the spirit of Steamboat as its backdrop, this year’s race promises to be another unforgettable chapter in ultrarunning history.
