Welcome to The Human Potential Running Series
The Human Potential Running Series (HPRS) was founded on the belief that everyone has their own reservoir of untapped human potential and that the right mix of adventure and adversity can allow you to tap into it. Real growth occurs at the edge of what you know you can do and what you think you can do. These principles have their roots in Transcendentalism and their branches in modern experiential learning with groups like Outward Bound, NOLS, and Project Adventure; and we believe this guides our runners in personal growth. Learn more about our philosophy.
We seek to affect positive social change through communal athletic endeavors
Our mission is to connect people with this potential through a series of races designed to challenge the body and enhance the spirit. Our events celebrate the best in “old-school” trail and ultrarunning traditions and no two are alike: from the Franklin Mountains 5k to the Sangre de Cristo 200-Mile, each has its own distinct personality.
Our commitment is defined by these guiding principles:
When we make decisions about events or the direction of our community, they must align with these principles
(Click on any of the titles below to expand your knowledge)
You signed up for this. You pay (and contribute sweat equity) to participate. We welcome all athletes. You get to take on as much or as little as you choose within the rules of each event. We respect your thoughtful choices, including registration, deciding on your goals, changing race distances, choosing race distances and making the tough decision not to continue as planned. See our full definition of Challenge By Choice below!
We design our races with the utmost respect for our runners, local residents, businesses and local and federal land management agencies. Our goal is to enhance the trail running community in the towns we host events in and to create a positive experience for all involved.
We organize trail work events to maintain and improve the trails in areas where we host events.
We work with communities where we host races by purchasing some of our supplies locally, supporting select nonprofits, local trail work, and general economic development.
We encourage our runners and volunteers to forge new friendships, share stories, and generally care for each other on and off the trail. After all, we are all in this – trail running, the sport, life in general – together.
We offer a variety of ways in which you can connect with our community of runners including but not limited to races, trail work days, group runs, and special events.
We ask that all our athletes participate fully in the experience and take responsibility for their own health and safety. This includes reviewing course maps, planning for weather and trail conditions, and respecting each other and the land where we hold our events. HRPS manages risk for the overall event, but you are responsible for preparation, flexibility and respect for yourself, our staff and volunteers, and your interactions.
We celebrate the efforts of all our participants and focus on providing a quality experience for all.
At HPRS, we do not provide preferential treatment for top finishers- we do not have a podium, celebrate 1st through 3rd anything, nor do we present age group awards or cash prizes.
We offer various gender categories for our events. We recognize trans men as men and trans women as women.
We reach out to and learn from organizations focused on introducing people to running and the outdoors so we can bring more diversity into our community. These organizations include: Black Girls Run, Black Men Run, Girls on the Run, Wings of America, Front Runners, United in Stride and Trails Are Common Ground.
We do our best to hold entry fees down while providing a rich experience to our community. We don’t turn anyone away because of a lack of funds. We will work with individuals to create a path to participation based on their needs. HPRS also offers race credits for volunteering and trail work to help us keep costs low and reduce the financial burden on the community.
Many of our events feature generous cutoff times, particularly for shorter distances.
We will provide the following for our community:
• A human first approach to events that focuses on memorable experiences
• Experienced leadership to develop and guide each of our events
• Respectful and supportive environment that fosters room for personal growth
• Clearly marked race courses, navigational tools, and well stocked aid stations that provide runners with what they need to be successful
• Supportive race community that understands and values the Challenge by Choice model
We ask for the following from our community:
• Understanding of the Challenge by Choice model (Detailed below and in your race informational email)
• Acceptance of personal responsibility from initial sign up through race day
• Engaging fully in the race experience in a positive manner
• Mindfulness when engaging the community you are a part of
• Respecting that what HPRS is doing is different than what you may be used to
Challenge by choice is an important philosophy in outdoor programs, because it encourages the participant to achieve their goals while providing them a safe environment to do so. It is the empowerment you are given to decide your level of participation in an activity.
In trail and ultra, we are faced with challenge by choice on the regular. We face it when deciding to sign up for a particular race or not.. and we use it during the event in choosing to continue or not. Simply put, the challenge you face is your decision and your decision alone.