Vail Hill Climb Marks 50th Anniversary With Exhibit and Elite Runners

The air outside Vail’s Mountain Haus is crisp on a July morning, the kind of chill that suggests the ski lifts might still be humming just a few miles up the mountain. At 7 a.m., the silence breaks. It’s July 5, and the 50th-annual Vail Hill Climb is about to begin.

Wyatt Smith, the race director, stands near the start line, watching the first wave of runners jostle for position. He’s not just organizing a footrace; he’s curating a half-century of local history. The Vail Recreation District is marking the milestone with a parade float, custom shirts for past winners, and a new exhibit at the Colorado Snowsports Museum that’s been open since Friday. It’s a celebration of endurance, community, and, frankly, a lot of weird t-shirt design choices.

Smith spent months digging through the archives. He talked to Sally Clair and John Swartz, listening to stories about the early days. He wanted to capture that specific feeling of camaraderie that has defined the event for five decades.

“Talking with Sally and John were some rewarding conversations,” Smith said. “To hear about the first days and about them talking about the community and camaraderie that the race brings — 45 years later, I believe our races still bring the community together with many participants becoming regulars and bringing their friends and family to participate as well.”

That community spirit is the real engine here. Without Greg Birk, a part-time Breckenridge resident who has collected every single finisher’s shirt from 1991 to 2026 (plus several prior years), the 50th-anniversary celebration might have stumbled out of the gate. Birk’s obsessive hoarding solved a practical problem: the VRD and local newspapers had gotten confused about the actual anniversary year. Birk’s collection provided the definitive proof that this was indeed the 50th edition.

The exhibit itself, running for the next three weeks, offers a visual timeline of the race’s evolution. It’s not just about who won. It’s about the shirts. Smith points out that the 25th-anniversary shirt was actually printed during the 27th edition — a printing error that persisted for three years. Then there was an eight-year stretch where the shirts were exclusively white and beige.

“That to me, quite frankly, is too many white/beige shirts,” Smith said.

The theme this year, ‘Celebrate the Climb 1976-2026,’ nods to the original Vail Mountain employees who supposedly decided it would be fun to race up the mountain to work instead of taking the gondola. It’s a story that holds its own place in the history, even if it’s not part of the official numbered count.

The numbers tell a different story than the glory days. Participation peaked at around 600 runners in the late 90s. Now, it hovers closer to 300. Smith expects about 300 on the line this Sunday. It’s a smaller field, but the talent is still elite. Joseph Gray, the current course record holder and 2019 champion, headlines the men’s field. Gray is a 16-time U.S. champion and a 30-time Team USA mountain runner. He’s joined by Andy Wacker and Tyler McCandless. On the women’s side, the legendary uphill runner J’ne... well, the source cuts off there, but you can bet she’s ready to climb.

Finishers will pick up a custom race t-shirt at the conclusion of the event. There will be fresh fruit and donuts from Northside Kitchen. Marlin Smickley will be handing out custom 50th-anniversary medals at the finish line. It’s all there. The history, the hardware, the carbs.

The race starts now. The crowd gathers. The first runners hit the pavement, heading up the slope that they’ve been climbing for fifty years.