River of No Return Endurance Runs

That’s right. The Wolf, the Coyote, the Fox, the Bear, the Cougar: you are not at the top of the food chain here, so Run Fast.

With a start and finish in Challis, Idaho, the River of No Return (RONR) Endurance Runs offer runners a unique opportunity to experience Idaho’s remote beauty. Choose between distances of 32k, 55k, or 108k, where you’ll be challenged by varying terrain and awed by gorgeous scenery.

Designed to be tough and beautiful, the courses tour some big mountain climbs over 9000 feet. Elk, deer, eagles, bears and wolves add to the mystique of the River of No Return, as do the forgotten mines and mining communities, old Idaho traditions – all surrounded by the very supportive community of Challis.

Runners will be treated to a fast finish down Main Street Challis and back to the Challis City Park. Enjoy the return to civilization in the last mile as the locals cheer you home!

The course is crew-friendly with multiple aid stations that are support team-accessible without the use of four-wheel drive vehicles.

The Mission of Challis Running
Our mission is to showcase the RONR Endurance Runs as a world-class ultra-running event. The RONR Endurance Runs provide a tangible backcountry experience for runners from the beginner to the elite level. Come test your mettle on these challenging courses! Directed by Paul Lind & Neal Russell.

River of No Return?
The Main Salmon River was called “The River of No Return” back in early mining days when boats could navigate down the river but could not get back up through the fast water and numerous rapids. The Salmon River flows through a canyon that is five thousand feet deep and nearly two hundred miles long. When Lewis and Clark encountered this gorge, they turned back and followed an old Indian route around the area. Early fur trappers also avoided the Salmon canyon. Because the canyon was too rugged for wagon roads, access was by packhorses over difficult trails or by river. Wooden, flat-bottomed boats were developed to take supplies and mining machinery from the end of the road at Salmon into the canyon. The Salmon River was too swift to bring these boats back up river for another trip, so they were dismantled, and the boards were used as lumber. Since these boats never came back to Salmon, the “River of No Return” as a term came into use around 1900. The romantic name lives on today, even though jet boats can navigate upstream.