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The people behind the races

Meet your
race directors

Jon Juleus
Photo: Leah Williams
Founder & Race Director

Jon Juleus

Colorado trail runner, ultramarathoner, and the person who keeps thinking Colorado needs one more race.

My first ultra

Jon ran his first ultramarathon in summer 2026: Silverheels, a roughly 53-mile mountain race with about 9,500 feet of gain and a night start. He had so much fun out there, exhausted and all, that it got him thinking Colorado needed more races like it, closer to Denver and built around the same scrappy, out-there spirit.

Why Yay Ultra exists

The first answer was the Bear Creek Lake Park Backyard Ultra. Yay Ultra is what comes next: a series of low-key, well-run trail races, built by someone who's stood at plenty of start lines himself.

Ephemeral Run Club

Jon hosts a run club in Denver out of Ephemeral Brewing. If you're around Denver and want to run with the crew, that's the place to find them.

Josh Shelley
Race Director

Josh Shelley

Colorado trail runner, ultramarathoner, North Table Mountain enthusiast, and committed rattlesnake avoider.

From the Smokies to the Rockies

Josh traded the trails of the Smoky Mountains for Colorado three years ago and has been happily running around the Front Range ever since. His first Colorado ultra was the Bridge Burner in Cañon City, but most weeks you're more likely to find him logging laps around Sloan's Lake or running his favorite 7.2-mile loop around North Table Mountain.

Ephemeral Run Club

Josh co-hosts Ephemeral Run Club in Denver and especially enjoys helping newer runners find their way onto the trails. That same spirit drives what he loves about directing races: making them feel welcoming to runners trying an ultra, a trail race, or the backyard format for the first time.

Race Director

Josh came alongside Jon to bring the Bear Creek Lake Park Backyard Ultra to life, handling plenty of the behind-the-scenes work, and doing his best to keep Jon from coming up with too many more ideas.

See you at the start line.

New races, registration openings, and volunteer calls get posted on Instagram first.

Follow on Instagram Bear Creek race site