Dinosaur Valley ultra race: a mission to run and volunteer

(Photos by Misty Herron)

By Henry Howard

The Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run, directed by The Active Joe, is a race that truly captured my heart as I finished the 100K last year. In fact, I signed up for the November 2026 Dinosaur Valley 100K, which was intended to be my qualifier for the Western States lottery. 

But an injury-plagued year, thanks to a combination of issues with my glute medius, TFL muscle and a hamstring strain, is standing in my way of the 100K next month. Still, I have such a fondness for this race that I am indeed returning this year.

The Dinosaur Valley ultra race will be held Nov. 21 at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas. On race day, I will take a volunteer shift, helping direct runners and crew members on where to go, answering questions and other duties. Later that morning, I will switch into runner mode for the 25K race.

As I wrote in my recap last year, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run offers a fun atmosphere, challenging course and incredible volunteers. I appreciate all that race director Libby Jones and her team at The Active Joe do for runners of this race. (Meet Libby, who I featured in my monthly race director series.)

Dinosaur Valley offers a 100-miler (also a Western States qualifier), the 100K, a 50K, 25K and three 5-milers over the course of the weekend.

Why volunteer at the Dinosaur Valley ultra race

In my experience last year at Dinosaur Valley, I was reminded about what makes the trail and ultra community so special.

As I wrote in a piece that was unpublished, “It’s not just about conquering distance or terrain — it’s about the humans who make it possible, who volunteer their time and energy to create something beautiful in the Texas wilderness. Dinosaur Valley showed me what’s possible when a race is organized with care and staffed by people who genuinely love this community.”

Dinosaur Valley volunteers made the experience meaningful. The support was phenomenal — from the ease of packet pickup to finding my spot in the tent at the start-finish area to the aid stations on course. As runners, we were cheered, taken care of and treated like elites no matter what time we crossed the finish line.

As an injured masters runner, this is a perfect opportunity to give back to the trail and ultra community. It’s how we can help grow the sport, support amazing race directors, and help new trail and ultra runners find the joy we sometimes take for granted.

Soon after the race, wearing my 100K buckle and a smile just as wide, I wrote what appears to be an early premonition about my next appearance at the Dinosaur Valley 100K.

“It’s apparent that this race cast a spell on me, filled my heart and made me part of something bigger. That’s the magic of Dinosaur Valley, and that’s why I’ll be back — as a runner, volunteer or maybe both."