Run Wild: Meet the Man Continuing Cloudcroft’s Trail Running Series
Wanderlust owner and race director Shane Asbury talks about outdoor recreation and upcoming events
Shane Asbury has been quietly building a trail running empire, one mountain race at a time.
Now his work is paying off in a big way: Ruidoso will host the XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon for three consecutive years starting in 2026, bringing elite athletes from around the globe to the Lincoln National Forest.
This article originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of the Mountain Monthly.
“I see this really putting our area on the map,” said Asbury, who directs races through his company Wanderlust Running. “We have something special here.”
The XTERRA coup came in October, when Mayor Lynn Crawford announced the championships at Downshift Brewing Company. Asbury will direct the event, which combines swimming, mountain biking, and trail running through some of the Southwest’s most challenging terrain. Crawford called the championships a “boon” for Ruidoso, particularly as the village recovers from last summer’s devastating Salt and South Fork Fires.
But the World Championships didn’t appear out of nowhere. Asbury has spent years cultivating relationships with villages, parks departments, and local businesses while establishing Ruidoso as his home base and expanding throughout the region.
“I’m a one-man band,” he said. “Everything you see, I’m putting on, I’m producing. I do all the social media. I do everything.”
From Virginia to World Marathon Majors
Asbury started running distance in high school in rural Virginia, where no distance program existed until he created one. The passion stuck.
He’s since completed all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors— Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, and Sydney—a feat accomplished by fewer than 80,000 runners worldwide.” I just ran my seventh star in Sydney in September,” he said.
After years of working in fundraising and event management, Asbury turned his love of running into a business. Wanderlust Running now operates a growing calendar of races across southern New Mexico, with a particular focus on Cloudcroft’s high-altitude trails.
Building the Cloudcroft Series
Matt and Cindy Preslar previously organized Cloudcroft races through Cloudcroft Runners.
The duo worked with Asbury this year and will transition all events to Wanderlust Running in 2026, creating a cohesive series that encourages runners to take on fresh challenges from June through October.
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Wanderlust Running’s Cloudcroft events include:
Trails & Rails 8-mile, 3-mile, 1-mile Kid’s Dash
Cloudcroft Ultra 53k, 9.5-mile, 4.75-mile, and 1-mile Kid’s Dash
Cactus to Clouds Sky Race (C2C) 50k and 30k
These races are now organized as a series to encourage runners to take on fresh challenges from June through October. Each course highlights rugged trails and mountain scenery. The Cactus to Clouds 50k—a point-to-point race from the Chihuahuan Desert floor to the Sacramento Mountains—features nearly 9,000 feet of climbing.
“I see that event really putting Cloudcroft on the map, especially the ultra running map,” Asbury said. “There are so many directions I plan to go with the Cactus-to-Clouds event.”
His grassroots marketing is already working. At October’s C2C race, runners came from 32 states. “Ninety percent of runners are from out of town,” he said.
Expanding to Christmas Runs
Asbury is also taking over Cloudcroft’s Ugly Sweater Christmas Run, expanding the informal community event that Lauren Locke, Amy Coor, and Bri Jonnes started last year at Zenith Park. The Dec. 6th race—now a 5K and one-mile walk—will start at 4 p.m., timed to lead runners straight into the village’s Christmas parade and tree lighting on Burro after awards at Zenith Park.
“We’ll have hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies at the finish line,” Asbury said. “Then they can walk right up and see the parade.”
Shane wants the event to become “an annual thing,” designed to boost winter tourism and benefit local businesses: “Hopefully it drives some economy during Christmas time.” Proceeds benefit Cloudcroft’s Parks and Recreation program.
Economic Engine
For Asbury, the races aren’t just athletic events—they’re economic development tools.
“I’m all about not only driving my business, but driving people to other people’s businesses,” he said. He works closely with local restaurants, lodges, and shops to create race bib discounts and partnerships that benefit the entire community.
The model extends beyond race weekends. By establishing Cloudcroft and Ruidoso as destinations for serious trail runners, Asbury hopes to build year-round tourism around outdoor recreation.
In 2022, the New Mexico tourism department reported that the average overnight visitor spent an average of $315 per person, per trip. Those kinds of heads-in-bed numbers make a difference for Cloudcroft—especially in the village’s typically slower winter season.
Giving back is central to Shane’s approach. He donates race proceeds and supports cross-country teams, parks and recreation departments, and local programs in both villages.
“I love running in Ruidoso and Cloudcroft,” he said. “Just being able to see the wildlife—elk, deer, wild horses. It’s unique. And the trails are well-used and have really been taken care of.”
The region’s growing outdoor culture excites him most. “It’s infectious,” he said. “I’m happy to see more people now out running and walking and just out and about on trails.”
With World Championship triathlons coming to Ruidoso and runners from across the country discovering Cloudcroft’s trails, he might be right.
The Cloudcroft Ugly Sweater Christmas Run 5K and 1-mile walk takes place Friday, Dec. 6th, at 4 p.m. Registration and course information available at wanderlust.run
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