In no time flat: Chips and Salsa Half Marathon ready to hit the roads of the North Valley

The inspiration behind the name of the Chips and Salsa Half Marathon isn’t exactly what one might expect.

“I started it 20 years ago in the North Valley,” said race director and RunFit founder Stephen Pino. “The idea behind the chips and salsa was the chips were the timing chips. So we just played on words (with) chips, and then salsa to kind of spice it up a little bit.”

But fear not: There’s a special incentive waiting for runners at the finish line.

In no time flat: Chips and Salsa Half Marathon ready to hit the roads of the North Valley

“Chips and salsa and burritos,” Pino said. “Kind of a New Mexico flair to it with those additions added just to entice people to know that it’s more than just a run.”

For its first five years, the event kicked off at El Pinto restaurant. However, the race now begins and ends at the Larry P. Abraham Agri-Nature Center in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. In addition to the half-marathon, runners can participate in a 10K, 5K and Kids K. The course is relatively flat, which can lead to some impressive times.

“I think what people really like about it is it’s basically a true road race. You’re not running on a bike path,” Pino said. “… You start at Los Poblanos fields, but then you get out of the fields and you’re on the roads in the North Valley. It’s flat; it’s fast. It’s beautiful because of the location we run by. So it’s kind of nice to see the North Valley if people haven’t. It also has some shade in areas that you may not get if you are somewhere else this time of year. That’s what makes it I think nice and kind of unique.

“There’s no hills. It kind of provides a benefit for people that really want to go fast, and people that are just kind of weekend warriors that are just out there as a community.”

At one point in the race’s history, Pino says the caliber of runner that attended the Chips and Salsa compared favorably to the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, which is known as the world’s largest 10K event.

“So you’d look at that starting line at the half-marathon and be looking at some elite road race (talent) outside of New Mexico, basically,” he said.

The event remains a strong draw today, even if the demographic has changed. Pino estimates that at least 300 to 400 people usually sign up for the half-marathon, and 500 to 600 more take part in the 10K and 5K combined. There are cash prizes for the top finishers in the half-marathon, but that aspect of the race isn’t heavily promoted. Instead, there’s more of an emphasis on participation, as all runners in each category will receive a medal at the end of the day.

“Over the years, the participation has kind of shifted in terms of those people that are really wanting to participate but kind of need recognition that they participated,” Pino said. “I felt like these people may not ever receive a medal in terms of an age group award after they’re out there every day pounding the pavement for a goal.”

Proceeds from the race go to benefit RunFit, a nonprofit organization that was launched to combat child obesity through running programs at local elementary schools. One of the goals of the program is to train kids ages 5 to 13 to run between one mile or five kilometers on a RunFit team. The Chips and Salsa event is one of many events held by the organization throughout the year.

“It’s not too late, whether you run or walk it — especially the 5K if you haven’t done anything like this before,” Pino said. “The thing that I noted over the years is it’s just that building of community, (the) opportunity for people to come together. It’s just a celebration of people kind of doing things for themselves, but having other people cheer them on.”