The Friends of the Medicine Bow Rail Trail host the annual Med Bow Rail Marathon & Half Marathon. The races showcase the beautiful Medicine Bow Rail Trail and provide a unique high-elevation racing experience. The marathon start time is 7 a.m. and the half marathon start time is 8 a.m.

The marathon course covers the Rail Trail from end-to-end with loops around Lake Owen.  It averages 8,926 feet in elevation. The trail is a gently graded, wide, gravel path.  Marathon participants follow the course through two states (the trail briefly dips into Colorado after starting just north of the state line) and finish at a serene mountain lake. The half-marathon course mirrors much of the northern portion of the marathon course, including two loops around Lake Owen.