SOCORRO, N.M. – The ‘M’ Mountain Run is Friday, Oct. 15, and there are important new procedures. All participants must register in advance online, and pick up their bibs in person in Brown Hall 200 beginning Monday, Oct. 4, and ending Thursday, Oct 14.

The event was scrapped in 2020 due to the pandemic. So all Techies are encouraged to pitch in to make up for last year and help give the ‘M’ a new coat of marble dust.

Registration is now open at https://bit.ly/3mlWy2Z  

Other Things to Know:

• • • Meet at the parking lot between Facilities Management and the Golf Course
    • Each person must register themselves; no group registration.
    • Bibs must be picked up from Gina Chavez in Brown 200 the week before the event
    • Must have your bib to participate
    • Must wear closed-toe shoes
    • No drones
    • Must be 18 years old to participate
    • No pets
    • Last bus leaves at 7:45 a.m.

The annual ritual of hiking up Socorro Peak and painting the ‘M’ is a tradition started more than 100 years ago. Students are encouraged to make the 2.5 mile trek up the mountain, climbing about 1,700 feet. Hundreds of students, alumni, and employees help give the iconic letter a fresh coat of marble dust every October.

The terrain is rugged and the weather is expected to be sunny and hot. Hikers should wear closed-toe shoes and sunscreen. The fastest hikers – those running up the mountain, that is – will finish in less than an hour; normal humans should expect to be hiking for 1¼  to 2½ hours. Water will be provided.

All participants must sign a release form. To facilitate a timely start Friday morning, people are required to register online at https://bit.ly/3mlWy2Z and get their bibs in person in Brown Hall.

The first 20 individuals and teams (of students) to reach the ‘M’ with a bag of marble dust receive $50. All students who make the climb will get some freebies – a commemorative T-shirt, a hat, and other goodies. All participants will get lunch at the staging area just below the ‘M.’ Tech provides transportation back to campus as hikers finish their lunch.

Techies first surveyed the peak and laid out the ‘M’ in 1911. In those early years, freshmen were required to carry equipment up the mountain, while upperclassmen took the remainder of the equipment up the mountain with mules.

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