Tava Lodge, brainchild of Manitou Springs, Colorado-based team: Morgan Weinberg, Curt Mulick, Melissa and Brandon Stapanowich aims to build community and training opportunities on their hometown trails. Still in “year zero,” the team is seeking investors to support their vision of acquiring a property large enough to host group events, training retreats and offer resources to both local and visiting outdoor enthusiasts. Their business model mission statement centers on, “Short-term rentals, specialized training camps, and recovery services…capitaliz[ing] on the increasing demand for outdoor experiences as a form of experiential tourism. Our target demographics include outdoor enthusiasts, trail runners, and wellness-focused travelers who seek adventure and recovery in nature.”
While this concept of a trail running training spot has been explored in other prominent trail running meccas around the world, including Base Camp (Boulder, CO) and The Hub (Chamonix, France), this quirky, bustingly tourist town of 4,800 people has not yet explored this possibility. Manitou Springs, however, has a wide variety of possibilities for trail running adventures and community-based races and events on par with the best destinations for the sport in the world.
Tava strong
Tava Mountain, meaning “Sun Mountain,” in the Native Ute language was the original name given to Pikes Peak (a.k.a. “America’s Mountain”) by the first inhabitants in the area. This 14,115-foot rocky beast rises nearly 8,000 feet above the town of Manitou Springs, the main town to access the peak on foot. Most estimates show an average of over 20 million visitors to the Pikes Peak region per year, a large portion of which are drawn to outdoor recreation activities in and around the peak. In addition to the historic Pikes Peak Marathon, there is a thriving local community of trail runners in the area organizing events, races, group runs, and ultimately supporting the idea that a concept such as Tava Lodge would be quite successful because of the compelling draw from both locals and travelers around the world to Tava itself.
Weinberg, General Manager for the project, began brainstorming the concept for Tava Lodge in 2020. After sharing her ideas with friends in the community, she was steered towards Melissa and Brandon Stapanowich, who had similar ideas in mind. “They were also looking at acquiring a property and creating something similar. After talking with them, we all teamed up and formed the mission of what it is now,” said Weinberg. Unfortunately, similar to many bright ideas at the time, the pandemic shut down possible avenues to make Tava Lodge a reality, “Trying to do something in the tourism/hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic just didn’t make sense. We put the idea on the backburner, but in 2024 started to make moves to bring it back.”
Year zero momentum
Although the Tava Lodge has not yet acquired the funds for the actual property, the team launched the brand with the intention of promoting it through two major flagship events in 2025. Weinberg explains the reason for the conceptual launch, “We launched prematurely because we wanted to get the word out of what we’re trying to create. We want to generate interest within the local community and anybody who might be interested in being a part of it. We’re aiming to get the place up and running in the next few years.”
The first event, the Ultra Tava Tour, showcased the still-to-be-finished Ring the Peak trail that circumnavigates the Pikes Peak in roughly sixty miles. Tava Lodge offered a multi-day experience on this trail, offering participants overnight stays in the Mennonite Camp on the backside of the mountain, as well as in the Cripple Creek KOA, as they completed their epic running journey. “It’s like a really cool experience that nobody’s offered before,” said Weinberg, “We had a participant training for the Leadville 100, as well as a very accomplished local runner who said that she was struggling to find motivation to train, yet after experiencing our event she felt reinvigorated to start running again!”
The second event was a partnership with local legendary race, The Pikes Peak Marathon. Founded in 1956, the event has been dubbed “America’s Ultimate Challenge,” and draws runners from around the world to compete in this historic race to the top of one of America’s most iconic mountains (read our Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon training guide here). Tava Lodge offered a dedicated training camp for the race. Local trail running stars Zach Miller and Hannah Allgood attended the camp, offering their valuable training and racing insights to other participants. “This camp was dedicated to the race, the experience of the route on Barr Trail, altitude exposure and getting participants ready to race,” said Weinberg.
Both the Ultra Tava Tour and Pikes Peak Training Camp are planned for 2026. Stay tuned for more information about Tava Lodge’s 2026 events here.
Boulder-ified Manitoids?
Manitou Springs is NOT Boulder, Colorado. While these two towns share similar mountain trail access and large trail running communities, the towns and culture are distinct. Weinberg explains the inspiration of Boulder’s athletic community for Tava Lodge, yet her desire to maintain the “Manitou” feel, “We’re certainly trying to create something here in Manitou that would bring people in the same way they flock to places such as Boulder. However, that doesn’t mean we hope Manitou turns into Boulder. We want to maintain the balance of sharing this place with other people, making a really amazing training location, yet not overpopulating the trails and open spaces.”
As popular as Boulder is for athletes as a training destination, it is this same popularity that has caused issues in the area regarding overcrowded trailheads and unchecked population growth.
Weinberg explains the kinds of people and communities she hopes Tava Lodge will attract and develop, “We’re targeting people who want to have outdoor experiences when they come into town. People who are looking for recommendations of trails, places to visit and activities to do. Secondly, we also want to be the place where people (and or teams or camps) can spend time and train.”
She explains the draw in more detail, “From my own experience, I can say that it’s really fun to go to new places to train, but I don’t always know what the best trails and routes would be. Tava Lodge will help guide runners on what to do and where to go. It’s a one-stop-shop with recovery services on-site, nutrition guidance/easy meals, and offers great ideas of ways to get outside. It’s a place where runners can come for a few weeks and focus on what’s important to them, without having to stress about all the other details usually involved in the travel planning process.”
Manitou first
With many offerings at Tava Lodge for out-of-town visitors, Weinberg also wants to make sure the experience will be beneficial to locals. “We’re currently hosting one group run per month to help build community around the brand,” said Weinberg. Brandon Stapanowich, local trail running hero and pioneer of several wild, creative trail running projects such as the Winter Tava Frozen Marathon, has provided no shortage of fun ideas for group runs at Tava Lodge. In October 2025, Stapanowich has planned, “Not Your Average Track Meet,” an event that takes runners from the local park to Penny Arcade and back—runners will play a horse racing arcade game in the middle of their run.
“It’s a fun way to bring people together that is not so focused on running performance as much as making an inclusive space for everyone,” said Weinberg. Additionally, the lodge would offer resources including a cold plunge, sauna, and massage services onsite for locals to access. “When I run, I always think about the potential of the places where I start and finish; Manitou is the perfect place. You can access so many trails and after a run, how cool would it be to end somewhere with a community area to sit, relax, and connect with other people?”
Interested in reading more stories about inclusive, fun trail running communities? Read our story about the Teton Trail Runners here.
Dream home
The search for a property for Tava Lodge is well underway. “There’s been a few potential properties that have turned hands in Manitou in the past few years, but we weren’t ready at the time to purchase them. We’re hoping that when the next one that fits our model becomes available, we will be ready,” said Weinberg. She explains more about what the brand is searching for, “We wouldn’t want anything larger than twenty rooms. We want to keep it small. In an ideal world, the property would offer a kitchenette, space for athletic recovery equipment, and a community area large enough to host groups of people, but we will base also on what’s available.”
Weinberg has been actively searching for investors and support for the concept, “We’ve been using every connection we have and talking with as many people as possible. I don’t know if we’re the best at it, but we’re learning as we go. We’re tapping into a wide variety of platforms with the hopes that we’ll find the right connections.”
Invest in Tava Lodge here.
Follow Tava Lodge for events and opportunities here.
