Description

2012 Course Information

Detailed 2012 Course Description

All three events will begin at the Minnekahta Trailhead, near the intersection of Highways 18 and 89 west of Hot Springs.  From the trailhead, runners will head north along the Mickelson Trail.  The Mickelson is a rail-to-trails project that offers a very smooth crushed gravel running surface and includes gentle, but long, grades.  50K runners will follow the Mickelson to a point between the Argyle Loop and Lime Kiln aid stations before turning around and returning to the Argyle Loop aid station.  50 mile runners will follow the Mickelson to a point between the Pringle and Carroll Creek aid stations and the 100 mile runners will follow the Mickelson all the way to Hill City before turning around and returning to Argyle Loop.

CHANGE FOR 2012: In 2011, the 100 mile course included a short (3.5 miles total) out and back on the Custer State Park spur trail to achieve the requisite mileage.  This out and back was be completed on the outbound leg only, after leaving the Harbach aid station.  The 2012 course will also require a 3.5 mile out and back, but the location of that out and back has been moved.  This year, the out and back will be run on a dirt road beginning and ending at the White Elephant trailhead of the Mickelson Trail, which is located between the Pringle and Carroll Creek aid stations (exact mile marker of White Elephant will be updated as soon as we have an exact number). As with last year, the out and back will be completed on the OUTBOUND LEG ONLY.  You DO NOT need to complete the out and back on the inbound leg; you will proceed directly from the Carroll Creek aid station to Pringle.  The out and back will be completed by 100M runners only; the 50K course does reach as far north as White Elephant and the 50M course will follow the same route used in 2011.

On the return trip, runners in all three events will leave the Mickelson Trail at the Argyle Loop aid station and head east on Argyle Road, a winding, hilly country road.  The route follows Argyle Rd. for approximately 11 miles before making a right onto a two-track road across a pasture, which will eventually lead runners to the Coldbrook aid station, just 4 miles from the finish.  One final hill awaits just past Coldbrook before the course hits the city streets and bike path of Hot Springs.  When you pass the waterfall along the bike path, you've got about a mile to go and when you see the Dairy Queen sign up ahead, it's time for the finishing kick (it's like our version of Boston's famed Citgo sign)!  The finish line will be in the same location it has been for the last few years, just behind the Mueller Center (the location of the packet pick-up and pre-race meeting).