Silverton 1000 Challenge

Start dates

The 6 Day & 1000 Mile Challenge will start on August 27th, the 72 hour on August 30th, the 48 hour on August 31st and the 24 hour on September 1st. An awards ceremony for the 24, 48, 72 Hour & 6 Day events will be on Sept. 2nd at 10am.  The awards ceremony for the 1000 mile events will be on Sept. 14th at 10am.

Hokas to the winners???

Yeah that's right! The winners (both male and female) of each race (6 day, 3 day, 2 day and 24hr races) will receive a gift certificate for a free paire of Hokas!  Thank you Hoka One Onr!

Runners returning from 2012 races...

Did you run in last years race? If so, please contact the Race Director BEFORE you register... send me an email with the email address that you use for Ultrasignup and your full name... once verified I will add a $50 off coupon to your account for the 2013 event and it will be taken off your entry fee when you checkout! I will email you as soon as I do this and then you can register!! This is our way of saying thank you for coming back!!!!

24, 48 and 72 Hour Run

The 4th Annual Silverton Multi-Day Challenge is actually 6 races in one. The 6 day & 1000 Mile Runs will start on August 27th, the 72 hour on August 30th, the 48 hour on August 31st and the 24 hour on September 1st. All events, with the exception of the 1000 mile challenge & 1000 Mile Run, will end on September 2nd, with an awards ceremony to follow immediately following the conclusion of those 4 events. The 1000 Mile Challenge and the 1000 Mile Run will both end on September the 14th, with an awards ceremony at 10am.  All participants will receive a goody bag that includes a technical shirt, hat, and other goodies and donated items.

Participants will set up camp near the Kendall Mountain Ski lodge at 9318 feet elevation and wear a timing chip around their ankle.  All runners must cross the timing mat at the base of Kendall Mountain, climb 235 vertical feet around a one mile loop as many times as possible in their allotted time.  Participants will endure the elements of the San Juan Mountains around the clock as they fight sleep deprivation and possible heat, rain, lightning and snow.  Runners can camp near the big tent where runners will cross the timing mat. There is a very nominal camping fee that goes to the town.

In the 1000 Mile Challenge, if a participant fails to complete at least one loop in any one hour, they will be disqualified from the 1000 mile challenge but can still continue on in the 1000 Mile Run, provided they meet the cutoffs. Prize money is only being offered for the 1000 Mile Challenge. For the 1000 mile events, you will have 18 days to complete 1000 miles with the event ending on Sept. 14th with an awards ceremony at 10 AM.  Assuming it would take 20 minutes on average to complete the one mile loop, one would expect an approximate maximum of 1 hour and 20 minutes of sleep at any one time (by completing a mile at the beginning of hour 1 and the end of hour 2).

6 Day Run

The Silverton 6 Day Run is part of the Silverton Multi-Day Challenge and will be held on the same 1 mile loop as the 24, 48 & 72 hour runs. The event will be chip timed and each loop will have 250 feet of climb and descent.

All six day runners will be automatic entrants into the 1000 mile Challenge or 1000 Mile Run. There will be no additional cost to continue on in the 1000 Mile events but the amenities and aid will drastically change at the conclusion of the 6 Day event. At the end of the six day event, you will have the option to continue on with one of the 1000 mile events or to stop and be content with your current distance. Note, though, that you will only be able to continue on with the 1000 Mile Challenge, or the 1000 Mile Run if you have accumulated a minimum of 350 miles. You will only be able continue on with the Challenge if you have run at least one mile each and every hour for the past six days, as well. We'll be keeping track!

1000 Mile Challenge

The 1000 mile challenge will be run on the same one mile loop as the other Silverton Multi-Day Runs and will also be chip timed. Like the other runs, each loop will have 250 feet of climb and descent, which makes for a total of 250,000 feet of climb and descent for the 1000 miles.

Experience the ultimate endurance challenge. Run or walk one mile in 1000 consecutive hours on a 1 mile course that will traverse around the base of Kendall Mountain in the small mountain town of Silverton, Colorado. In a new twist on the infamous 1809 challenge to Robert Barclay, Silverton 1000 participants may complete as many miles as they choose each hour until they reach 1000 miles. While the 24 hour, 48 hour, 72 hour, and 6 day runs are all “go as you please” format, meaning you may run or rest when you choose, in order to be eligible for the 1000 mile run challenge, you much complete at least 1 mile/loop of the course each consecutive hour of the event.  In addition, there will be cutoffs in the 1000 mile run challenge of 350 miles in 6 days, 700 miles in 12 days, and all 1000 miles in 18 days.

Participants will set up camp near the Kendall Mountain Ski lodge at 9300 feet elevation and wear a timing chip around their ankle. Runners must cross the timing mat at the base of Kendall Mountain, climb 250 vertical feet around a one mile loop at the base of Kendall Mountain at least one time each hour. Participants will endure the elements of the San Juan Mountains around the clock as they fight sleep deprivation, heat, rain, snow, and the accumulated fatigue of traveling at least 24 miles per day. If a participant fails to complete at least one mile on the course in any one hour, they will be disqualified from the Challenge but can still proceed on in the 1000 Mile Run. Again, you will still have to complete the minimum mileage of 350 miles for the first 6 days and 700 miles in 12 days, to continue.

Completing just one mile per hour for 1000 consecutive hours, it would take 41 days, 16 hours to complete the Silverton 1000 but to keep things interesting, we are only going to give you 18 days. Assuming it would take 20 minutes on average to complete the one mile loop, one would expect an approximate maximum of 1 hour and 20 minutes of sleep at any one time (by completing a mile at the beginning of hour 1 and the end of hour 2).