Join us at the 2024 Point Mariah Trail Marathon

The Donner Party Mountain Runners (DPMR) will be hosting the third edition of the the Point Mariah Trail Marathon on August 3th, 2024! With immense gratitude to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, the course will primarily run through the protected Royal Gorge land near Soda Springs, CA in the greater Lake Tahoe area. Special thanks to our other land use partners at the Soda Springs Ski Resort and the U.S. Forest Service.

Point Mariah offers expansive views of the Granite Chief Wilderness, the Pacific Crest between Sugar Bowl and Olympic Valley, and the breathtaking Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River (one of the deepest canyons in the western US).

Event Details

Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024
Location: Soda Spring Ski Resort (a few miles west of Truckee, CA)
Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Check-in: 7:00 a.m.
Bib & Info Pickup: TBD
Race Options: Marathon, 2-Person "Partner" Relay Marathon, 5-Person Relay Marathon
Entry Fee: $85 Marathon, $150 2-Person Partner Marathon Team, $250 5-Person Relay Team (prices increase June 1)

Course Details

This is the cool part – we’ve designed a very unique, fun, multi-loop style course with five segments that tour different parts of the Royal Gorge land, and brings everyone together at our Soda Springs Rd. central aid station each time you pass through!

Distance: ~26.4 miles
Elevation: ~4,300 ft of vertical gain, ranging from 6,800' at the start/finish to just over 7,600' on Razorback Ridge.
Trails: the course features 85% single track, 15% double track and dirt road.

Section 1 – Emigrant: Runners start with a hardy climb up and over Soda Springs hill, and down along the fun, flowy Emigrant Trail singletrack to the Soda Springs Rd Aid Station. 5.8 miles; approximately 950 feet of vertical gain.

Section 2 – Point Mariah: Follow your first loop route out to the breathtaking Point Mariah overlook and swing (and back to the central aid station). 4.85 miles; approximately 700 feet of vertical gain.

Section 3 – Rowton Peak: The next loop takes you up to the expansive views of Rowton peak via the Royal Gorge Rim Trail and Bogus Basin Trail (and back to the central aid station). 5.75 miles; approximately 850 feet of vertical gain.

Section 4 – Rowton Peak: Your third loop heads up to Rowton peak again, but this time via the Rowton Peak Trail, along the amazing Razorback Ridge, and return to the central aid station via the Claim Jumper/Switchback Trails. 4.26 miles; approximately 900 feet of vertical gain.

Section 5 – Emigrant: After your final stop at the central aid station, head back along Reindeer Trail, then follow the Emigrant Trail up and over the Soda Spring hill to finish at the resort. 5.8 miles; approximately 900 feet of vertical gain.

Course Map

Planned Route: view the CalTopo Map (pending full land use approval; subject to adjustments)

Partner & 5-Person Relay Marathon

In an effort to welcome runners of different ability levels to this new event, we’re also offering a Partner (2 people) and 5-Person Team option! You and a partner/team can run the full marathon route as a relay team – sharing the fun and the challenge and dividing up the effort. Pick a fabulous team name, then plan your hand-offs at the aid station however you’d like: how you divide up the five segments is totally up to you! For 2-person teams, you can run 1 segment then have your partner run the rest of the race, you can swap each segment, you can run the first 3 segments then have your partner take it home to the finish line, etc. There are no rules on how 2-person Partner teams break up the course, but all hand-offs must take place at our central aid station. Again, you are not allowed to drive to the aid station in personal vehicles, so if you’re on a Partner Marathon team please plan on walking/running/biking or taking the shuttle from the Start/Finish line to the aid station and back.

It’s the same exact route as the full marathon, just make it a team effort!

Complete Details

For complete details about the Point Mariah Trail Marathon, please visit our website race page, including information on:
- course profile
- aid stations
- location, directions, and parking
- refunds
- volunteering

Event's current local time: 11:02 AM PT