North Mountain Trail Marathon
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Welcome to the inaugural North Mountain Trail Marathon.
This marathon has more elevation gain and change than any other marathon that we know of, and we are calling it the 2nd hardest trail marathon in the US, and possibly the world.
We wanted to create a challenging route that is equally mentally tough as well as physically. Yet we wanted it Doable for anyone who sets their mind to it. Including not just Runners, but also Hikers & Ruckers.
Your race director knows what it takes to complete difficult challenges, completing quite a few iconic races and hikes himself. Including completing the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail as well as some well know races like the Bigfoot 200, Go Big 260, Cocodona 250 to name a few.
While some races brag about their low percentage finishing rate to prove how challenging they are we felt like doing the opposite. We hope to have a 100% finishing rate. This is why we have a 12-hour cutoff.
Packet pick-up & Mandatory Gear
Packet Pick-up will be located at Parkway Brewing on October 25th from 4:30-7:30
There will be no day of packet pickup unless we have a volunteer team that can support this sorry for that inconvenience. Please email me if special circumstances are needed for packet pickup but we have to keep this to a minimum.
Mandatory Gear: October's weather can change suddenly in these parts! So, we have a mandatory gear list, not only for your safety but also to help facilitate our primary principle of Leave No Trace, LNT.
Gear: Shovel/trowel to bury waste, a bag to put used TP in. Pack it In Pack it Out. (To minimize impact, we require all runners to be prepared in the back country in case a ?? emergency. This is one of the principles of LNT.
Gloves & Hat: Even though average temps are 46f low & 68f high we have had record lows of 12f during this day in previous years. So, we will require everyone to have proper emergency gear in the event of a poor weather outlook. Extra Gear reequipments will be communicated via E-mail in the event of inclement weather forecast.
Maps: (cell phone or watch with course downloaded on it is acceptable.) This is Mandatory!
Race Day Information
Morning of Race: We recommend getting to the Parking @ Craig County Fair Grounds at a minimum of 1 hour before the Busses are set to depart. Busses will start departing at 6:00 am and last busses will leave at 6:30am sharp.
THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE START LINE! IF YOU MISS THE BUS, YOU MISSED THE RACE!
We cannot allow any crew, family or friends at the Aid-Stations as there is very limited parking available. We also need to leave the roads open for other National Forest users.
This is another principle of, LNT! Be respectful of other users. This includes all National Forest Users. Hunters and Cyclist use these trails and roads and we are guest here to the local community, so let's treat everyone with respect and have a great time.
Note: This is in the middle of Archery season for Deer and North Mountain is a very Popular hunting area. The Ranger has requested that all runners wear bright colored clothing. We suggest your best tie-dyed running outfit.
We recommend if you want to see your runner during the race Volunteer, we always need volunteers. Race credits will be earned for volunteers.
Bathrooms before the start: Please ?? AT THE RESTROOM IN THE PARKING AREA BEFORE THE BUSSES DEPART, AS THERE WILL BE NO PORTA-JOHNS AT THE STARTING LINE. And as always remember to LNT!
Porta-Johns will be available at all Aid-Stations!
Starting line: Line up at the start line @ 6:55am for a quick little peptalk. Gun Sounds @ 7:00am
Sunrise & Sunset hours day of race: 7:40am- 6:28pm Twilight Begins at 7:13am Twilight Ends at 6:55
So, bring a headlamp! Mandatory to be carried the whole race in case you wonder off ???
Cut Off Times: The overall cut off time is 12 hours. The overall pace needed is 27:42 min/mile.
Aid Station 1 Mile 4.4: Cut off time: 8:45am or 1h45m: Pace Needed 23:52 min/mile.
Aid Station 2 Mile 12.5: Cut off time: 12:00pm or 5 hours: Pace Needed 24:00 min/mile
Aid Station 3 Mile 18.5: Cut off time: 3pm or 8h: Pace Needed 25:57 min/mile
Aid Station 4 Mile 22.6: Cut off time: 5:15pm or 10h15min: Pace Needed 27:20 min/mile
Drop Bags: We will allow each runner 3 small drop bags, 1 at each aid-station after aid-station #1! We recommend a 15- or 20-Liter waterproof Kayaking Bag. We aim to try and have all drop-bags back at the Catawba Grocery Store by 6:30pm????. Please do not come to the aid stations looking for your drop bags! Wildlife Road is very Narrow, and there's just not enough room if there is to many vehicles coming and going.
Ruck Division/Fast Pack
As a long-distance hiker I wanted to add a separate category for Fast Packers and Ruckers. Only requirement for this division is you must start and finish with an 18-pound pack. This is a little bit lighter than a typical Thru-hikers backpack. A small extra award will add for those who complete this challenge with a pack.
All other race information remains the same as those who are running.
Ruck on!!
Event's current local time: 2:10 PM ET
