The Baker Trail UltraChallenge is a 50-mile ultramarathon on the Baker Trail. The race starts at 6:30 AM; the deadline for finishing is fourteen hours later, 8:30 PM. Individuals as well as relay teams of up to 5 members may register. In 2023 we covered the North section. This year, we’ll run the Central section. Each year, a piece of a unique three-piece medal will be awarded to all individual finishers. When you complete all three sections, you’ll receive a handsome commemorative holder to display all three medals. You can run the series in any order — once you’ve run all three, you’ll receive the medal holder.
The 134-mile Baker Trail is marked as a typical hiking trail. Yellow blazes on trees, telephone poles, fence posts, guard rails, and so on indicate the path. Unlike many hiking trails, the Baker Trail is not always a footpath through the woods. In many areas, it follows dirt or paved country roads, some with narrow shoulders. As with road running everywhere, you must always be alert and cautious.
In 2024, the race will cover the Central section, with a scenic, point-to-point, 50-mile course that begins in Summerville, PA, and ends at the farm in Smicksburg, PA. With 7,100 feet of climbing, runners will enjoy a mix of single-track trail, dirt roads, rail trail and paved roads that wind through Amish farmland.
Because of the varying terrain, the UltraChallenge is more mentally demanding than similar ultras. You must always be watching for the blazes in order to stay on the course. In places, the Trail will be following a road only to abruptly turn off the road into the woods. Therefore, if you haven’t seen a blaze in a few minutes, you may be off course and should backtrack to the last blaze and determine where you went wrong. Plenty of runners will go off-course at least once during the day. If you expect — and accept — that you will, too, it won’t be quite as frustrating. The key to a successful race is to realize it quickly. Attending any or all of the three training runs is a great strategy for learning the course prior to the race.
The iconic farmhouse, located in Smicksburg, PA, will serve as basecamp for the event.
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