The Mines of Spain 100 is a true Midwest trail race set in the beautiful bluffs, prairies and forests of the driftless region of eastern Iowa amongst the scenic setting of the Mississippi river valley! The race is held on a ~20 mile course comprised of a wide variety of …
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The Mines of Spain 100 is a true Midwest trail race set in the beautiful bluffs, prairies and forests of the driftless region of eastern Iowa amongst the scenic setting of the Mississippi river valley! The race is held on a ~20 mile course comprised of a wide variety of terrain that will both challenge and inspire runners with its eclectic mixture of steep technical single track, wide rolling dirt and prairie double track with a multitude of other fun and scenic sections mixed in! This is a course designed to be equally suitable for first timers or veterans alike.
The mission is to provide an ultra-marathon event that is grassroots in feel yet meticulously organized with every effort being made to provide the most rewarding experience for the runners, their crews, race volunteers and every single person involved. Our continued year-round goal is to support the area trail organizations and groups that oversee the Mines of Spain in whatever capacity we can including a substantial financial contribution from the race proceeds going directly to the park to aid in funding for future trail maintenance and projects.
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What a great first 100k/100mile race
Sun Trail Running does an amazing job putting on this race. Hands down, production is so good, and Josh Sun has a loyal following in Iowa. Course: This race runs … MORE
Sun Trail Running does an amazing job putting on this race. Hands down, production is so good, and Josh Sun has a loyal following in Iowa.
Course: This race runs multiple 20ish mile loops (more like hub and spoke out and backs), in Mines of Spain recreation area in Dubuque. It was lovely! When I ran, the colors were popping. The trails are predominately double track, not too technical, with a little bit of road (I would say less than 3 miles per loop), and then to torture you, there are stairs. Seriously, the stairs are the hard part. The course has about 2700 ft of climbing per loop, much of that is the stairs. I ran three loops for the 100k, the 100 milers run 5 loops. Loop one was a little confusing, but by loop 2 and 3, you’re familiar, and checking off milestones. The out and backs and aid stations on the loop are distinct, and you run variety of terrains (some XC ski trails, some trails a bit more technical). All to say, it keeps it interesting.
Vibe: This is a big party. Josh has a following. So many of the runners are repeat runners, they all know each other. I was an out of towner, and they all made me feel so welcome. The volunteers are seriously top notch — most of them are runners too. A volunteer even drove home to retrieve a collapsible cup for me to borrow. There is a crewville. I found the start finish a little overwhelming to hang too long, but really a great crowd, great energy! It’s all the things I love about the ultra community.
Signing up: This race sells out, but also, I feel like everyone on the waitlist gets moved up pretty quickly. There are really generous transfer timelines that let you defer the race up till June (for an October run) if things aren’t going your way. I was initially on the waitlist, and was called up quickly and added in.
Communication: Great communication from the RD — timely and appropriate emails, a fb page, he’s super responsive to questions.
Swag: You get a lot!! I received a race tshirt, a hoodie, gloves, a buff, a race belt, stickers, and everything was good quality. In addition I bought a BOCO hat and another sweatshirt for my friend/crew.
Dubuque: Cute city. I rented an airbnb, and stayed the weekend. There are a couple little shopping restaurant districts downtown. Beautiful views of the Mississippi River, and I had some good food and beer.
Final Verdict: This is really a gem! Highly recommend. I’m not sure I’d run again (just because I rarely repeat races), but I can see why people do it year over year!