Overall Rating
Overall Rating (1 Review)
4
(1 Rating)  (1 Review)
DIFFICULTY
4
SCENERY
4
PRODUCTION
4
SWAG
4
The Mt. Madonna Challenge is a long-held race through scenic courses of Oak, Manzanita, Eucalyptus, and Redwood trees will give you breathtaking views and provide an ample challenge for all levels of runners! All runners will receive first class support with Aid Stations and volunteers along the course. Register early … MORE
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H (°F)  79  84  75  83  80
L (°F)  54  51  54  52  55
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Recent reviews

    Tessa FIRST-TIMER '16

    Friends co-directed this race, so I will do my best to give an unbiased report. I signed up for this race to support a good cause (youth) and friends that … MORE

    Friends co-directed this race, so I will do my best to give an unbiased report.
    I signed up for this race to support a good cause (youth) and friends that were organizing this event, and to get in a long training run.

    I didn’t have any issues finding the race start even though it is in a remote area. The parking was easy and bib pickup was too. They had colored bibs for the different distances, and the t-shirt is pretty cool too. There were 2 portable potties and someone had placed some antibacterial wipes out for our use which I thought was nice 🙂

    The race has several distances, I signed up for the 30k. We did one small loop, and 2 large loops for the 30k.

    Pros – The course was very well marked with flags and signs. There is one section that had a lollipop and there was no problem figuring it out the first time (we saw the lollipop 3 times for the 30k). Aid stations were really top notch. I’m a big fan of watermelon and ice cold water at aid stations. Although I didn’t need water, I carried enough of my own, they had delicious watermelon at every aid station. They had lots of other food items, more than enough and more options than a lot of races for sure. The volunteers were incredible. They were very friendly and accommodating. At the end of the race they offered pizza and they had ice cold cola. I don’t usually drink coca-cola, but it tastes so good during and after a race.

    The course was really nice! I had never run those particular trails, or not that I remember. The redwoods were beautiful and the views when you get to top of the climbs were lovely, photos were definitely taken during this race. Another really nice thing about this race is that when you are in an exposed area of the trail/course, you always know you have some shade coming up. I never felt overheated. There was little to no traffic on the trails and although there were technical parts of the trail, there were also sections that were soft and very easy to run on. There is some serious climbing though, so be prepared for that.

    Cons – We found out when we got to the start that elevation that was on the website was off, so my taper run was a bit more than I had expected. The distance was longer too, I figured it out after we got done with the 1 & 2nd loops. No biggie for me, and I think they have corrected this on the website. I just think it is important to have the correct information so people that might not be trained for more elevation are prepared.

    I ran this with my daughter-in-law, we both had a lot of fun. We are both looking forward to this race next year!

    DIFFICULTY
    4
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    4
    SWAG
    4
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