The Mt. Spokane Vertical Challenge was redesigned in 2019 for your suffering pleasure, and in addition to our challenging 50k, 26k and 10k courses, we also added a 25k fun run. The new courses were very popular, and we will be offering the same distances and courses for 2020. We …
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The Mt. Spokane Vertical Challenge was redesigned in 2019 for your suffering pleasure, and in addition to our challenging 50k, 26k and 10k courses, we also added a 25k fun run. The new courses were very popular, and we will be offering the same distances and courses for 2020. We have the challenging 50K, 26k, and 10k courses, and a milder 25K fun run for people who want to experience trail running without all the climbing. The 10K route is the same course we have offered in the past as well, with less elevation gain and loss, all on the XC ski routes.
The 26K course: We incorporated more of the State Park, including a decent down to the Bear Creek Lodge. Then you climb all the way to Mt Kit Carson, Day Mountain and eventually Mt Spokane. From the top, you take a new route across the top of the Mountain so we can avoid the paved section of the Summit road. Aid stations are at mile: 4.4, 8.2, 11 and 13 and include Nuun Hydration and Clif nutrition. With over 4600′ of elevation gain and loss, this one will leave a mark!!! And you will earn the extra points for the series.
The 50K course: Can you say EPIC!!! So this is something that is entirely new to any race at Mt. Spokane. Your first 25K is very runnable, utilizing the XC ski trails your ups and downs are mild. But you are above or close to an elevation of 5000′ so the air is thinner than you might be used to. Okay, the second 25k is not as mild. We incorporated more of the state park, including a decent down to the Bear Creek Lodge. Then you climb all the way to Mt Kit Carson, Day Mt and eventually Mt Spokane. From the top, you take a new route across the top of the Mountain so we can avoid the paved section of the Summit road.
Don’t forget you are running at an elevation close to or above 5000′ so the air is thinner than you might be used to. Make sure you hydrate and consume enough calories for this EPIC course!!!
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Beautiful views and well organized!
The views from atop Mt. Spokane were incredible, and the well-maintained single track trail was easy to "cut loose" on when using the Mountain Bike berms around the switchbacks. The … MORE
The views from atop Mt. Spokane were incredible, and the well-maintained single track trail was easy to “cut loose” on when using the Mountain Bike berms around the switchbacks. The aid stations were well maintained & the course was marked clearly (I had never stepped foot in the area until race day, and I didn’t get lost and ran alone most of the race!) The pre-race emails and coordination were top notch, and the race ended up being a small affair or about thirty 26K runners and twenty 50K runners. There was free lunch, a VERY comfortable Patagonia shirt, and I left with an overall positive feeling.