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CHOOSE YOUR DISTANCE
ENDURANCE COMES IN ALL DISTANCES. FIND YOURS?
REGISTER FOR A RACE & RUNNING CLUB IN:
______________________________________________________________________________________ HOW DO THE ENDURANCE CHALLENGE EVENTS STACK UP?
As you consider each Endurance Challenge event, you will note that we have included a rating system for each race. In this way, we try to give you a broad idea of the course’s elevation change, technical terrain, overall difficulty, and even scenery.
But that, admittedly does not give you the full story. For example, how does the Madison Gore-Tex® 50-Mile compare to the Endurance Challenge Gore-Tex® 50-Mile Championship in San Francisco? To answer that question, we present these rankings:
10K & HALF MARATHON COMPARISON
Overall Difficulty – Ranked from most difficult to least:
1. Bear Mountain, NY: Steep and as technical at they come.
2. Seattle-Bellingham, WA: Occasionally technical with one very steep section.
3. San Francisco, CA: Overall, not very technical, but with sustained climbs and descents.
4. Washington, DC: ; Rolling course with some sections that require close attention.
5. Madison, WI: Non-stop hills on run-able terrain.
50K & 50-MILE COMPARISON
Overall Difficulty – Ranked from most difficult to least:
1. Bear Mountain, NY: Relentlessly steep – potentially the most difficult 50-miler east of the Mississippi and definitely one of the most challenging in the country.
2. San Francisco, CA: Fire road sections and stunning scenery offset the fact that this is a bear of a course: relentless ups and downs, with some very technical sections.
3. Seattle-Bellingham, WA: Big climbs, steep sections, and dicey mud combine to make this a true test.
4. Madison, WI: Rarely a flat spot, with rollers that will always tax the calves or quadriceps – very run-able stretches will make road-runners feel right at home.
5. Washington, DC: Along with Madison, a great first-time ultramarathon, with gently undulating terrain, scenic vistas over the Potomac, and some rock scrambling thrown in for good measure.
