A steep and technical 25K course run on single-track trails in the Tillamook State Forest. In this 15-mile race, runners will summit two mountains – Elk and Kings – and involve 5,800 feet of gain. There are a number of sections requiring small scrambles as well as very steep descents on rocky – and sometimes muddy trails.
The Mountain Marathon course is burly! You run up Elk mountain twice, once from the backside and then from the front and you summit Kings mountain twice. This race has 8,000 feet of gain in just 27.5 miles.
The 50K, is less technical but run on single-track trails all along the Wilson River Trail and has 6500ft of gain. It is a double out and back.
So you thought the Elk-Kings 25K was steep and technical? This new distance, the mountain marathon, is really not for the faint-of-heart. It’s for those who eat class 3 scrambles for breakfast, bombing descents for lunch, and hill repeats for dinner. Plus it is a bit longer than a marathon – you’ll run for 27.5 mile – it’s in the mountains afterall. You’ll get 8,000 feet of gain. Yes, that was 8,000′ of climbing and a little more than that in descending. BURLY!