Lot’s of climbing in the coastal mountains, old growth redwoods, and steep canyons outside San Franciso make this one tough race that is worthy of a “Championship Event.” Single tracks, fire roads, and a lot’s of hills give this course variety which tests all runner’s strengths and weaknesses.
TNF Endurance Challenge 50 Mile from The Endurables on Vimeo.
The distance seems a just shy of 50 miles and the official ascent statistics of over 10,000′ seem pretty huge. I plan on attaching my Timex WS4 Altimeter to a racer to get the most accurate ascent details. For distance, the truth is probably somewhere in between my calculations of 47.8 miles and TNFs 50. Our biggest difference is between Muir Beach and Tennessee Valley on the return. I pegged this distance around 4 miles to their 5.
I’m not sure who comes up with the technical rating of 2 of 5 which I feel is bit an understatement. After the Pantol Aid Station the course drops into Steep Ravine which is a fierce downhill single track which includes some slippery creek crossings and a ladder to navigate a 10′ drop….and oh ya, and those roots and rocks and things. The Alpine, Bootjack, Lost, and Sun trails also add difficulty which should at least be worthy of a 3.
In summary, it is a pretty tough race with plenty of hills with a new crushing climb, Coyote Ridge, at a point in the race when racers will probably be wondering when it will end.
Here is a cool video of the 2009 Race with Uli and Geoff cranking along the Panoramic and Redwood Trails.
Uli Steidl’s (2007 Winner) Race Review
For Training with our group, see: The Endurables
For More Info: The North Face