Black Hills 100M/50M/30K Race Packet

Transcription

1 Black Hills 100M/50M/30K Race Packet SCHEDULE OF EVENTS What When Where Thursday, June 25, M Packet Pickup 1:00-6:00 PM Sturgis City Park Stock Shelter Note: There will not be a formal pre-race meeting. If you have questions, ask them at packet pickup. Friday, June 26, M Check-in 9:00-9:55 AM Sturgis City Park Stock Shelter 100M Start 10:00 AM Sturgis City Park 30K/50M Packet Pickup 1:00-6:00 PM Sturgis City Park Stock Shelter Saturday, June 27, M Bus Leaves 4:00 AM Sturgis City Park 50M Check-in 5:00-5:55 AM Silver City Community Hall 50M Start 6:00 AM Silver City Community Hall 30K Bus Leaves 8:00 AM Sturgis City Park 30K Check-in 8:00-8:55 AM Runkle Road, 0.5 mile before Elk Creek TH 30K Start 9:00 AM Runkle Road, 0.5 mile before Elk Creek TH Final Cutoff for All Events 8:00 PM Sturgis City Park Sunday, June 28, 2015 Awards 9:00 AM Sturgis City Park Stock Shelter DIRECTIONS TO THE START All three events start and finish at the Stock Shelter in City Park in Sturgis, SD. The Stock Shelter at the park is our base of operations for the weekend and is located immediately west of Woodle Field (the high school football field and track), which is located on Blanche St. in the northeastern corner of town. If you are coming into Sturgis via Interstate 90, take Exit 32 (Junction Ave.) and turn north (right if you

2 arrived from the east, left if you arrived from the west) onto Junction Ave. Follow Junction Ave. north until you reach the intersection with Lazelle St. near downtown. Take a right on Lazelle St. and follow it until you see Blanche St. on the left. Note: there are two ways to get to the park off of Junction, each marked by a large wooden sign that says Woodle Field. Blanche St. is the 2 nd wooden sign (Tom s Tees shirt shop will be on the left). Either way will eventually get you to Woodle, but taking the 2 nd left is the most direct route. If you find yourself driving past the city park and soccer fields on your left, you ve gone too far. If you drive through a somewhat narrow canyon and emerge near Sturgis Brown High School and the Fort Meade Veterans Administration Hospital, you ve gone way too far (although you can get a sneak peak of the Ft. Meade trailhead, which is at mile 1 of the race). DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTION Elevation at Start/Finish: 3,400 ft. Max Elevation: 5,450 ft. Total Elevation Gain (100M): 16,231 ft. Total Elevation Gain (50M): 7,000 ft. (estimated) Total Elevation Gain (30K): 2,900 ft. (These are estimates, based off of GIS data and mapping software. We can almost guarantee that whichever GPS device you have will tell you something different. The point is, you ll go up, then you ll go down, and then you ll repeat that pattern several times). 100M The 100M course primarily follows the Centennial Trail (Trail #89), other than a short section of city bike path and several miles along the Deerfield Trail (Trail #40), as described below. For the most part, the trail is well-traveled and fairly easy to follow using only the standard BLM/Forest Service trail markers (either a brown carsonite post in the ground or a diamond-shaped sign tacked to trees, both of which are distinguished by a buffalo skull and the number 89 ; the Deerfield Trail is of course numbered 40 and has a deer hoof print instead of the buffalo skull). The course will be marked with additional flagging and signage in any areas where there could be the chance for confusion, particularly at trail intersections. The 100M race begins at the City Park in Sturgis. Runners will head east from the start/finish line, following the paved city bike path out of town for approximately 1.2 miles (this is the only paved section of the course, other than a few highway crossings later on). Just before reaching the Ft. Meade trailhead, the bike path goes through a tunnel, which passes under Highway 34/79, taking runners from the north side of the highway to the south side without having to dodge traffic. The underpass leads directly to the Ft. Meade trailhead where your journey on the Centennial Trail begins. The first section of the Centennial Trail travels up and down some grass and pine covered hills adjacent to the Fort Meade Veterans Hospital, which you ll occasionally catch a glimpse of off to your left. At about mile 2, the trail skirts up against a gravel road (Horse Soldier Rd.) before taking off to the left, away from the road briefly. Just past mile 3, the trail again meets Horse Soldier Rd., this time crossing it

3 and beginning the first big climb of the day. This climb will last the better part of a mile as the trail ascends the hill. The trail in this area is a combination of two-track roads and timber skid trails. While a couple of other routes diverge off of the actual trail, for the most part it s pretty obvious which route is the main one.when in doubt, go up. Eventually, the climbing ends and after rolling along the road along the top of the ridge, a single-track trail dives sharply off the other side of the hill back toward Horse Soldier Rd. and the first aid station at the Alkali Creek trailhead, approximately 5.7 miles from the start. After leaving Alkali Cr., the trail crosses some grassy slopes while paralleling Interstate 90 briefly. At approximately mile 6, the course crosses under the interstate, passing through a tunnel. This tunnel also houses Alkali Cr., so there is the potential to get wet, although Alkali Cr. is not a year-round stream and there typically isn t much water in the tunnel. After passing under the interstate, the course heads southwest toward the main body of the Black Hills. The first stretch after the tunnel is an open grassy area with the Black Hills National Cemetery to the left. As the trail hits the base of the Hills, it begins switchbacking up for a steady 3 mile climb known as Bulldog. Thanks to the switchbacks, this climb isn t as strenuous as the first and is entirely runnable if you re feeling good. And if you re not feeling good this early on, you might be in for a long day. When you reach the top of the ridge, you ll be about 9.5 miles into the race and will have a pretty good view of the foothills and prairies off to the northeast. From the top of Bulldog, the trail drops sharply down the other side (much less switchbacking on the way down). After about a half-mile of screaming downhill, you ll find yourself at the Bulldog aid station at mile 10. After leaving Bulldog, the trail rolls along a relatively flat stretch through the drainage. You will cross Bulldog Gulch a few times, but there likely won t be much water to worry about. Crossing the creek while keeping your feet dry should be doable as long as there hasn t been a torrential rain (in which case your feet will be wet anyway). After crossing the creek, the trail winds through the drainage bottom for a bit before beginning another climb up to the Twin Peaks. The climb up to the ridge is a fairly good grind, mostly straight up, on some rocky trail. Not really technically rocky, as in large rocks that must be climbed over and stepped between, but a lot of loose shale on the trail. Once you reach Twin Peaks, the trail crosses another timber sale area as evidenced by a general lack of overstory trees (there are a few, they re just spaced out) and multiple logging slash piles. This area is criss-crossed with a few different trails used by mountain bikers and ATV riders, making it easy to veer off in the wrong direction. Rest assured, we ll have ample flagging and/or signage in place to identify the Centennial Trail and keep you on track. After some relatively level running (which there is a distinct lack of on this course), the trail starts to drop down the other side of the ridge toward the Elk Creek trailhead, which is located along Runkle Rd. Note that you will cross one other fairly well-maintained road about a mile before reaching Runkle Rd., so don t be confused or alarmed if you reach a road and there isn t a trailhead or aid station there. You will see a sign near that road that says Trailhead 1 Mile and the trail itself is obvious and easy to follow. Cross the first road, head up and over a small rise and you ll drop down onto Runkle Rd. and the Elk Creek aid station/trailhead in no time. This is the third full aid station on the course at approximately mile 17. Elk Creek is also the first drop bag location. We suggest that all runners have a fresh pair of shoes and socks in their bags at Elk Creek, the reason being

4 that you will cross Elk Creek itself multiple times just past the aid station. In 2011, Elk Creek was flowing about mid-calf high on us (and we re both 6 3 or so) early in the race and much higher after bit of a downpour (okay, a torrential downpour) during the night was MUCH drier and all of the creek crossings were bone dry saw some flow, but it was pretty meager by race day. In 2014, we had the torrential rain the night before and morning of the race, and the creek was again flowing pretty good. So far, 2015 has been much drier and, consequently, Elk Creek is very low, but you ll still get your feet wet. Obviously, the dry shoes and socks won t do you much good after you ve already left the aid station and crossed the creek, but you may want them for the return trip. You can also place some in your Dalton Lake drop bag for the outbound journey, but you should plan on about 12 miles of wet feet before you get there. After leaving the aid station, the trail continues heading gradually downhill for a little over a mile before the crossings of Elk Creek began. Within a half to two-thirds of a mile stretch, you will cross the creek a total of 5 times. Some of these are pretty narrow crossings, while others are larger. As mentioned above, some years Elk Creek is a legitimate creek and others it s nothing but a dry creekbed. If there is water flowing, be careful while crossing, because the rocks on the creek bottom tend to be slick. We will have ropes in place at each crossing, whether the creek is flowing or not, to aid the 100 mile runners who will have to cross after dark (the location of the trail on the opposite side of the creek isn t always blatantly obvious). Once you ve made it completely across the creek, you ll enter a stretch we refer to as The Jungle due to the dense foliage along the creek bottom. Don t worry, there aren t any jaguars in this jungle. Mountain lions, maybe. Just kidding. Sort of. Just remember, the key to mountain lions is that you don t have to outrun the lion, you just have to outrun any other humans who are nearby (seriously though, don t run at all see the discussion on hazards later in this packet). After crossing the creek and traversing The Jungle, it s time to start heading back up.and up.and up. While not overly steep, the climb out of the Elk Creek drainage is a fairly long grinder. The trade-off for this grueling climb is some pretty spectacular views. Once you gain some elevation, you ll be able to look back down at Elk Creek below and marvel that you were just down there not so long ago. Also to be found along this climb is the tree we have dubbed the Crooked Tree (original, huh?) at about mile You ll know it when you see it perched above the right side of the trail in the middle of the climb. For a clue as to what it looks like, look carefully at the buffalo skull in our race logo. Five and a half miles beyond the Elk Creek trailhead/aid station, and about two miles beyond The Crooked Tree, you ll come to an old Forest Service logging road, which serves as the location of the Crooked Tree aid station at mile Remember that the aid station bearing the Crooked Tree name is NOT at the Crooked Tree itself. It is beyond the tree, after the trail has ascended a bit more. After leaving the Crooked Tree aid station, the trail continues upwards through the timber, switchbacking several times and crossing other abandoned logging roads. This is one of those climbs where you will probably think, several times, that you can see the top just ahead. More likely than not, you are wrong. Eventually, though, you will achieve the ridgeline and a fairly flat and runnable section of trail. Along this section, you ll be offered a nice panoramic view of the Hills off to the west (your right).

5 After taking in the view, you will continue on and up another short rise before you ll begin your descent toward Dalton Lake. During the descent, the single track trail will turn right onto another old logging road for a short while (this road stretch is actually slightly uphill). The road goes up through a gate and then the trail drops off sharply to the left and you re back on single track. As usual, this will all be very clearly marked on race day. At several points, you ll be able to catch glimpses of the valley below and it will probably seem like there is still a lot of elevation left to lose, but never fear, you will lose that elevation fairly quickly. As the trail nears Dalton Lake, it switchbacks a few times across the slope and before you know it the lake itself will be visible below. Follow the trail all the way to the bottom and you ll find the Dalton Lake aid station just below the dam at mile As mentioned before, this is the second drop bag location and a good place to collect dry footwear after your crossing of Elk Creek about 11 miles ago. After leaving Dalton Lake, things get interesting. We know, interesting can be a dangerous word. What it means in this context is that after leaving Dalton Lake, the Centennial Trail is a mixed-use trail for the next 13 miles to the Pilot Knob trailhead. That means it is open to, and heavily used by, ATVs. Consequently, the trail is wider and much more rocky and rugged in this section than in any other previous section. After leaving Dalton Lake, the trail crosses Forest Rd 224 and climbs several hundred feet in less than a 1/2 mile. Stay to your right and continue east for about 1 mile. The trail then veers left (south) and begins another climb over a rocky section. The footing in this section can be tricky, especially in the dark. This is probably the most technical section of the course and, for those of you from back east, may bring back fond (or maybe not-so-fond) memories of some of the notoriously rocky eastern ultras. This is also the section of the course, along with the section between Nemo and Pilot Knob, where it is easiest to get off on a side trail that you re not supposed to be on. Up until this point, the Centennial is almost painfully easy to follow, but that s not necessarily the case through the 13+ miles of motorized trail. Consequently, you will see more prevalent flagging throughout the motorized section, especially nighttime markings (reflective flagging/tape). Once you achieve the ridge above Dalton Lake, the next 4 miles of the Centennial unfold with a series of rocky ascents/descents before reaching the highway near the town of Nemo. From here, you will hang a left on the highway for a short stretch into Nemo and then a right onto Guest Ranch Loop Road, which will, unsurprisingly, take you to the Nemo Guest Ranch at mile 36. After leaving the aid station, you ll continue west through Nemo along Forest Road 140 for about 0.7 mile before rejoining the Centennial trail at the Boxelder Creek trailhead. Nemo itself is pretty small, even by South Dakota standards, but there is a bar there that serves food and offers an opportunity to restock on some basics supplies (but good luck if you go in there asking for some Hammer Gel). We mention this not so much for the runners, but for their crews. From Boxelder Creek the trail continues another 5.8 miles over the last multi-use section of the Centennial. This section is again shared with ATV, horseback, and dirt bike riders, so dial the ipods down

6 and stay alert. As with the previous section between Dalton Lake and Nemo, the trail is much wider and, in some areas, quite rocky. Again, the real trail is slightly less obvious in some locations, so you will see additional course markings along this section to ensure you re following the correct route. If there is significant rainfall, you will also encounter some large puddles and mudpits. There is a fairly significant climb for about the first half of this section before the trail drops down to the next aid station at the Pilot Knob trailhead (mile 43). Like Nemo, there aren t drop bags at Pilot Knob, but the aid station is again easily accessible to crews. Take note that the next section between Pilot Knob and Silver City is the longest distance (about 7.5 miles) between aid stations for the entire course and you could very well be on this stretch in the heat of the late afternoon, so be sure you are stocked with sufficient food/water before leaving Pilot Knob. After enduring just over 13 miles of motorized, rutted, rocky, washed out trail, runners are treated to some of the sweetest single track on the course after leaving Pilot Knob. A short jaunt of trail will take you along a hillside and then up a short powerline corridor before crossing Hwy 385. Be sure to keep a lookout for unaware tourists cruising down the highway before crossing. After crossing the highway, the next few miles of trail is arguably the easiest portion (if any part of a 100 mile trail run can be called easy ) of the course. You ll be treated to a nice, smooth, rolling, twisting single track.the type of single track that is the reason trail runners love trail running. A few miles into this section you will pass a sign pointing toward the Deer Creek TH. DO NOT go to the Deer Creek TH; just keep cruising along the trail you re on. Shortly after that, you ll cross a paved road (Silver City Road) and shortly thereafter will come to the intersection with the Deerfield Trail (#40), which takes off to the west. Hang a right onto the Deerfield trail, which will take you up a fairly short but steep hill before a long descent toward the far western end of Pactola Reservoir and the historic mining town of Silver City. After descending the hill, the trail will cross an open meadow and eventually deposit you onto the Silver City Road just outside of town. There s just a short stretch of pavement into Silver City where you will reach the turnaround at the Community Hall. Halfway done! All that s left is to turn around and repeat the whole thing in reverse! It s all downhill from Silver City (except for the uphill parts). (NOTE: If you want a more detailed description of the return trip, see the 50M course description below.) Mileage Outbound/Inbound 100M AID STATIONS Aid Station Comments Cutoff Times (Inbound Only) (34 hours) City Park Start/Finish 8:00 PM Saturday Alkali Creek 6:30 PM Saturday Bulldog No Crew Access Elk Creek Drop Bag 2:30 PM Saturday Crooked Tree No Crew Access Dalton Lake Drop Bag 10:30 AM Saturday Nemo 7:45 AM Saturday Pilot Knob 6:00 AM Saturday Silver City Drop Bag 3:30 AM Saturday

7 50M New for 2015, the 50M course is now a point to point route, starting at the Silver City Community Hall and following the 2 nd half of the 100M course back to Sturgis. As noted in the schedule of events above, we will have buses running from Sturgis to Silver City on the morning of the race. If you have a crew that can drop you off in Silver City, that s totally fine, just make sure you re there by gun time. The 50M will start just outside the Community Hall and, after a short stretch of pavement on Silver City Rd., will follow the Deerfield trail across an open meadow before hitting the trees and starting a nice, long, warmup climb up the hill (just be glad you re not a 100 miler who has to tackle this hill after having already run 50+ miles). After achieving the summit, the trail will drop down a short distance and you ll hit the intersection with the Centennial trail. DO NOT go right. I mean, you can if you really want, but it s the wrong way. Hang a left on the Centennial and follow it back across Silver City Rd. and past the side trail that leads to the Deer Creek TH. DO NOT go to the Deer Creek TH, continue going straight on the Centennial trail. After a few miles, give or take, you ll cross Hwy 385 and pick up the trail on the opposite side. The trail follows a powerline corridor briefly before skirting along the base of a hill and taking you to your first aid station at the Pilot Knob TH, about 7.5 miles into your run. After leaving Pilot Knob, you ll start in on 13 miles of trail that is open to ATVs. This is the most rugged, rocky, technical section of the course and is also the section with the most side trails, making it the easiest stretch to get off course. Don t get off course. The course always follows the main Centennial trail and we ll have course markings out there to keep you on track. From Pilot Knob, you ll go up a hill, roll along the top for a bit and then drop down to the Boxelder Creek TH. At Boxelder Creek, you ll take a right on the gravel road and follow it into the teeming metropolis of Nemo, where you ll find your second aid station at the Nemo Guest Ranch at mile 14. From Nemo, you ll run out of town, down the highway very briefly to the left and jump back onto the Centennial trail to the right. This section is still motorized, so be on the lookout for ATVers as Nemo is a popular starting point for them. The next section is in many ways a repeat of the previous one: it s rocky, it s rugged, there are a lot of side trails, you ll go up a hill and you ll go down the other side. As you run down the backside of the hill, you ll be running on well-defined road and, about a mile before the next aid station, you ll see a sign pointing left for the Centennial trail. Now, all along we ve been saying to stay on the Centennial, but DO NOT go left here. This is a situation where the Centennial actual branches off on two paths, with that first left turn being for ATVers. If you continue down the road for a bit, you ll come across another route to the left. This route is singletrack trail and is not open to motorized travel. THIS is the trail you want. Of course, we ll have markings out there to guide you on race day, but just be aware. Really, both trails take you to the same place eventually, but the official route is to take the second left. After taking that second left, you ll finish your descent the valley bottom and end up at the Dalton Lake aid station, where you ll have your first opportunity to access a drop bag if you chose to use one. Dalton Lake is right around 21 miles into the race. Upon leaving the Dalton Lake TH, you re back on non-motorized singletrack trail. No more ATVers or random side trails to worry about. The trail will take you across the creek (over a bridge) just below the dam and then into the trees along the south shore of the lake. From there, you ll switchback up the ridge for awhile before emerging onto an old logging road. The trail follows that road to the right, through a gate and then downhill for a short stretch before you ll leave the road again and head left back onto singletrack. From there you ll continue rolling upward until you reach a rocky ridgetop that offers great views of the hills off to your left. You ll cruise along this section briefly before making one

8 more short ascent and then beginning your drop into the Elk Creek drainage. This is a really good section to cruise and take advantage of some nice singletrack downhill. Along the way, just shy of 7 miles from Dalton Lake, you ll come across the Crooked Tree aid station. This aid station is located along an old logging road and is not easily accessible, so no crew access here, but there will be a full aid station where you can get restocked with fuel and water. By this point, you re over halfway done! From the Crooked Tree aid station, you ll continue downhill into the Elk Creek drainage. Granted, it s not ALL downhill; you ll come across a few short uphill sections as the trail weaves back and forth around and across draws, but in general you re heading down. A couple of miles past the aid station, you ll get a great view down into the creek bottom below. From the trail, it looks like a long ways down, but you ll be down there in no time. About 2.5 miles past the aid station, you ll come across the actual crooked tree that is immortalized in our race logo. From the tree itself, you ve got about 3.5 miles to the Elk Creek aid station. But, before you get there, you ll have to deal with Elk Creek itself. Once you reach the drainage bottom, about 1.5 miles shy of the Elk Creek TH, you ll hit the first of five crossings of Elk Creek. The creek itself is a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde.some years it s as dry as a bone, other years it s a raging, thigh-high torrent. Thus far, 2015 has been a relatively dry year and the creek is really low, but you re still almost guaranteed to get your feet wet. We will have ropes in place at each of the crossings. If nothing else, they ll help you locate the trail on the opposite side. Once you ve navigated all five crossings, you ll have about a mile to go before reaching the Elk Creek aid station. The Elk Creek aid station is at about mile 33 of the 50M and is your second (and last) drop bag opportunity. Since you ve been running mostly downhill for awhile now it s about time for some sustained uphill, right? Well, you ll get a few miles of it right after departing Elk Creek. The first mile and a half or so of singletrack will take you up out of the drainage with a few short downhill sections here and there to give your legs a rest. Eventually, the trail hooks up with an abandoned logging road and continues upward. Mind you, this uphill stretch isn t very steep; in fact, it s entirely runnable if you re on fresh legs, but at mile 33+ of a 50 mile race, it s more of a grind. A few miles past the Elk Creek aid station, you ll reach the top of the climb and emerge from the trees into a more open area known as Twin Peaks. The trail winds around this area for over a mile before heading back into the timber and beginning the descent into Bulldog Gulch. The first stretch of this ascent is fairly straight downhill on some loose shale, so watch your footing as you bomb the downhill. Before too long, you ll be back on solid packed dirt trail and continue dropping into Bulldog Gulch. Once you near the bottom of the drainage, the trail will level out some and you ll have some fairly nice and easy flatish running for a mile or two along the drainage bottom. You ll cross Bulldog Gulch a total of three times along the way, but you re only likely to see water at one of the crossings and you shouldn t have any trouble keeping your feet dry.it s a narrow stream without much for water flow. Continue on along the singletrack and you ll eventually hit a short downhill that drops you right into the Bulldog aid station. Like the Crooked Tree aid station, the road into Bulldog is fairly rough, so this aid station isn t crew accessible, but there will be full aid there. Only 10 miles to go! And to start off that final 10 miles, you ll get to grunt up a fairly steep hill. Lucky for you, it s only about a half mile long, but at this point it may seem much further. Once you conquer that push, you ll again be on a ridgetop and this time will have a view out toward Bear Butte and the open prairie to the north and east of the Black Hills. And, after that hill, you ll be rewarded with a nice, easy four mile long downhill cruise toward Alkali Creek. This is all singletrack trail and switchbacks its way down the slope. After a few miles, you ll exit the trees again and come out into an open pasture immediately west of the Black Hills National Cemetery. At this point, you ll be able to see and hear traffic on I-90 to the north. The trail crosses the pasture before going through an underpass to get you past the interstate. Once past

9 the interstate, the trail turns to the right and you re less than a mile from the final aid station at Alkali Creek. When you leave the Alkali Creek aid station, you ve got less than a 10K to go. Don t think about the steepest hill on the course that s still ahead, just think about how close you are to finishing. Right after Alkali, you ll run some singletrack across another pasture before the trail takes a sharp turn to the left and heads straight up the aforementioned steepest hill on the course. This hill probably bears all sorts of colorful names, but the Bitch Pitch is the one we hear the most. Not gonna lie, it sucks. It s cruel and unusual, especially this late in the race. You will probably curse our names. But, think of the stories you ll be able to tell your grandkids. And, really, it s not all that long, just steep. Once you ve finished conquering the beast, you ll run along the ridgetop as the trail follows an old two-track road. You won t be up there for long before the road drops down the other side of the hill (steeply, at a couple points). As you re running down this road this late in the race, it could be very easy to zone out and miss the point where the Centennial trail branches off to the left, so keep an eye out. Again, we ll have it clearly marked on race day, but we all know someone (or have been that someone) who has blown right by obvious course marking in a race. The left turn off of the road will take you down a short drop and across a dirt road (Horse Soldier Rd, if you re curious). At this point, you re on the periphery of the Ft. Meade Veteran s Hospital and the trail will wind around the property, up and down a couple of shorter hills, for a couple of miles with occasional views of the VA buildings below. After one final, short hill, you ll descend down the trail and past the Ft. Meade trailhead. There is not an aid station here as, at this point, you ve got just over a mile to go. Follow the course markings past the trailhead and you ll cross the paved entrance road to the VA and then go down through a tunnel that takes you under Highway 34/79. At the opposite end of the tunnel you ll take a left onto the paved city bike path and follow it all the way back into town. You ll cross one footbridge along the way and then a second one with just over a half-mile to go. After the second footbridge you ll run past the soccer fields and emerge onto the Woodle Field parking lot. Follow the course markings to guide you around the parking lot and back onto the bike path and across the finish line in the city park to the west of Woodle Field. Congrats! Mileage (rounded) 50M AID STATIONS Aid Station Comments Cutoff (14 Hours) 0 Silver City Start 7.5 Pilot Knob 14 Nemo 20.8 Dalton Lake Drop Bag 1:00 PM 27.5 Crooked Tree No Crew Access 33 Elk Creek Drop Bag 3:45 PM 39.7 Bulldog No Crew Access 44.3 Alkali Creek 6:30 PM 50 Sturgis City Park Finish 8:00 PM

10 30K New for 2015 is the Black Hills 30K. Technically, 30K translates to exactly 18 miles, but if you re new to trail/ultra running, just know that often distances are approximate when it comes to these things and it s basically a matter of laying out a course with the most convenient starting and ending points possible. In this case, the Elk Creek trailhead happens to be 17 miles from our established finish line in Sturgis. Given the limited space at the trailhead and the narrow road that accesses it, it wasn t feasible to get busloads of runners all the way to the trailhead. And, besides, 17 miles is too short. Lucky for us, there s a convenient wide spot in the road, perfect for turning around buses, about a half a mile to the west of the Elk Creek trailhead. So, the Black Hills 30K will be 17.5 miles, give or take. Now, on to business As mentioned, the race will start along Runkle Rd, about a half mile before the Elk Creek trailhead. This not only serves the purpose of giving us a place to get the buses turned around and adding a bit of distance to the course, but the road section will give the faster guys and gals a chance to get out front and get themselves sorted out before hitting the singletrack trail. There is technically an aid station at the Elk Creek trailhead at the half mile point, but you really probably shouldn t need any at that point (but feel free to grab something if you really want). At the trailhead, you ll take a left onto the singletrack and start what ends up being about a three mile uphill. The first mile and a half or so of singletrack will take you up out of the drainage with a few short downhill sections here and there to give your legs a rest. Eventually, the trail hooks up with an abandoned logging road and continues upward. A few miles past the Elk Creek trailhead, you ll reach the top of the climb and emerge from the trees into a more open area known as Twin Peaks. The trail winds around this area for over a mile before heading back into the timber and beginning the descent into Bulldog Gulch. The first stretch of this ascent is fairly straight downhill on some loose shale, so watch your footing as you bomb the downhill. Before too long, you ll be back on solid packed dirt trail and continue dropping into Bulldog Gulch. Once you near the bottom of the drainage, the trail will level out some and you ll have some fairly nice and easy flatish running for a mile or two along the drainage bottom. You ll cross Bulldog Gulch a total of three times along the way, but you re only likely to see water at one of the crossings and you shouldn t have any trouble keeping your feet dry.it s a narrow stream without much for water flow. Continue on along the singletrack and you ll eventually hit a short downhill that drops you right into the Bulldog aid station. The road into Bulldog is fairly rough, so this aid station isn t crew accessible, but there will be full aid there. 7.5 miles done, 10 to go! And to start off that final 10 miles, you ll get to grunt up a fairly steep hill. Lucky for you, it s only about a half mile long, but can seem much further. Once you conquer that push, you ll again be on a ridgetop and this time will have a view out toward Bear Butte and the open prairie to the north and east of the Black Hills. And, after that hill, you ll be rewarded with a nice, easy four mile long downhill cruise toward Alkali Creek. This is all singletrack trail and switchbacks its way down the slope. After a few miles, you ll exit the trees again and come out into an open pasture immediately west of the Black Hills National Cemetery. At this point, you ll be able to see and hear traffic on I-90 to the north. The trail crosses the pasture before going through an underpass to get you past the interstate. Once past the interstate, the trail turns to the right and you re less than a mile from the final aid station at Alkali Creek. When you leave the Alkali Creek aid station, you ve got less than a 10K to go. Don t think about the steepest hill on the course that s still ahead, just think about how close you are to finishing. Right after Alkali, you ll run some singletrack across another pasture before the trail takes a sharp turn to the left

11 and heads straight up the aforementioned steepest hill on the course. This hill probably bears all sorts of colorful names, but the Bitch Pitch is the one we hear the most. Not gonna lie, it sucks. It s cruel and unusual, especially this late in the race. You will probably curse our names. But, think of the stories you ll be able to tell your grandkids. And, really, it s not all that long, just steep. Once you ve finished conquering the beast, you ll run along the ridgetop as the trail follows an old two-track road. You won t be up there for long before the road drops down the other side of the hill (steeply, at a couple points). As you re running down this road this late in the race, it could be very easy to zone out and miss the point where the Centennial trail branches off to the left, so keep an eye out. Again, we ll have it clearly marked on race day, but we all know someone (or have been that someone) who has blown right by obvious course marking in a race. The left turn off of the road will take you down a short drop and across a dirt road (Horse Soldier Rd, if you re curious). At this point, you re on the periphery of the Ft. Meade Veteran s Hospital and the trail will wind around the property, up and down a couple of shorter hills, for a couple of miles with occasional views of the VA buildings below. After one final, short hill, you ll descend down the trail and past the Ft. Meade trailhead. There is not an aid station here as, at this point, you ve got just over a mile to go. Follow the course markings past the trailhead and you ll cross the paved entrance road to the VA and then go down through a tunnel that takes you under Highway 34/79. At the opposite end of the tunnel you ll take a left onto the paved city bike path and follow it all the way back into town. You ll cross one footbridge along the way and then a second one with just over a half-mile to go. After the second footbridge you ll run past the soccer fields and emerge onto the Woodle Field parking lot. Follow the course markings to guide you around the parking lot and back onto the bike path and across the finish line in the city park to the west of Woodle Field. Congrats! 30K AID STATIONS Mileage Aid Station Comments Cutoff (rounded) 0 Runkle Road Start 0.5 Elk Creek 7.5 Bulldog No Crew Access 12 Alkali Creek 17.5 Sturgis City Park Finish 8:00 PM

12 CREW DRIVING DIRECTIONS Sturgis City Park to Alkali Creek TH (1st Aid Station) Driving Distance - 5 miles From Woodle Field, return to Lazelle Street. Go right, and proceed to the first stop light at the intersection of Lazelle St. and Junction Ave. Go left, and proceed south 2 miles on Junction Ave to Interstate 90, exit 32. Take a left and head East on I-90 two miles to exit 34 (Black Hills National Cemetery). Take the off ramp at exit 34, go left, and proceed under the I-90 overpass. Straight ahead you will see the following sign. Take a left and follow the BLM RD 1/2 mile to the Alkali Creek TH/Aid Station. Alkali Creek TH to Elk Creek TH (2nd Aid Station) Driving Distance miles From Alkali Creek, return to I-90 exit 34. Go right, and head west 2 miles on I-90 to exit 32. Take the off ramp at exit 32. On your right you will see the following sign for Vanocker Canyon.

13 Merge into the left lane, and take a left at the stop sign. Drive under I-90, and proceed south on Vanocker Canyon Rd 6.9 miles to the turnoff for the Elk CreekTH. You will see the following Centennial Trail Trailhead sign for Elk Cr. on your right and Runkle RD on your left. Take a left on Runkle RD, and proceed 2.4 miles to the Elk Creek TH. Elk Creek TH to Dalton Lake TH (3rd Aid Station) Driving Distance miles From Elk Creek, return to Vanocker Canyon Rd. Take a left on Vanocker, and proceed 6.5 miles to the turnoff for the Dalton Lake TH. You will see the following Centennial Trail Trailhead sign on your right and Dalton Lake RD sign on your left.

14 Take a left on Dalton Lake RD, and proceed 4 miles to the Dalton Lake TH/Campground. Dalton Lake TH to Nemo (4th Aid Station) Driving Distance miles From Dalton Lake, return to Vanocker Canyon Rd. Take a left on Vanocker Canyon Rd., and proceed 3.5 miles to the intersection of Nemo Rd. and Vanocker Rd. At the stop sign, go left on Nemo Rd. and proceed 1/2 mile to town of Nemo. Just past the Nemo Guest Ranch sign, on your right you will see the following Centennial Trail sign. Take a right at this sign, and proceed to Nemo Guest Ranch, where the aid station is located. Nemo to Pilot Knob TH (5th Aid Station) Driving Distance miles From the Nemo Guest Ranch, return to Nemo Rd. Take a right on Nemo Rd., and proceed 1.7 miles to Merritt Estes Rd (County Rd 208). You will see the following Highway 385 sign on your right and Merritt Estes RD on your left.

15 Take a right on Merritt Estes Rd (County Rd 208) and proceed 4.4 miles to Pilot Knob TH. Pilot Knob TH to Silver City Community Hall (6th Aid Station) Driving Distance - 8 miles From Pilot Knob TH, take a right on Merritt Estes Rd., and proceed 1 mile to the intersection of Highway 385. You will see the following business straight ahead. Take a left on Highway 385 and proceed 2.8 miles. Be on the lookout for the Silver City Road and signs for the Deer Creek TH on your right. The Whispering Pines campground is located at the intersection of Hwy. 385 and Silver City Rd. Take a right on Silver City Rd. and follow it 4.5 miles until you Near Silver City. Just as you re approaching town, you ll see the Community Hall to the right.

16 RACE RULES 1. All runners MUST check-in on race morning (Friday for 100Mers, Saturday for everyone else) so that we know you have started the race and are on the course. If you do not check-in, we will assume that you did not start and will list you as a DNS. Consequently, no one will look for you if you should become lost. 2. Runner bib must be worn on the front and outside of whatever clothing you are wearing. Aid station volunteers need to know your number so they can check you in. It is the runner s responsibility to insure that you have been checked into and out of each manned aid station. 3. ABSOLUTELY NO LITTERING! You will be disqualified if you, your crew or your pacers are caught littering. We operate under permit from the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. In order to remain in good standing with these organizations and ensure that the race can be permitted in future years, we must respect the course and the land it covers. Not to mention that we have personally put a lot of work into maintaining and improving these trails both for the race and for our own personal use throughout the year. 4. No aid is allowed from a moving bike/vehicle. 5. Any runner accepting a ride for any reason is out of the race. 6. Runners must follow the marked course at all times. If you should inadvertently depart from the course, you must return to the point where you left the course and continue from there (i.e., no bushwacking and joining up with the course at a different location). 7. Runners/crew may not stash supplies along the trail. 8. Crew members, please remember that pets must be leashed at all times and should never be on the course. We love dogs as much as anyone, but please have them under control to avoid any potential mishaps. 9. All decisions of medical personnel or the aid station captain are final. If a medic tells you that you shouldn t continue running, you should probably listen to them. They are medics. You are (probably) not. Likewise, if an aid station captain tells you that you ve missed a cutoff, keep in mind that our cutoffs are fairly generous. If you miss one, it means that you re no longer on the brink of the final cutoff pace but well behind it and the odds of making up a bunch of time late in the race aren t all that great. 10. Pacers for 100M runners may accompany their runner from the Silver City aid station (mile 50), or at any manned aid station beyond that point, to the finish. Any runner over 60 years old may have a pacer for the whole distance. Pacers may meet their runner ONLY at crew access aid stations. To ensure that we know how many people are out on the course at all times, pacers MUST check in and out at the aid stations, leaving their names before heading off with their runner. A runner may have only one pacer at a time. We will have PACER bibs available at packet pickup. Please have your pacer(s) wear one so aid station personnel know who they are.

17 11. Pacers are not allowed for 50M or 30K runners. 12. No muling. Runners must carry their own supplies and not use their pacer as a pack mule. This isn t Leadville. 13. All parking signs must be followed. No parking is allowed in driveways or along private roads. All parking at aid stations must be out of traffic and must not block roads or driveways. Crews must follow directions of aid station personnel. While parking areas are available at each trailhead/aid station, the amount of space may be limited on race day depending on runner/crew traffic. Please be cautious when driving/maneuvering near the trailheads. 14. If you decide to drop from the race, make certain that proper procedures are followed: THE RUNNER OR CREW MUST NOTIFY RACE PERSONNEL AT ONCE, AT THE CLOSEST AID STATION. This policy is for your safety. We want to keep track of our runners along the course. Each year we end up trying to track down someone who may or may not be missing and it turns out they are in their hotel and no longer on the course. We would prefer not to do this. 15. Extra supplies may be left at check-in on Thursday (100M) or Friday (50M) for delivery to the aid stations that you specify. See the list of available drop-off points. Supplies must be in a durable bag/box, clearly marked with the runners bib number and the station to which it is to be delivered. Most drop bags will be returned to the finish line by Saturday evening or early Sunday morning at the latest. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST, STOLEN OR FORGOTTEN ARTICLES. ARRANGEMENTS MUST BE MADE IN ADVANCE FOR RETURN OF ANY ITEMS NOT PICKED UP ON SUNDAY. 16. No times will be given for completing a distance shorter than the one you were registered for. For example, if you are entered in the 100 and drop at Silver City (mile 50), you WILL NOT be given a 50 mile finish time. You will be considered a DNF for the We do not offer refunds. Under extenuating circumstances we will roll over a registration to the next year. You may switch events if you contact us via by June 24, 2015, the last day of registration; however, we are unable to issue refunds for the price difference. After June 24th, you are locked into the event for which you are registered unless you re an extremely gifted sweet talker. Bribing us with beer might help your cause. Ryan prefers Keystone Light. Chris drinks real beer. 18. Abuse of volunteers, both verbal and most certainly physical, will not be tolerated and will result in disqualification. Volunteers are integral to the success of this and any other ultramarathon. If you are frustrated about something, there is a 99.9% chance that it is not the volunteers fault. If you have complaints, issues, constructive criticism, tirades, rants, etc. and feel the need to be pissed off at someone, please save it for the race directors. To steal a quote from Steve Engbrecht, RD of the Elkhorn Endurance Runs in Montana, As ultra running race directors, we obviously enjoy abuse. 19. All participants must be age 18 or greater.

18 20. Remember, you paid good money for this. No one forced you to do it. Have fun, damn it. PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS Each participant must recognize the potential physical and mental stresses that may result from participation in this event. Runners could be exposed to extreme temperatures (both hot and cold), hypothermia, hyperthermia, kidney failure, seizures, low blood sugar, disorientation, dehydration, falling rocks or trees, wild animals or even death from their participation in this event. All participants sign a waiver upon registering for this event acknowledging that they accept the inherent risks. If any runner has special medical needs, it is their responsibility to account for those needs and have any prescription medications on their person or with their crew. The Black Hills are relatively tame compared to some other areas of the country; there aren t nearly as many things that will bite or sting you here as there are in other climates. For the most part, humans remain at the top of the Black Hills food chain. However, the Hills are home to several creatures that could potentially inflict harm if encountered. If you are allergic to bee stings, it is in your best interest to carry an epi-pen with you at all times, but we probably don t need to tell you that. You probably should tell your pacer if you have one. Yellow jackets and bees are fairly common. The Black Hills also supports a fairly healthy population of mountain lions. To date, there have not been any confirmed cases of a lion attacking a human in South Dakota, but be aware that you could encounter one. If you do encounter a lion, it is best to make yourself appear big, wave your arms, and make some noise. In other words, do the kind of stuff a deer would NOT do.the goal is to convince the lion that you are something other than prey. The worst thing to do is to turn tail and run away, which is exactly what a deer WOULD do (because they obviously did not read this packet). This only serves to kick in a lion s predator instinct. Instead, keep the lion in sight for as long as possible and slowly walk away. Keep in mind that mountain lions are somewhat like large house cats in that they are very curious. This curiosity is often translated by humans as boldness, or the sense that the lion is stalking them, when in reality the lion is just checking things out. Back to the food chain thing, lions are well aware that they are also near the top of it and often don t see humans as a threat. Again, that lack of fear can be construed as boldness or even aggression when, really, the lion is just doing its thing and trying to figure out why all these crazy-ass two-legged creatures are slogging up and down the trail at all hours of the night. As stated above, if you can convince the lion that you re not a deer or some other form of prey, they will in all likelihood leave you alone. If necessary, toss some sticks or rocks, but above all, keep calm (well, as calm as possible under the circumstances). Officially, black bears do not live in the Black Hills. Occasionally, one wanders over from Wyoming, but your chances of encountering one is somewhere between slim and none. Grizzly bears were extirpated from the Black Hills in the early 1900s; the nearest existing population is near Yellowstone Park. If you think you see either, you might want to do a self-assessment because you re getting into that hallucination stage. Same goes for wolves. Coyotes we do have, wolves we do not (yet). Really,