Shriners Hospital    [Pledge Form]
In keeping with Elkhorn tradition, we will be using this event to raise funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children.  A pledge form can be downloaded from our website.  Pledges should be dropped off during packet pick.   

You may either collect funds and turn them in with your pledge form, or Race Management can bill contributors after the event.  Special awards will be given to all participants submitting pledges of $100 or more.  Some type of technical running apparel will be awarded.   

For more information on Shriners Hospitals for Children, go to www.shrinershq.org.

NEW 50K SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY. July 31, 2009
4:00 - 5:00  p.m. Packet pick up at the Elkhorn Fitness Retreat
5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Carbo-loading dinner and mandatory course briefing at the Elkhorn Fitness Retreat.  Dinner for runner and one guest, additional dinner guests are welcome at $5.00 per adult, $2.50 for children under 18

SATURDAY. August 1, 2009

6:30 - 6:50 a.m. Mandatory runner check-in at the starting area, (Race officials must know who is on the course)
7:00 am . - 50 K race start
7:00 p.m. - 50 K race finish

THE AWARDS AND POST RACE CELEBRATION WILL BE AT THE FINISH AREA BEGINNING AT 7:30 PM .   

 Packet pick up/Prerace Dinner/Course Briefing:
Packet pick up, prerace dinner, and course briefing will all take place on Friday, July 31, 2009 at the Elkhorn Fitness Retreat.  Exit Interstate 15 at Montana City (approx. 4.5 miles south of Helena) turn east from the off ramp and south at Papa Ray’s Casino. You will cross Prickly Pear Creek and start uphill ( McClellan Creek Road ). McClellan Creek Road will turn into a maintained dirt road approximately 2.9 miles from Papa Ray’s Casino.  Continue straight past the Strawberry Mountain Road on McClellan Creek Road , approximately 4.3 miles from Papa Ray’s Casino.  At approximately 5.8 miles from Papa Ray’s Casino the road takes a hard left and crosses McClellan Creek.  Approximately 0.2 miles past the creek crossing, a driveway, with a private drive sign, angles uphill to the left.  Take this driveway.  You will continue past one residence, and Elkhorn Fitness Retreat is at the end of the drive.  There will be signs directing traffic to the parking area.

Packet pick up will take place from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. There is no medical check, the waiver you signed on the entry form indicates that you are in good health and physically able to complete the event.

Your entry fee includes a prerace dinner for you and one guest, beginning at 5:00 p.m.   Dinner for additional guests is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for children, payable during packet pick up.

The mandatory course briefing, which will commence no later than 6:30 p.m.

Aid Stations/Cut Off Times/Drop Bags:

There is a cut off time of 12 hours.  Runners finishing after 12 hours will not receive an award.  Runners not meeting the cut off time noted below for the Tepee Creek  aid station will be ask to drop by aid station personnel.  

Aid stations will be manned by volunteers and stocked with food, beverages, first aid supplies, etc.  Please keep in mind that our ability to put on this event depends on our ability to convince people that spending one of our short Montana summer weekends waiting on ultrarunners will be a rewarding experience.  Abuse of aid station volunteers will not be tolerated, and will result in disqualification. If you have a problem, please bring it to the attention of race management.  As ultrarunning race directors, we obviously enjoy abuse.

Each aid station will record the time you left that station.  Make sure that aid station personnel record your presence at that aid station, otherwise, race management will assume that you did not complete the entire course.   

DROP BAGS
Drop bag service will be available at Tepee Creek (2^nd time only) aid station which runners will pass through at the 19 mile point.  (Please note:  Drop bags for Tepee Creek will have to be packed in and out a little over a mile from the nearest trailhead by our volunteers. The volunteers packing your drop bag will likely be the same volunteers manning the aid station and we don’t want them so worn out from carrying heavy drop bags that they cannot assist runners. For everyone’s sake, we ask that these drop bags be kept light.)Race Management reserves the right to remove heavy items from drop bags.  Drop bags must be left in the designated areas at the Start/Finish line the morning of the race. Drop bags will be returned at the post race awards celebration.  Later finishers may have to pick up drop bags on Sunday morning.  

Start/Finish Area Directions:
The race starts and finishes at the Crystal Creek campground. Primitive camping is available at the start/finish area.  From Montana City follow the same directions as to Elkhorn Fitness Retreat except continue on McClellan Creek Road at the driveway to the Fitness Retreat.  Approximately ½ mile past the driveway to the Fitness Retreat you will see the Campground on the right (do not turn left towards East Helena ).  Additional parking is available on the left side of the road.

Race Morning Check In:
All participants must check in with race management between 6:30 and 6:50 a.m. on race morning.  We need to verify who is actually on the course so that someone will look for you should you get lost.  Any participants who do not check in on race morning will not be considered official participants and are not eligible for finisher’s awards. 

Post Race Dinner/Awards:

The post race celebration and award ceremony will commence at 7:30 p.m. at the start finish area.  Your entry fee includes the post race dinner and refreshments for you and one guest.  Dinner for additional guests is $5.00 for adults and $2.50 for children under 18, payable at the awards ceremony.  (There will be food and beverages available for runners as they finish the race.)

All runners finishing under the 12 hour cut off time will receive a finisher’s award.  Male and female age group winners for all age divisions will receive awards.

 Weather:
Early August weather in Montana is generally comfortably cool at night and hot and dry during the day.  Precipitation in early August is generally due to afternoon thunderstorms, and the Elkhorn Mountains are thunderstorm magnets. Portions of the course have high exposure to lightning.

It is the runner’s responsibility to be aware of conditions and take appropriate actions to ensure personal safety.

Typically, in early August one should expect temperatures at the start of the race to be in the 45-55 degrees F range, and warming to the 85-95 degree F range during the afternoon.

 Course Description: 
From the start/finish area runners will start uphill on Forest Service Road 294 to the McClellan Creek Trailhead, Trail 343 (1.5 miles). Approximately ¼ mile up Trail 343 runners will turn right on McClellan Creek Trail 302.  Approximately 2.5 miles up the trail from this point runners will enter the Tepee Creek Aid Station (aid station #1, 4 miles) The course continues uphill on Trail 302 until it intersects with Trail 113 (aid station #2, 7 miles).  Runners turn left from the aid station on Trail 113 and turn right on Trail 114 (Moose Creek).  This trail rolls up and down briefly before turning downhill to the intersection with Forest Service Road 4032 (11 miles).  Turn right, which begins a gradual uphill on Forest Service Road 4032 and stay on the road to its intersection with Trail 113 (aid station #3, 12.5 miles).  Runners will head uphill on Trail 113 to its intersection with Trail 302 (aid station #4, 15.5 miles), and then backtrack downhill on Trail 302 to its intersection with Trail 301 (aid station #5, 19 miles). 

From aid station #5, the course is steep uphill on Trail 301 until dropping back down into Casey Meadows (22.5 miles).  From Casey Meadows runners will continue on Trail 301, uphill out of Casey Meadows and then generally contouring along the mountain side to Trail 344 (24 miles).  Runners turn downhill on Trail 344 to its intersection with Trail 343 (aid station #6, 28 miles).  From there runners will continue downhill on Trail 343 to its intersection with Forest Service Road 294, turn right and continue downhill on Forest Service Road 294 to the finish area.

Pacers/Support Vehicles/Crews/Access:
Pacers are only allowed from the Tepee Creek aid station (aid station #5) to the finish.  Support vehicles and crews are welcome, however vehicle access to the course is limited.  Crews may assist, observe, cheer, mock, etc. runners along Forest Service Road 294 ( McClellan Creek Road ). Please remind crew vehicles to give runners the right of way, and to drive slowly to minimize dust.  Runners, do not get into a vehicle unless you are planning to drop out.  Race Management will assume that any runners in vehicles have gotten a ride, and you will be disqualified.

Observation of runners on the jeep road section ( Forest Service Road 4032) is strongly discouraged.  It will take at least four hours to drive to this portion of the course from the start finish area.  Flat tires and dents are likely.  If you insist that your crew meet you on this road, you owe them big time!

 Crews can also meet runners at the Jackson Creek Trailhead (aid station #6) and Tepee Creek aid stations (aid station #1,5).  From the McClellan Creek trailhead off Road 294, follow the signs towards Casey Meadows.  The Jackson Creek Trailhead aid station is an easy hike of approximately 3/4 mile.  The Tepee Creek aid station can be reached from either the McClellan Creek trailhead or the Willard Creek trailhead.  From McClellan Creek start up the trail, and turn right on the McClellan Creek trail approximately ¼ mile from the trailhead.  At approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead, the Willard Creek trail comes in from the right, continue up the McClellan Creek trail another ½ mile and you will be at the Tepee Creek aid station.  This is an uphill hike with a couple of short steeper sections, but is not difficult.  From the Willard Creek trailhead, hike approximately 1 mile, cross McClellan Creek (there is a board to walk across) and intersect the McClellan Creek trail just past the creek crossing, turn right on McClellan Creek trail, ½ mile to the aid station.  The hike on the Willard Creek trail is mostly downhill to the creek crossing, with no real difficult terrain. Willard Creek is a great area to spot moose!    

Area Information:

For area information, events, dining and motel information, etc. please log onto www.helenachamber.com and www.downtownhelena.com.

LODGING within six miles of the Elkhorn Mountain Endurance Runs.

Click on the logo to visit the Travel Montana web site to obtain more information on other exciting things to do while you are in Montana .