Why the success? We take no credit for being good race organizers. We try hard and mostly succeed in doing what we say we will, but it’s not us. It’s the scenery. It’s the elevation. It’s the wildlife (a bear ran in front of a runner last year and there was a wolf on the route two years ago). It’s the camaraderie since there are only 200 runners. It’s “a 10 on the awesome meter” (says runner John Thomson from Idaho who has run two times and has pledged to run each year for the rest of his life). It’s the chance to join an elite and unique experience. It’s the extraordinary opportunity to run a full or half marathon at over 9,000 feet on a good quality gravel road under the Big Sky of Montana. It’s the fact that you know that you could easily record a PW because of the high elevation and the three-mile uphills, but you just won’t care because this marathon really is all about the experience. Running doesn’t get much better than this.

We will cap out from here on out. I hope we get more and more international runners. Always, always be ready at 10:00 AM on May 1 (the opening of online signup) because that’s when the chance of a lifetime begins.

Thanks for cruising through this website. We hope to see you this summer. Stay healthy, stay happy, and keep running forward.

Online registration for this event will be available on May 1, 2013




Madison Duathlon - July 7, 2012
Bike: 15 miles, Run: 5 miles
The Madison Duathlon (bike/run) was the natural expansion of a good idea. The good idea was the Madison Marathon and we did not want to stop with just one good idea so we decided to launch the Madison Duathlon, too. We nearly held the inaugural in 2011, but ran out of time because we had to re-learn route development and permitting.

This year, 2013, will be the 2nd annuall Madison Duathlon. It will be a bike/run event from Ennis to Virginia City in Madison County in the Southwest corner of the great state of Montana. The bike ride will begin on Main Street in Ennis, one of Montana’s most beautiful small towns which is right on the banks of the Madison River. From Ennis, riders will cycle approximately 15 miles into the mountains separating Ennis from the Gold Rush Era town of Virginia City. The route will be about eight miles of asphalt, along Varney Bridge Road, and then eight miles of good quality gravel roads along Shining Mountains Loop Road and Axolotl Lake Road. There will be at least a 1,000 foot gain in elevation (from 5,000 to 6,000) to the transition point.

At the intersection of Axolotl Lake Road and Butcher Creek Road, the bikers will hop off the bike and begin a five mile run to Virginia City. This will be on a dual track dirt/gravel road and mostly at the same elevation. This road is passable by trucks, but is a bit rough for vehicles. Runners will have no trouble navigating the route.

Virginia City was the Territorial Capitol of Montana from 1865 to 1875. It’s a gold rush town in which most of the original buildings are still there and many are still in use. Runner will see it all since the final mile includes a run down one set of back streets and then a final 500 or so yard home stretch right on Main Street to the finish line right in front of the Madison County Courthouse. This is the oldest courthouse still in use in the State of Montana.

Runners, friends, and families then have the entire town of Virginia City to rest, relax, chill with ice cream and other food, and visit one of America’s best preserved gold rush towns. This point-to-point duathlon is a good combination of natural beauty, wildlife, history and heritage, and a competitive challenge for any athlete who loves the West and Montana in particular. We hope you sign up at 10:00 AM on May 1 and make the Madison Duathlon as successful as the Madison Marathon.

Thanks for cruising through this website. We hope to see you this summer. Stay healthy, stay happy, and keep running and cycling forward.

DOWNLOAD THE COURSE MAP

Online registration will be available on May 1, 2013




Madison Triathlon - August 11, 2013
Swim – 1,000 yards in Ennis Lake, Bike: 22 miles, Run: 6 miles
The Madison Triathlon is the final piece of the ‘Madison Trifecta.’
Early on, the goal was to build up to the triathlon after gaining some success with the marathon and duathlon. Well, the marathon success came early and we’re confident that the duathlon will be a success, too. So rather than wait one year for the final piece of the trifecta, we decided to launch it this year.

With the Madison Triathlon in place, we are marketing the Madison Trifecta – the greatest sporting series in Montana. Any athlete who completes all three events within a calendar year receives awards and accolades deserving of such a feat. The award is the TBA Award. TBA stands for ‘Total Bad Ass’ because anyone crazy or tough enough to complete all three events in a single summer IS a total bad ass.

The Madison Triathlon will start with a triangle-shaped point to point 1,000 yard swim in Ennis Lake. This lake is at 5,000 feet and quite cool, but it’s not frigid cold like some Montana lakes. The location of the swimming starting line is at Kobayashi Beach on the eastern edge of the lake. From here, the athletes will immediately transition to the cycling leg which is approximately 22 miles long. This leg is about 90 percent on dual track gravel roads of which more than half are good quality gravel roads easily passable in a standard car. There will be about a one mile stretch of asphalt including crossing US Highway 287. The actual route is on North Ennis Lake Road to North Meadow Creek Road (passing through McAllister) and then eventually into the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. While in the National Forest, the cyclists will be on Forest Road 161 and headed to Potosi Hot Springs Campground. The route is fairly consistently uphill and the final few miles will be more along the lines of a 4-wheel jeep road than a gravel road. Cyclists will gain close to 3,000 feet of elevation (from 5,000 to almost 8,000 feet). The running leg is on Potosi Hot Springs Road and is 6 miles long. The transition point is at Potosi Hot Springs Campground and the run is almost entirely on a public gravel road that leads to the incredibly wonderful town of Pony Montana. Pony used to have about 10,000 residents due to a rich silver mine, but now is down to less than 100 wonderful people, a beautiful park, an infamous bar, and it’s all surrounded by a cirque of mountains that you’ll never forget.

The Madison Triathlon is not for the faint of heart. It’s kind of long, at somewhat high elevation (though nothing like the Madison Marathon), will be a limited support race, and just plain won’t be easy. It’s no Iron Man, but it’s also no sprint triathlon. We hope it attracts the Iron Man-types who absolutely love triathlons and will do it for the beauty and uniqueness as well as the spring-tri types who will do it for the athletic challenge and the beauty.

All are welcome. Please join us and better yet make this the third event of the summer and earn yourselves a TBA award.

We hope you sign up at 10:00 AM on May 1 and make the Madison Triathlon the capstone of your summer. Thanks for cruising through this website. We hope to see you this summer. Stay healthy, stay happy, and keep swimming, cycling, and running forward.

DOWNLOAD THE COURSE MAP

Online registration will be available on May 1, 2013




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