Whiteface Mountain Races

Whiteface

With more vertical gain and loss per mile than possibly any other race in the United States save for the Mt. Marathon, Whiteface is burly. It’s not that it’s overly technical. It’s not. It’s just #BeastCoast steep. You’ll cardio-pulmonary red-line on the ascent. Your quads will sear and your toes beg for submission in jamming the front of your shoes on the descent. This is what you came for. For something big, something beautiful, something really hard. In that moment where you find yourself questioning your life decisions, stop. Look around, enveloped by Adirondack High Peaks, in the footsteps of Olympians who also pushed on this mountain, of some of the best mountain runners in the world who have come before and who are hammering out there with you. Then get back at it. You got this.

Date

May 22, 2027

Location

Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort

5021 NY-86, Wilmington, NY

Metrics

Half Portion:

13.1 Miles / 21k, ~6,960’ G/L

Full Enchilada:

26.2 Miles / 42k, ~11,920’ G/L

Registration

Opens October 15th Here

Start Time

MR / SR: 8:00

Whiteface Mountain Races Evolution

Somewhere around 2013 I’d connected with Karl Meltzer about the possibility of a series using alpine ski resorts for a mountain trail series. Speedgoat was a beast of a model and I was beginning to put together an event using Whiteface which has the distinction of some the greatest vertical metrics in North America. While that series didn’t pan out a vision for Whiteface did.

We used a direct shot course having both a 15 mile SkyRace and 3 mile VK feed into the relaunch of the U.S. SkyRunning Series. While Whiteface couldn’t offer images of jagged peaks and scree fields, what it could was to provide courses with the most gain per mile of anything in North America. The series lasted a couple of years and we saw some of the best mountain runners in the world laying it out.

That series faded, COVID derailed momentum a bit, and we reconfigured to host the 2022 US Mtn Running Championships and Team Qualifier with a single loop mountain course beastie. Co-RD Sarah raced in Europe the next summer, we took a year off. More competition came in, the calendar got a bit more jammed, and despite having the honor of re-joining the Sky world as part of the VK World Series, and the recreated North American Sky Series, the field sizes thinned a bit.

For 2027 we’re honored to evolve into a next chapter. Creating a marathon (and half) distance course using both Alpine and Flume terrain to put together a course that will challenge all angles, from technical alpine footing to flowy trail. And in a package that totals what is probably the most elevation gain per mile of any trail marathon in the world. It would be great to have you join us for what hopefully will be a great weekend in the mountains.

Weekend Timeline

Friday, May 21
- 16:00 – 20:00: All – Events Check-In
  - Permitted Race Morning as well
    - Location:
      - Whiteface Mountain lodge deck overlooking Gondola
Saturday, May 22
- 06:30 - 07:45
  - Check-in at staging area
- 08:00
  - Start of Half & Full Marathons
    - Consists of 1 (Half) or 2 (Full) mountain/flume loops
      - Aid Stations (Water, Electrolyte Drink, munchies @ summit)
        Mid-Mountain: 3.2, 16.3
        Summit: 4.7, 17.9
        Flume: 10.5, 23.6
        Lodge: 13.2
- 12:30
  - 1 Loop Cut-Off at Lodge for Marathon
- 1:00
  - Awards Ceremony at Base
- 3:00
  - Half Marathon Finish Cut Off at Lodge
- 3:30
  - Mid Mountain Course Cut Off Marathon
- 6:00
  - Marathon Finish Cut Off at Lodge

Sunday, May 23
- 08:00: Locals-Led other trail / ADK peak group or Clinic? Stay tuned.

Reg & Event Options

Saturday will feature a one loop half marathon, and two loop marathon distance SkyRace. The courses will maximize what Whiteface Alpine Resort and the neighboring rolling Wilmington Wild Forest MTB Trails offer. It’ll hit every piece of runner, with technical footing, cardio pumping ascents, quad busting descents, speed over flowy trail, and resolve to hang in there for a second helping on the marathon.

Each loop consists of roughly 7 miles on the alpine side, pairing dirt / gravel utility roads, grassy ski slopes, and hummocky alpine gnar, totaling about 5,000’ of elevation gain with corresponding loss. Snow will be still present in the upper elevations, paired with muddy patches of steep slopes. This is followed by a rolling six miles of Flume loop MTB trails for an additional 1,000’ of rolling elevation gain and loss. Each loop will come in with just under 6k elevation gain / loss.

Course cutoff time for the half will be 7 hours, and a harder pressed 10 for the marathon.

The Sunday group runs are low key social adventures on area trails or small peaks. No charge. Details later.