Do you take backcountry adventures to the extreme? When others are happy with summiting one challenging peak in a day, do you want to bag more? Do friends think of outings with you as marches from hell? Then we’ve got some backcountry competitions for you.
A word of caution. Some of these competitions require qualifying races, some are nearly impossible to get into. All are insanely difficult.
Tuckerman Inferno
What: The Tuckerman Inferno combines the winter outdoor activities that define the White Mountains of New Hampshire: A ~6-mile fat bike ride, ~6-mile freestyle cross country ski, ~5-mile snowshoe, ~3-mile run up Mount Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine, with the final leg a ski and snowboard mountaineering race down the insanely steep Tuckerman Ravine.
When: The 2021 race was March 20. Capped at 200 participants; 150 people participated, which included solo entrants and teams.
How Tough: In 1938’s American Inferno race—precursor to the Tuckerman Inferno—Toni Matt made a few turns while descending the summit of Mount Washington, then straightlined over the lip of Tuckerman Ravine. He won the race with a legendary move that has never been repeated. “Skiing down Tuckerman Ravine once is a fine experience,” Warren Miller says in his 1984 movie, Ski Country. “Skiing it twice is a dumb experience.”
Some History: The original ski race in 1933 was a challenging descent from the Mount Washington summit into the ravine, ending at Pinkham Notch. Efforts to revive the race following World War II were unsuccessful, and it wasn’t until 2000 that the Tuckerman Inferno started as a fundraiser for Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, which seeks to protect the iconic steep-sloped bowl on Mount Washington’s southeastern slopes. The first Tuckerman Inferno was a 36-mile run, kayak, bike, hike, and ski course that began in the Mount Washington Valley and ended at the base of Tuckerman Ravine. In 2021 the Inferno was moved from April to March and restyled as a 22.5-mile fat bike, freestyle cross-country ski, snowshoeing, mountain running, and giant slalom course.
Moab 240
What: This 240.3-mile footrace for ultrarunners starts and ends in Moab, Utah, with 29,467 feet of ascent and descent through desert, canyons, slickrock, and two mountain ranges, surrounded by Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
When: Oct. 8-12, 2021. This year’s race is filled up, but there is a wait list.
How Tough: Courtney Dauwalter won the inaugural Moab 240 in 2017, setting the course record at 57 hours, 55 minutes, and 13 seconds. Dauwalter says she lay down for 20 minutes at mile 190, but didn’t sleep. She lay down again 5 miles later and slept for 1 minute. Runners are given 112 hours—almost 5 days— to finish before they are cut off. The race is nonstop, without stages or relays. Fourteen aid stations 8-20 miles apart provide food, water, and medical assistance.
Some History: The 2020 men’s winner—Michele Graglia—finished in 61 hours, 43 minutes, 15 seconds, taking one brief nap. The women’s winner, Jessi Morton-Langehaug, ran the course in 80 hours, 9 minutes and 42 seconds.
Extremus
What: A winter group trek through some of the Northeast’s toughest mountains, organized by the Vermont-based Endurance Society. Routes vary year to year.
When: Jan. 8-9, 2022. Registration limited to 20 people and opens in the fall.
How Tough: “Expect frozen water bottles, frozen fingers, and frozen toes,” the Endurance Society’s website says. Participants are expected to maintain a minimum pace of 1.5 mph in deep snow, with full winter gear, for about 22 miles above treeline that will include 10,000 feet of elevation change. The route (subject to change) will summit Eisenhower (4,780), Franklin (5,003), Monroe (5,371), Washington (6,289), Jefferson (5,712), Adams (5,774), and Madison (5,367).
Some History: The Endurance Society, founded in 2014 by Andy Weinberg from the ashes of the Death Race, seeks to create “unique, life-changing, and mind-blowing experiences for adventure enthusiasts.” Multiple events are run throughout the year. Weinberg for years organized the Death Race—described by Outside as “a demented sufferfest”—with Joseph DeSena until a contentious split.
Eastern States 100
What: A 103-mile single-loop trail race across the Allegheny Plateau in north-central Pennsylvania. The course covers technical and remote terrain, and includes 20,000 feet of climbing. Runners are required to qualify.
When: Aug. 14-15, 2021. Start and finish at Little Pine State Park in Waterville, Pennsylvania.
How Tough: Race organizers call this competition “graduate-level trail running that will both test and fulfill you in so many ways. … All in the glorious heat and humidity of August.”
Some History: The first Eastern States 100 was run in 2014 by organizers who wanted an eastern race similar to the Western States 100. Since then the town of Waterville, population 295, has embraced the race, welcoming runners, volunteering at aid stations, and helping with trail maintenance.
XTERRA Oak Mountain
What: A backcountry triathlon, with a 1.5km swim, 34km mountain bike, and 9.5km trail run. Amateurs can compete for 51 spots into the XTERRA World Championship in Maui; elite competitors are looking at $15,000 in prize money and points in the XTERRA America Tour.
When: May 8, 2021, at Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama
How Tough: Runner’s World magazine calls the Oak Mountain trails among the 25 best in the US, and the International Mountain Bicycling Association says the bike trails are “guaranteed to blow your mind.”
Some History: XTERRA takes triathlons into the backcountry for mountain biking and trail running, along with swimming. The first Oak Mountain XTERRA was in 2006.
Mount Marathon
What: A 1.5-mile climb and descent of Alaska’s Mount Marathon in Seward.
When: July 7, 2021
How Tough: First-time participants attend a mandatory safety meeting that includes a film showing competitors falling down the steep mountainside. They’re also warned of bear attacks and rocks shearing off the mountain’s cliffs.
Some History: Folklore has it that the event began as a bet on whether Mount Marathon could be climbed and descended in less than an hour. Whether that’s true, the race officially began in 1915 and is part of Seward’s Independence Day celebrations. Racers still aim for that sub-hour time.
Plain 100
What: 100k race with a 36-hour time limit.
When: Sept. 18, 2021, outside Plain, Washington
How Tough: Only four runners finished in the first eight years of the Plain 100; about 50% finish now.
Some History: Six runners showed up for the first Plain 100 in 1997. Runners followed maps because the course did not have trail markings and the race ended early after a snowstorm obscured the trails above 6,500 feet. The race was canceled in 2003 and 2015 because of wildfires, and in 2013 a storm passed through the course during the race and runners were allowed to shelter at checkpoints until they could continue the race.
Badwater 135
What: 135 miles nonstop from Death Valley to Mount Whitney, California.
When: July 19-21, 2021, starting at Badwater Basin in Death Valley. Because of Covid-19, monthly 10-runner races from June through December may be held instead of the traditional 100-runner race.
How Tough: The race starts at 280 feet below sea level and finishes at 8,300 feet above sea level at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to the Mount Whitney summit. The course crosses three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600 feet of vertical ascent and 6,100 feet of descent. Course temperatures range from 100+ in Death Valley to near freezing on Whitney.
Some History: The first race was a US-United Kingdom team challenge in 1987, and now attracts up to 100 competitors from throughout the world.
Sine Nomine
This is a wild card for the truly adventurous. You disappear for two days, with no contact with the outside world. No one knows where you are, or what you’re doing. Good luck.
What: Another Endurance Society event. If we knew what Sine Nomine (Latin for no name) involved, we couldn’t even tell you.
When: June 26-28, 2021, Mendon, Vermont.
How Tough: We can only guess. “The organizers, staff, and all attendees, past and future, are sworn to complete secrecy,” the Endurance Society website says. Phones and other communication devices are prohibited, and racers are cut off from the rest of the world for the duration of the event. Failure to follow the rules can mean expulsion from the race.
Some History: See the Endurance Society information under Extremus.
Barkley Marathons
What: Did you really think we’d neglect the Barkley Marathons? Or did we save the quirkiest backcountry race for last? BPR cofounder Jeff Garmire was one of the competitors at this year’s Barkley.
When: The 2021 race was held in March, at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Tennessee. No date has been set for the 2022 race
How Tough: No one finished in 2021, and only 15 have finished in the past 35 years. Runners follow five loops of about 25 miles each, and they have 12 hours to complete each loop. Runners are required to find multiple books during each loop and tear out the page number that corresponds with their bib number to validate that they completed the loop. There is one map for runners to copy before the race, and no GPS technology or course markings are available. Many runners lose the trail on the first loop and exceed the time limit.
Some History: The first Barkley was held in 1986. Participants are capped at 40, and competitors range from elite ultrarunners to people who have no business being in the race. Bib No. 1 goes to the person race organizer Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell considers the person least likely to finish the race.
Feature image: The iconic yellow gate is the start of the Barkley Marathons. Photo via Jeff Garmire
