Settled deep within Green Ridge State Forest’s 48,000-plus acres, Fire on the Mountain Ultra Marathon measures approximately 32.8 miles and features an out-and-back course style similar to the beloved Catoctin 50K. And…our Race Director (RD) says this course doesn’t run like any ol’ “out-and-back” course, because the experience in the reverse direction, especially the final quarter of the race, is a whole different experience than the first quarter of the race. Come on out and try a training run if you don’t believe it.
“Anyone who has not run the red trail in reverse direction might understandably think, at least at first, that it’s a boring out-and-back deal,” Kevin Spradlin said. “But the red trail in particular is a very different sort of adventure going back then going towards the midway point. There’s plenty of, ‘hold-onto-that-tree’ moments as well as, ‘I-have-to-climb-this?’ and ‘is-that-the-trail?’”
50k – Distance of the race is about 32.8 miles. There will be seven aid stations on this out-and-back course (three are hit twice, plus the “oasis” at the midway point). Runners must complete the course as assigned in 10 hours and 0 seconds or less to be considered an official finisher.
25K – Distance is about 16.3 miles. There will be three aid stations (one is hit twice). Cutoff time is 4 hours and 30 minutes. The course includes approximately 6.5 miles of trail (sometimes technical), with ups and downs, roots, rocks, and sometimes “billy goat” trails (thin track and slightly cantered towards the creek a couple hundred feet below), plus 9.6 miles of a mix of forest service road and improved road.
All finishers under the official cutoff time for each event (10 hours 0 seconds for 50K, and 4.5 hours for 25K) will receive a finisher’s premium. You’ll also earn your event T-shirt. Take pride in both – you earned them! If you didn’t earn ’em, please don’t ask for ’em. It is unlikely a runner will negative-split this course, especially if it takes that runner 5 hours to reach the 50K midway point or more than 2.5 hours to reach Aid Station 2 for the 25K.
