 Justin Contois definitely earned his first place finish in the 2011 100 mile race! Welcome to New Hampshire's One and Only Hundred Mile race! Matter of fact, there is only one other "official" ultra in New Hampshire. Distance: Run any multiple of 15 miles: 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135, or even 150! There are some major benefits to this race as an ultra, particularly if you are looking for 100 miles (and maybe a bit more, even): 1) There is very little elevation gain apart from one hill. There is none of that 15,000 plus feet nonsense here. Sure, we all like a crazy challenge, but sometimes I swear if I have to trek up one more Vermont hill... 2) The course is very easy to follow. The Milford section is heavily marked with white blazes on the trees, and the Brookline section will have ribbons hung and flour on the ground at the single major turn so even those running head down will be able to follow the path. 3) You won't be all alone, since you will pass people on the out-and-backs. There might be secret helpers out on the course with goodies, and maybe even a mysterious ghost-like aid station... 4) There are five major spots in which a crew can easily access along the 7.5 mile trail: First, the starting line. Second, there is a road crossing at North Mason road in Brookline. Third, there is a road crossing at Scabbard Mill Brook road in Brookline. Fourth, there is a road crossing on Melendy road in Milford. Fifth, there is a road crossing at Armory road in Milford. Last, at the turnaround point. All of those roads are directly off route 13, and if your crew is really into it, there is a small parking lot near Ruonala road in Brookline that has a half mile trail leading to the Rail Trail. Basically, this is a very crew friendly trail. That's seven crew spots in 7.5 miles. Show me another race that offers such convenience. If you don't have a crew, there are spots for drop bags at the start and at the turnaround point. Bring all drop bags to the start line and we will take care of the rest. 5) Again, this is New Hampshire's only 100 mile race! Tired of driving to far away places to get in your hundy fix? No more! This is for the local people! 6) In the spirit of Halloween, expect to see some interesting things along the trail. We don't call it the "Ghost Train" race for nothing... 7) Oh, and there will be a unique finisher's prize. It won't be a medal, but it will be cool (in my opinion). 8) Starting this year, this race is a part of the Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) 2012 Trail Race Series! This means that we will have experienced trail animals helping out at the race this year! Check out the race series at: http://www.trailanimals.com/. Note: it is rumored that at TARC races in the past there have been bigfoot sightings... If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or you are just lonely, shoot off an e-mail to s_latour@hotmail.com. Hope to see you at the starting line (and, of course, the finishing line as well!). P.S.: Chris Casey ran this race last year as his first ultra, and he tore up the course!  . |