Mountain Bike & Trail Run Course
After your swim in majestic Wawayanda Lake and quick change in transition, you will head out on the extended 19 mile Mountain Bike course. We’ve remixed the renowned “Beast of the East” Way Over Yonder MTB course with a combination of new rock gardens to play in, fire roads to break things up and reversed some of our favorite technical trails.
Don’t be fooled by the modest 1900 feet elevation gain – there’s plenty of rocky punchy climbs that you’ll need to power through. Mountain Bike course aid stations will be just after 10 miles and at 16. We’ll have the aid stations well stocked with Gatorade, Water, GU energy gels & stroopwaffles.
Be aware there are two spots where the Championship and Sprint courses split. The first is shortly after the start of the Mountain Bike course by the Historic Furnace. At the split Championship racers will stay straight to head on Yellow/Orange Loop { Laurel Pond (Yellow) -> Sitting Bear (Orange) -> Wingdam (Blue)} to get some techy goodness while fresh. At the end of this initial loop, Championship racers will make a Right at the T which will lead back to the initial split and this time you will make the Left turn to head out onto the Main Loop. (Same way that the Sprint racers will have gone.) The second split will be shortly after the first Aid Station where Championship racers will stay Left to head towards Cross Over -> Hemlock & Load. (Sprint Racers will stay right. Course will be extremely well marked – just make sure to follow the BLUE Arrows (Srint will use Green Arrows). Full course GPX file will be uploaded soon.
After finishing Mountain Biking, head out of transition following Red Arrows for the 6.5 miles Trail Run. The run course features amazing views as it encircles Wawayanda Lake. The course is a series of rolling hills with no killer climb, but plenty of rocky goodness and water crossings to keep racers sharp. Trail run aid station at 3.5 mile mark and will be stocked same as the one on the mountain bike course. From the final fire road you’ll head into the finisher chute and take with you a special sense of accomplishment that comes with completing one tough course and qualify to represent the USA in the ITU World Championship. Post-race check out our vendor expo and enjoy plenty of food and festivities.
