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Marathon Details - Jay Mountain Marathon

North America Marathons > Canada > QC > Mont-Tremblant > Jay Mountain Marathon

Jay Mountain Marathon

Jay Mountain Marathon & 58K, 35K, 21K, 13K

Mont-Tremblant, QC Canada

June 18, 2011

http://www.ultimatexc.com/JAY.html

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2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

This is a trail race, and using the word trail is stretching it. The course is design in such a way that one section is actually a bushwhack from flagging tape to flagging tape. Only the adventurous with a good sense of humor should sign up for this race. If you always dreamt to play in the wood while going through obstacle course, this is for you.

Contact Information

Name:	Dan Des Rosiers
Address:	409 place closse Montreal, Quebec H9C 1Y7
Phone Number:	514-887-7535
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

Not for Pretender (8/17/04)

Dan Des Rosiers

The hardest marathon (28 miles) ever put together in the USA

Runner Reviews (45)

Course 4.8

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.6

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Number of comments: 45 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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Jeff Hansen from MA (10/17/2008) "Finally finished this bad boy." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I started this race in 2007 and made it to the aid station at the blueberry farm before my body refused to go another step. I vowed vengeance for 2008 and thankfully finished. Its truly a great experience. I run it with my cousin and some RTB friends and it's a high point of the summer. Dan does an incredible job putting it together and trail runners are some of the coolest people you could ever meet. The course is no joke! It's the hardest thing I've ever done and it's given me a new appreciation for the sport of running that I'm so passionate about.
Renee Williams (Lyng) from New Hampshire (9/16/2008) "Radical" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The descriptions you read about this marathon are no joke; in fact, expect it to be more grueling than you can imagine. The run up and down the mountain is the least of your worries! Bring tons of mental strength because you will need it when your body wants to quit. When you do finish, what an experience. Cry, baby, cry!
D. A. from Massachusetts (9/6/2008) "By far, this is the best race I have ever done!" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the full "marathon" at just around 33 miles. The distance was long and my time was around 8 hours, but it felt more like 4. I had so much fun during the race that I was actually sad when it was over. I am 30 years-old and there were several sections (the crazy mud, and the beaver swamp) where I found myself gleefully laughing out loud, as though I were 5 years-old again. The river sections were a great way to cool down, although my shoes kept filling up with sand, but I had anticipated this and brought extra socks with me. There were opportunities to change shoes and I changed mine at the bottom of Jay, but after that there really was no point. Keeping dry shoes was like trying to put a fire out with gas - it was futile. But as long as you accepted this and accepted that the race would be one of the hardest things you've ever done, then there was room actually to enjoy it. I knew going into that race what it was going to be like, but I must say that it blew away all my expectations and became the greatest, most difficult, and most liked race I have ever done. The mud was intense this year due to 7 days of rain prior to the race. The streams were rivers (with strong, over-your head currents) and the shallow swamp became more of a bog. One of the greatest sites that I found at the finish line (besides the awesome BBQ) was a pile of running shoes in the garbage. This is an iPod-friendly course, but in the words of Dan, "It won't survive." I will be back next year and I am only hoping that the course is longer, muddier, and maybe the beavers will be out and rabid so that there is an extra element of difficulty. There weren't too many spectators due to the nature of the course, but the ones that were there were FANTASTIC! The volunteers at the aid stations were some of the nicest ones I have raced upon. The wild blueberry field was a unique and great aid station. I loved this race and wanted to hug the race director for creating such a beautiful concept of the ultimate cross country.
Allen Freeman from Boston, MA (7/29/2008) "A unique, awesome event!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 On Saturday, July 26, 2008, my wife and I were up in far northern Vermont so I could run the Jay Mountain "Half" Marathon. I put "Half" in quotation marks because the half marathon distance is 13.1 miles but the Jay Mountain Half is officially listed as 19 miles. Jay is a trail race. In fact, it's official name is the "Ultimate XC Vermont Edition," and the organizer, Dan, really does mean to make it the "Ultimate" race. One of his volunteers told my wife his goal is to make you cry for your mommy before you finish. Well Dan, sorry to tell you that you failed. I certainly hurt plenty, but I was having way too much fun to cry. If I hadn't run Jay this year, I would have been in New York City to run the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday. I ran NYC last year in 1:53 or something like that, and I remember people complaining about the hills in Central Park. The Jay Half is a trail race, so comparing it to a road race is completely unfair, of course. But let me start by telling you that it took my over 5 hours to complete the Jay course. My watch read 5:09:30 when I finished, though I haven't seen the official time posted yet. A few minutes before the race started, Dan called the runners together and went over a few points about the course. He told us things like, "If you pass somebody stuck in the mud up to their waist, please help them get out," and "when you get to the first culvert on the first stream portion of the course, stay to the left to climb up the rocks. If you go in the middle the water will be over your head and you won't be able to climb up into the culvert." Okay. Got it. That finished, we lined up for the start. Usually at the start of a race, runners push towards the front, but in this event there seemed to be a general reluctance to go first and everybody hung back trying to be towards the rear of the pack. I managed to get myself about 3/4 of the way back. Dan counted down from ten, said "Go!" and we were off up the first grassy slope at an easy jog. In a few minutes we were into the woods and running along a path more or less in single file. We were heading steadily uphill but not very steeply and the runners were sorting themselves out as people occasionally passed or were passed. There were a few muddy stretches and at first people, including me, worked to skirt the mud and keep their feet dry. Later on during the run I would repeatedly think back on this and laugh. The first few miles continued like this, with a few more muddy stretches thrown in so that everyone got their feet wet and dirty and could quit wasting time trying to stay dry. Then we turned right and suddenly the world tilted up. In fact, it tilted up so steeply that there were actually ropes stretched from tree to tree to allow us to haul ourselves up the hill hand over hand. That was fun! Somehow I don't remember a lot of detail of this section. I think the first aid station was at about mile 4. A bit after this we were running along through the woods again and could hear a mountain stream tumbling down over the rocks. Soon the sound got louder, and sure enough, we broke out of the trees and found ourselves right in the stream with the orange flagging we were following strung from tree branches over the stream. We all turned upstream and started wading from rock to rock in water that was anywhere from ankle deep to waist deep. We struggled up the stream for a long time, until we finally came to the first culvert. Here we had to climb up into the mouth of the culvert, which we used to run under Rt. 242, and then back into the stream until we reached the second culvert. I'm not sure how long the stream portion of the course was. I have 1.5 miles in my head, but I'm not sure if I read that somewhere or heard it or what, so it may or may not be accurate. In any case, after the second culvert, we climbed out of the stream and up to the second aid station at the base of one of the ski trails at Jay Peak. I believe this aid station was at something like 7.5 miles. From here it was about 2.5 miles, and about 2600 vertical feet, to the summit of Jay. There was a 3-hour time limit to reach the summit of Jay; those arriving after that limit would be pulled from the race. I reached the second aid station in just a few minutes under two hours. Two hours to go 7.5 miles! From here I could look up and see the summit of Jay w-a-y u-p t-h-e-r-e. If I were hiking up Jay, I would figure about 2.5 - 3 hours, using the 30-minutes-per-mile-plus-30-minutes-per-thousand-feet-of-elevation-gain formula. I knew I had to reach the summit in about 65 minutes, so I started off pushing a bit harder than I would have liked to. Absolutely nobody was even trying to run, as it was way too steep for that. I started plodding up at a pace as fast as I thought I could sustain. I actually passed a few people on the way up, including one poor guy puking his guts out on the side of the trail. As we neared the summit, the ski trail got even steeper and I and others were reduced to walking a few paces, then stopping to breathe. Finally just before the very summit we turned off the ski trail and joined the Long Trail as it scrambled over the rocks to the summit. I made the climb in 45 minutes, with 20 minutes to spare! Whew! After drinking as much Gatorade and water as I could hold, eating some snacks, and refilling all of my bottles, I set off running down the other side of Jay, on ski trails just as steep as the ones we had just struggled up. Near the bottom we turned off onto a cross-country ski trail, which soon turned into a sea of mud. For the next several miles the trail taught me a lot about mud - all the different varieties and consistencies and depths of it that can exist in the woods of Vermont after a solid week of rain. Sometimes it was only ankle deep, and sometimes I sank in to my shins or to my knees. Sometimes it was so thick that I would sink in and not be sure if my foot was ever going to come back out or not - and if it did, whether my shoe would still be attached to it or not. Sometimes I swore. Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I giggled. There was another aid station in here somewhere, but I don't remember exactly where it was. I do remember telling the volunteer that handed me a cup of Gatorade that I wished it were a relay so that I could stop there and she could carry on. She just laughed at me and refilled my Gatorade cup and offered me a brownie. So we ran in mud for miles and miles. How many miles? I don't know, really. Finally the route broke out of the woods and I found myself running down a dirt road. Wow! I could actually run. I wondered how long this would last, and what nasty surprise this would lead to. The route signs pointed down this first dirt road, and I was passed by a couple in a car and I remember wondering what they would think when they saw me running down the road, coated in mud up to my thighs with more mud splattered all over my back and coating my butt and even my water bottles, since I had fallen in the mud just a few minutes before. The route turned left and uphill on another dirt road and I kept running, marveling that part of the course was actually runnable, then took another right turn and went gently down until a sign finally directed me off the road and back into the woods. To my great surprise, the route here was mostly dry and wonderfully runnable terrain, but by now I had been going for over four hours and I found myself only able to alternate walking and jogging. Between watching my footing and checking out the piles of moose scat along the trail, I stole a glance at my watch and noted that while I thought I was doing great with my strategy of alternating walking the uphill and trickier parts with running the level or downhill parts of the trail, I was actually barely managing a 15-minute-per-mile pace. Oh well, barring catastrophe, I knew I wouldn't be pulled from the race and would be allowed to finish, so I just accepted my pace and forged ahead. Eventually this trail brought me to another stream, and this time, instead of running up the stream, we were running down it, which is even harder since the current tends to want to sweep your feet out from under you. This stream even went over a little cascade, which objectively probably wasn't all that scary, but by now my legs were showing signs of independence and were not always responding to commands from my brain, so I muttered something about this being "slightly insane" and managed to pick my way down without being swept away and carried on. Finally, we reached a point where the course sign pointed right up the stream bank and we ran up to and across the road, then around the "infield" area and back through the same banner we ran out of to start the race. Just before the finish line, there was a small drainage ditch and as I jumped over it I fell with my nose literally a foot away from the finish line. I jumped back up and over the line. Finished! Wow! Once we got home Sunday afternoon, I downloaded the data from my Garmin into my computer and looked at the elevation profile of the route. The total elevation gain is shown at 4,561 feet. The profile looks like a huge, inverted "V," with the summit Jay Peak in the center. My data shows a total distance of 17.0 miles, while the official distance is listed as 19. I'm not sure which is more accurate. I know the course does get changed a bit each year, and I don't know how they measure the course. It really doesn't matter. It's not really about the distance; it's about the terrain.
J. W. from Vt (11/29/2007) "Great Experience" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran the half in 2007. As long as you know what you're getting into you should have a blast. I think they learned from the past, with water and food being free at the finish.
Don Pattison from Bartlett, IL (8/30/2007) "This is not a Boston Qualifying race" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first ultra, and first trail race I'd ever done. I was thinking that since I can run a regular marathon around 3:45, I'll do this one in under 6 hours. That was because I was young and foolish when I started. The packet pickup should have warned me this wasn't a normal race. You had to sign a waiver and the words "death" and "serious injury" were used throughout the waiver. Also, Dan had found a beaver dam and wanted all of the full marathon runners to experience it, so he added about 3 more miles to the course. The course was 31.5 in 2006 and it was 33.8 or something like that this year. At that point I tried to talk my wife out of making me run this course; she just laughed and laughed and said no. The start is like no other race. All of the runners are herded into a corral but no one seems to want to get to the front, everyone mills around the rear of the corral. When the horn went off, off we went. It didn't take too long to get everyone stretched out and there were no real choke points. Dan (the insane race director) found every mud bog, rock, tree branch that he could to put in our way. The course was marked with little pink ribbons with black polka dots so it was almost impossible to get lost. Through three different stretches of river that you had to jump from rock to rock or just plod on through the water were in his course. The water actually felt very good - nice and cool - but it blistered up your feet pretty fast. Then there was the climb up the ski slope just to run around the top of Jay Peak and then go down for more mud, trees and rocks. I got to the 3rd aid station thinking that we had to have gone 17 miles and was informed we were at mile 13. That crushed my spirit because that meant there were still 20 miles to go. So back to following the pink ribbons and just cursing Dan and my wife and myself for ever going to VT, I tromped on. I would stop at every aid station and tell the folks manning it that Dan was a truly evil person and they would laugh and say, "We know." It got to the point of one foot in front of the other over and over, not thinking about anything, finally we got into the cat tails so I knew we were on the way to the beaver dam. Who would know that you could cut a path about 1 foot wide and 2 miles long to get there? Well, Dan did. Along the way you get to cross a deep river by rope; that was also different. I was so thankful for the young guy that was coming up the back of the course and told me that there was only about 1/2 mile left, I was able to run that last 1/2 mile. I finished under 8 hours and was thankful. I ate boiled potatoes and salt for the first time on this course and drank over a gallon of water. I couldn't walk normally for 2 days and didn't start training again for 4 days - and even then my legs felt like rubber. Two suggestions if you run this race: Take a water bottle or water belt with you. It is a long way between aid stations. I drank 40 ounces between stops plus 2-3 cups at each station. Always, top off your bottle at every stop. Take 3 pair of shoes and socks and just throw them away when you change them. I brought 2 old pairs of shoes but should have had one more because your shoes get filled with mud, rocks and sticks. When you change them, your feet feel good for about 100 yards until you run into one of the mud bogs Dan found for you. I didn't think I would ever want to go back and run this race ever again, but after about a week I started thinking I might be back in 2008. After the race, they had grilled burgers, potato salad and all sorts of good stuff. I normally can't eat after a race for an hour or so, I was so hungry I could have eaten a road-killed skunk. But the burgers were better.
A. P. from New York City (7/30/2007) "THE BEST EVENT EVER! SUPER CHALLENGE" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't begin to describe how incredible this event is. I entered the 19.5 ("half" - although it is more than half) Half Marathon and loved every minute of it. The 3-mile brook run was my least favorite part and the MUD was my favorite! Great job marking the course. Dan is very passionate and it shows in every detail. I wish there was more running but I hope that is something I can change next year! Great aid stations! People are awesome - great vibe. Definitely entering the full next year!
T. L. from Chugiak, Alaska (7/30/2007) "Guaranteed "fry'" if you don't run this one smart" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Jay Mountain Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My second time running this race. Last year finished and said I'd never do it again after bonking like I hadn't in 15 years. Two days later was psyched to try again. Course is excellent! Reminds me of the Hope to Homer run in Alaska (on a smaller scale). Volunteers are great. Dan's got everything here: mud, mountains, river running, sand, trail, heat... and moose (saw tracks mile 26 or 27). Don't know how those guys do it in under 5:30!!
M. S. from Pennsylvania (7/29/2007) "Definitely a challenge!" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half (19.5 miles this year) and recommend everyone do that before trying the full (33 miles this year). It was harder than a standard marathon. The organization and spectators were first-rate. The scenery was beautiful. My only complaint is that I spent more time walking through thick mud, streams, and up and down mountains than actually running. If you like a TOUGH course, this is your race.
E. B. from Fort Lauderdale (8/3/2006) "Great course - tough but beautiful." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 First, the trail was marked vividly, allowing no chance of getting lost. The scenery was beautiful. The course, although very tough, was extremely fun as well. The volunteers were friendly and helpful and just great. The overall race planning was excellent. So, the most important aspects of this marathon are covered and covered well, leaving me with what may sound like petty complaints for the finish line. For example, charging for a bottle of water at the end I thought was tacky. It is the first time I have ever experienced that. I mean, who carries money on them when running? And why require the food tag that is in your marathon packet? Again, it's something you have to remember to carry with you as you are running. Can't your bib be checked and your number written down? And finally, as trivial as this may sound, you can't get a burger and a hotdog - you have to choose one or the other, and you can't go through the food line twice. Charge me $5.00 or $10.00 more for the chance to run this beautiful course with the great volunteers, but please, give me free water and enough chow at the end.

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Jeff Hansen from MA (10/17/2008) "Finally finished this bad boy." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I started this race in 2007 and made it to the aid station at the blueberry farm before my body refused to go another step. I vowed vengeance for 2008 and thankfully finished. Its truly a great experience. I run it with my cousin and some RTB friends and it's a high point of the summer. Dan does an incredible job putting it together and trail runners are some of the coolest people you could ever meet. The course is no joke! It's the hardest thing I've ever done and it's given me a new appreciation for the sport of running that I'm so passionate about.
Renee Williams (Lyng) from New Hampshire (9/16/2008) "Radical" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The descriptions you read about this marathon are no joke; in fact, expect it to be more grueling than you can imagine. The run up and down the mountain is the least of your worries! Bring tons of mental strength because you will need it when your body wants to quit. When you do finish, what an experience. Cry, baby, cry!
D. A. from Massachusetts (9/6/2008) "By far, this is the best race I have ever done!" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the full "marathon" at just around 33 miles. The distance was long and my time was around 8 hours, but it felt more like 4. I had so much fun during the race that I was actually sad when it was over. I am 30 years-old and there were several sections (the crazy mud, and the beaver swamp) where I found myself gleefully laughing out loud, as though I were 5 years-old again. The river sections were a great way to cool down, although my shoes kept filling up with sand, but I had anticipated this and brought extra socks with me. There were opportunities to change shoes and I changed mine at the bottom of Jay, but after that there really was no point. Keeping dry shoes was like trying to put a fire out with gas - it was futile. But as long as you accepted this and accepted that the race would be one of the hardest things you've ever done, then there was room actually to enjoy it. I knew going into that race what it was going to be like, but I must say that it blew away all my expectations and became the greatest, most difficult, and most liked race I have ever done. The mud was intense this year due to 7 days of rain prior to the race. The streams were rivers (with strong, over-your head currents) and the shallow swamp became more of a bog. One of the greatest sites that I found at the finish line (besides the awesome BBQ) was a pile of running shoes in the garbage. This is an iPod-friendly course, but in the words of Dan, "It won't survive." I will be back next year and I am only hoping that the course is longer, muddier, and maybe the beavers will be out and rabid so that there is an extra element of difficulty. There weren't too many spectators due to the nature of the course, but the ones that were there were FANTASTIC! The volunteers at the aid stations were some of the nicest ones I have raced upon. The wild blueberry field was a unique and great aid station. I loved this race and wanted to hug the race director for creating such a beautiful concept of the ultimate cross country.
Allen Freeman from Boston, MA (7/29/2008) "A unique, awesome event!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 On Saturday, July 26, 2008, my wife and I were up in far northern Vermont so I could run the Jay Mountain "Half" Marathon. I put "Half" in quotation marks because the half marathon distance is 13.1 miles but the Jay Mountain Half is officially listed as 19 miles. Jay is a trail race. In fact, it's official name is the "Ultimate XC Vermont Edition," and the organizer, Dan, really does mean to make it the "Ultimate" race. One of his volunteers told my wife his goal is to make you cry for your mommy before you finish. Well Dan, sorry to tell you that you failed. I certainly hurt plenty, but I was having way too much fun to cry. If I hadn't run Jay this year, I would have been in New York City to run the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday. I ran NYC last year in 1:53 or something like that, and I remember people complaining about the hills in Central Park. The Jay Half is a trail race, so comparing it to a road race is completely unfair, of course. But let me start by telling you that it took my over 5 hours to complete the Jay course. My watch read 5:09:30 when I finished, though I haven't seen the official time posted yet. A few minutes before the race started, Dan called the runners together and went over a few points about the course. He told us things like, "If you pass somebody stuck in the mud up to their waist, please help them get out," and "when you get to the first culvert on the first stream portion of the course, stay to the left to climb up the rocks. If you go in the middle the water will be over your head and you won't be able to climb up into the culvert." Okay. Got it. That finished, we lined up for the start. Usually at the start of a race, runners push towards the front, but in this event there seemed to be a general reluctance to go first and everybody hung back trying to be towards the rear of the pack. I managed to get myself about 3/4 of the way back. Dan counted down from ten, said "Go!" and we were off up the first grassy slope at an easy jog. In a few minutes we were into the woods and running along a path more or less in single file. We were heading steadily uphill but not very steeply and the runners were sorting themselves out as people occasionally passed or were passed. There were a few muddy stretches and at first people, including me, worked to skirt the mud and keep their feet dry. Later on during the run I would repeatedly think back on this and laugh. The first few miles continued like this, with a few more muddy stretches thrown in so that everyone got their feet wet and dirty and could quit wasting time trying to stay dry. Then we turned right and suddenly the world tilted up. In fact, it tilted up so steeply that there were actually ropes stretched from tree to tree to allow us to haul ourselves up the hill hand over hand. That was fun! Somehow I don't remember a lot of detail of this section. I think the first aid station was at about mile 4. A bit after this we were running along through the woods again and could hear a mountain stream tumbling down over the rocks. Soon the sound got louder, and sure enough, we broke out of the trees and found ourselves right in the stream with the orange flagging we were following strung from tree branches over the stream. We all turned upstream and started wading from rock to rock in water that was anywhere from ankle deep to waist deep. We struggled up the stream for a long time, until we finally came to the first culvert. Here we had to climb up into the mouth of the culvert, which we used to run under Rt. 242, and then back into the stream until we reached the second culvert. I'm not sure how long the stream portion of the course was. I have 1.5 miles in my head, but I'm not sure if I read that somewhere or heard it or what, so it may or may not be accurate. In any case, after the second culvert, we climbed out of the stream and up to the second aid station at the base of one of the ski trails at Jay Peak. I believe this aid station was at something like 7.5 miles. From here it was about 2.5 miles, and about 2600 vertical feet, to the summit of Jay. There was a 3-hour time limit to reach the summit of Jay; those arriving after that limit would be pulled from the race. I reached the second aid station in just a few minutes under two hours. Two hours to go 7.5 miles! From here I could look up and see the summit of Jay w-a-y u-p t-h-e-r-e. If I were hiking up Jay, I would figure about 2.5 - 3 hours, using the 30-minutes-per-mile-plus-30-minutes-per-thousand-feet-of-elevation-gain formula. I knew I had to reach the summit in about 65 minutes, so I started off pushing a bit harder than I would have liked to. Absolutely nobody was even trying to run, as it was way too steep for that. I started plodding up at a pace as fast as I thought I could sustain. I actually passed a few people on the way up, including one poor guy puking his guts out on the side of the trail. As we neared the summit, the ski trail got even steeper and I and others were reduced to walking a few paces, then stopping to breathe. Finally just before the very summit we turned off the ski trail and joined the Long Trail as it scrambled over the rocks to the summit. I made the climb in 45 minutes, with 20 minutes to spare! Whew! After drinking as much Gatorade and water as I could hold, eating some snacks, and refilling all of my bottles, I set off running down the other side of Jay, on ski trails just as steep as the ones we had just struggled up. Near the bottom we turned off onto a cross-country ski trail, which soon turned into a sea of mud. For the next several miles the trail taught me a lot about mud - all the different varieties and consistencies and depths of it that can exist in the woods of Vermont after a solid week of rain. Sometimes it was only ankle deep, and sometimes I sank in to my shins or to my knees. Sometimes it was so thick that I would sink in and not be sure if my foot was ever going to come back out or not - and if it did, whether my shoe would still be attached to it or not. Sometimes I swore. Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I giggled. There was another aid station in here somewhere, but I don't remember exactly where it was. I do remember telling the volunteer that handed me a cup of Gatorade that I wished it were a relay so that I could stop there and she could carry on. She just laughed at me and refilled my Gatorade cup and offered me a brownie. So we ran in mud for miles and miles. How many miles? I don't know, really. Finally the route broke out of the woods and I found myself running down a dirt road. Wow! I could actually run. I wondered how long this would last, and what nasty surprise this would lead to. The route signs pointed down this first dirt road, and I was passed by a couple in a car and I remember wondering what they would think when they saw me running down the road, coated in mud up to my thighs with more mud splattered all over my back and coating my butt and even my water bottles, since I had fallen in the mud just a few minutes before. The route turned left and uphill on another dirt road and I kept running, marveling that part of the course was actually runnable, then took another right turn and went gently down until a sign finally directed me off the road and back into the woods. To my great surprise, the route here was mostly dry and wonderfully runnable terrain, but by now I had been going for over four hours and I found myself only able to alternate walking and jogging. Between watching my footing and checking out the piles of moose scat along the trail, I stole a glance at my watch and noted that while I thought I was doing great with my strategy of alternating walking the uphill and trickier parts with running the level or downhill parts of the trail, I was actually barely managing a 15-minute-per-mile pace. Oh well, barring catastrophe, I knew I wouldn't be pulled from the race and would be allowed to finish, so I just accepted my pace and forged ahead. Eventually this trail brought me to another stream, and this time, instead of running up the stream, we were running down it, which is even harder since the current tends to want to sweep your feet out from under you. This stream even went over a little cascade, which objectively probably wasn't all that scary, but by now my legs were showing signs of independence and were not always responding to commands from my brain, so I muttered something about this being "slightly insane" and managed to pick my way down without being swept away and carried on. Finally, we reached a point where the course sign pointed right up the stream bank and we ran up to and across the road, then around the "infield" area and back through the same banner we ran out of to start the race. Just before the finish line, there was a small drainage ditch and as I jumped over it I fell with my nose literally a foot away from the finish line. I jumped back up and over the line. Finished! Wow! Once we got home Sunday afternoon, I downloaded the data from my Garmin into my computer and looked at the elevation profile of the route. The total elevation gain is shown at 4,561 feet. The profile looks like a huge, inverted "V," with the summit Jay Peak in the center. My data shows a total distance of 17.0 miles, while the official distance is listed as 19. I'm not sure which is more accurate. I know the course does get changed a bit each year, and I don't know how they measure the course. It really doesn't matter. It's not really about the distance; it's about the terrain.
J. W. from Vt (11/29/2007) "Great Experience" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran the half in 2007. As long as you know what you're getting into you should have a blast. I think they learned from the past, with water and food being free at the finish.
Don Pattison from Bartlett, IL (8/30/2007) "This is not a Boston Qualifying race" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first ultra, and first trail race I'd ever done. I was thinking that since I can run a regular marathon around 3:45, I'll do this one in under 6 hours. That was because I was young and foolish when I started. The packet pickup should have warned me this wasn't a normal race. You had to sign a waiver and the words "death" and "serious injury" were used throughout the waiver. Also, Dan had found a beaver dam and wanted all of the full marathon runners to experience it, so he added about 3 more miles to the course. The course was 31.5 in 2006 and it was 33.8 or something like that this year. At that point I tried to talk my wife out of making me run this course; she just laughed and laughed and said no. The start is like no other race. All of the runners are herded into a corral but no one seems to want to get to the front, everyone mills around the rear of the corral. When the horn went off, off we went. It didn't take too long to get everyone stretched out and there were no real choke points. Dan (the insane race director) found every mud bog, rock, tree branch that he could to put in our way. The course was marked with little pink ribbons with black polka dots so it was almost impossible to get lost. Through three different stretches of river that you had to jump from rock to rock or just plod on through the water were in his course. The water actually felt very good - nice and cool - but it blistered up your feet pretty fast. Then there was the climb up the ski slope just to run around the top of Jay Peak and then go down for more mud, trees and rocks. I got to the 3rd aid station thinking that we had to have gone 17 miles and was informed we were at mile 13. That crushed my spirit because that meant there were still 20 miles to go. So back to following the pink ribbons and just cursing Dan and my wife and myself for ever going to VT, I tromped on. I would stop at every aid station and tell the folks manning it that Dan was a truly evil person and they would laugh and say, "We know." It got to the point of one foot in front of the other over and over, not thinking about anything, finally we got into the cat tails so I knew we were on the way to the beaver dam. Who would know that you could cut a path about 1 foot wide and 2 miles long to get there? Well, Dan did. Along the way you get to cross a deep river by rope; that was also different. I was so thankful for the young guy that was coming up the back of the course and told me that there was only about 1/2 mile left, I was able to run that last 1/2 mile. I finished under 8 hours and was thankful. I ate boiled potatoes and salt for the first time on this course and drank over a gallon of water. I couldn't walk normally for 2 days and didn't start training again for 4 days - and even then my legs felt like rubber. Two suggestions if you run this race: Take a water bottle or water belt with you. It is a long way between aid stations. I drank 40 ounces between stops plus 2-3 cups at each station. Always, top off your bottle at every stop. Take 3 pair of shoes and socks and just throw them away when you change them. I brought 2 old pairs of shoes but should have had one more because your shoes get filled with mud, rocks and sticks. When you change them, your feet feel good for about 100 yards until you run into one of the mud bogs Dan found for you. I didn't think I would ever want to go back and run this race ever again, but after about a week I started thinking I might be back in 2008. After the race, they had grilled burgers, potato salad and all sorts of good stuff. I normally can't eat after a race for an hour or so, I was so hungry I could have eaten a road-killed skunk. But the burgers were better.
A. P. from New York City (7/30/2007) "THE BEST EVENT EVER! SUPER CHALLENGE" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't begin to describe how incredible this event is. I entered the 19.5 ("half" - although it is more than half) Half Marathon and loved every minute of it. The 3-mile brook run was my least favorite part and the MUD was my favorite! Great job marking the course. Dan is very passionate and it shows in every detail. I wish there was more running but I hope that is something I can change next year! Great aid stations! People are awesome - great vibe. Definitely entering the full next year!
T. L. from Chugiak, Alaska (7/30/2007) "Guaranteed "fry'" if you don't run this one smart" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Jay Mountain Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My second time running this race. Last year finished and said I'd never do it again after bonking like I hadn't in 15 years. Two days later was psyched to try again. Course is excellent! Reminds me of the Hope to Homer run in Alaska (on a smaller scale). Volunteers are great. Dan's got everything here: mud, mountains, river running, sand, trail, heat... and moose (saw tracks mile 26 or 27). Don't know how those guys do it in under 5:30!!
M. S. from Pennsylvania (7/29/2007) "Definitely a challenge!" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half (19.5 miles this year) and recommend everyone do that before trying the full (33 miles this year). It was harder than a standard marathon. The organization and spectators were first-rate. The scenery was beautiful. My only complaint is that I spent more time walking through thick mud, streams, and up and down mountains than actually running. If you like a TOUGH course, this is your race.
E. B. from Fort Lauderdale (8/3/2006) "Great course - tough but beautiful." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 First, the trail was marked vividly, allowing no chance of getting lost. The scenery was beautiful. The course, although very tough, was extremely fun as well. The volunteers were friendly and helpful and just great. The overall race planning was excellent. So, the most important aspects of this marathon are covered and covered well, leaving me with what may sound like petty complaints for the finish line. For example, charging for a bottle of water at the end I thought was tacky. It is the first time I have ever experienced that. I mean, who carries money on them when running? And why require the food tag that is in your marathon packet? Again, it's something you have to remember to carry with you as you are running. Can't your bib be checked and your number written down? And finally, as trivial as this may sound, you can't get a burger and a hotdog - you have to choose one or the other, and you can't go through the food line twice. Charge me $5.00 or $10.00 more for the chance to run this beautiful course with the great volunteers, but please, give me free water and enough chow at the end.

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Marathon Details - Jay Mountain Marathon