Grindstone 50K

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 19.7km.
• Hold your race pace up to Sand Spring Mountain, but stay in control.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–19.7km · Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 19.7km–28.6km · Climb of 612m, high point 1146m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Fade · 28.6km–42.5km · Plus 1 more descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 42.5km–51.9km · 9.4km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 30% downhill and 38% flat. The longest climb runs 8.9km at an average 6.9% grade (612m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.9km at an average 6.1% grade (856m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 28.7% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 21.2% over 0.5km. Surface: 60% trail, 15% road, 11% smooth, and 10% extreme. Flat-equivalent effort: 62.2 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Sand Spring Mountain (1137m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 3.1km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 15 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• 28.6–42.5 km · 856 m D−, -6.2% · 9.4 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 23°C, with around 21°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 30%.

Results

240 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Ben Robinson (United States) in 4:19:37. Women's winner: Sarah Bergeron Larouche (Canada) in 4:25:36.