Grindstone 100K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 634m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 85.4km, 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–18.4km · 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 · 18.4km–54.5km · Climb of 672m, descent of 634m averaging 8%, climb of 750m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Fade · 54.5km–85.4km · Descent of 425m averaging 6%, climb of 631m, high point 1325m, descent of 1025m averaging 9%. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 85.4km–105km · 19.3km 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

The course climbs 2928m+. With 28m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 37% flat. The longest climb runs 17.4km at an average 4.3% grade (750m of vertical). The longest descent runs 11.0km at an average 9.3% grade (1025m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 28.7% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 21.4% over 0.5km. Surface: 55% trail, 30% smooth, 11% road, and 5% extreme. Flat-equivalent effort: 126.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Little Bald Knob (1320m), 74.4km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Hankey Mountain (1051m). The course also passes close to Sand Spring Mountain (1137m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 35 of 100), with 29% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 85.4km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 28.7–37.1 km · 634 m D−, -7.6% · 67.6 km ahead → control
• #3 · 54.5–61.7 km · 425 m D−, -5.9% · 42.9 km ahead → control
• #2 · 74.4–85.4 km · 1025 m D−, -9.3% · 19.3 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 9°C to 18°C, with around 18°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 33%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 8% of days around this date.

Results

155 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Guillaume Hansel (United States) in 9:19:24. Women's winner: Rachel Doxey (United States) in 12:26:54.