Organized by the local running and athletic group Run Wild Missoula, the race features both a “double dip” (the full, 13.1-mile trail half marathon course) and a “single dip,” a five-mile run for entrants who don’t feel quite up to running the double dip.
Both races start at Riverbowl East field to the east of University Mountain, and the Double Dip follows the M trail up the University Beacon through the mountains up to the top of Mount Sentinel.
Those running in the Single Dip follow the first few miles of the Double until they reach the turnoff point just east of Pattee Canyon Road, where they turn right and then head through town along Maurice Avenue and Campus Drive back to the starting line.
Those running the Double Dip, however, continue on along the challenging uphills and downhills of the trails, following the mountains’ Crooked Trail up to the peak of Mount Sentinel and then on out to the University Beacon, where they reach the turnaround point and then head back along the ridgeline toward the Hellgate Canyon Trail.
This last stretch of the race brings them along some significant descents down the mountain to the Kim Williams Trail, which they follow back in to the finish line at Riverbowl East field.