Double the Fun

in Montana

On top of a high and long mountain range in Southwest Montana, there is a road that should not be there. It’s not a road to nowhere. It’s actually a road that leads to several destinations, but there are more direct routes on better roads that lead to those same destinations. It’s called the Gravelly Range Road and for nearly 25 miles it averages around 9,000 feet in elevation, a near perfect distance to plot out a route for a marathon. Back in 2008, a guy named Sam did exactly that. He called it the Madison Marathon and promoted it as ‘The Highest Road Marathon on Planet Earth.’ 

The boastful claim was not entirely bullshit. There were higher elevation marathons but they were on trails not roads like the Madison. Sam was the RD (race director) and his job was to manage the race and deal with all the shit that happens when tens or hundreds or thousands of people tell themselves that they want to run a marathon. It used to be tens and hundreds of runners, but beginning in the year 2000 the number of new marathon races around the world exploded. Millions of people convinced themselves that they could finish a 26.2 mile race and in general most of them could even if it meant a lot of walking. They would survive the first marathon and be curious about doing a second and then a third and soon enough they were hooked. The whole world, it seemed, had gone mad for marathons.

Keep reading…….. Breaking Three

The above two paragraphs are from the lead of a short story, titled Breaking Three, that I wrote a few years ago about love, family, and running [click on the link to read the full short story]. In addition to telling what I hope is a good story about love, family, and the healing power of sports, there is some useful information about the route of the Madison Marathon which is part of the setting for the story. I felt it was timely to once again offer this story because Montana’s only Double Marathon Weekend is upon us. 



For the Greater Yellowstone Adventure Series (GYAS), our double marathon weekend follows the Olympian Weekend of the Madison Triathlon and the Madison Duathlon. Those two races are in the books for the 2024 race season.

Congratulations to our champions.

13th Annual Madison Triathlon

Men’s Champion  

Christopher Guenther – Livingston, MT 

2:26:49         

Runner Up

Micah Williams – Livingston, MT

2:29:11

Women’s Champion

Alyssa Pack – Bozeman, MT

2:28:45

Runner Up

               Kaylee Conklin – Bozeman, MT

2:33:01

13th Annual Madison Duathlon

Men's Champion

Tim Kubetz – Great Falls, MT

2:41:01

Runner Up

Tim Olson - Bozeman, MT

2:51:12

Women’s Champion

                         Kaylee Conklin – Bozeman, MT

3:57:43

We want to give a special shout out to Kaylee Conklin and Cory Hardy for participating in both events over the weekend. A special congrats to Tim Kubetz from Great Falls who won the Madison Duathlon. For the first time in 12 years, Neal Andrews was not in the race and thus did not win his 13th straight duathlon championship. Instead, he was at his son Dax’s baseball tournament in Kalispell. When Neal won his first Madison Duathlon, Dax was just a couple weeks old.

Great run, Neal. Come back next year. Your streak might be over, but you still hold the course record.

For the double marathon weekend, there are a few important details.

First, these are LIMITED SUPPORT RACES. This means there will be some form of water and/or hydration support approximately every three miles on the route. There will be some food and water stations, portable toilets, volunteer crews, timers, and mile markers. This means there could be long stretches with no one to help you if you get injured or have some kind of issue. 

Second, the route is cup-less meaning no cups will be at the stand-alone water stations. Runners should carry their own water bottles and fill them up at the stations.

Third, please do not expect a high level of runner support like other marathons can offer. The logistics and distance from the town of Ennis makes this kind of support very difficult. In addition, we have to be careful about impacting the environment since it is at a high altitude, remote, and on National Forest Service land. The catchphrase of the series is ‘These Ain’t No Pansy Ass City Races’ and it’s quite true especially when it comes to aid stations and support.

Seventeen years ago, my beloved friend and colleague Robin Blazer (Rest In Peace) and I decided to try something new. It was meant to be an economic development project that would bring people into Southwest Montana to enjoy all that we have to offer the outside world. The new idea was to host a marathon on top of a mountain range. At the same time, we had another idea for an outdoor art project. This one involved large trout statues that were painted by local artists and displayed around Madison County for all to see. Robin and her husband Willie took on another great idea and created Willies Distillery, a fabulous business that creates the spirits of the American West.

I am happy to report that 17 years later all three projects are vibrant, growing, and are most definitely pulling people into Southwest Montana. Come see for yourself this coming weekend.

Stay Happy, Healthy, and Always Keep Running Forward appreciating the beauty that is in our world.

Sam, Colter, and Cory

Here's some need to know info for this coming weekend.

Saturday, July 13

Starting Time: 8:30 AM

Starting Line for Full and Half Marathon: About a mile south of Black Butte Mountain

GPS: 45 53 18 N; 111 49 53 W

Finish Line: Clover Meadows

GPS: 45 53 18 N; 111 49 53 W

ALL RUNNERS WILL BE SHUTTLED TO THE STARTING LINE FROM CLOVER MEADOWS AT APPROXIMATELY 7:30 AM

Check-in Procedures

Check-in and late registration – Ennis, Montana 

Friday, July 12, 2024

4:00 to 6:00 PM at Lion’s Club Park in Ennis at the end of Main Street and right next to the Madison River

Runners check in, sign waivers, receive bib numbers, and collect SWAG. 

Runners can still register to run the race.

Race Day Check-in – (for registered runners only)

Saturday, July 13, 2024

6:30 to 7:30 AM at Clover Meadows.

Double Marathoners can pick up both packets at the Madison Marathon check in on Friday.

Runners must get to Clover Meadows on their own. Click here to download a parking permit for your car. You just need to print it out (black and white is okay) and post it on your car's dash. You can download this permit here:

Madison Marathon Parking Permit

The directions to Clover Meadows are noted below. The parking area is about 100 yards south of Clover Meadows and there will be signs pointing to the area. Please park in an orderly manner and be sure to close up your windows and never leave food or garbage out as it will be a bear attractant.

Morning Shuttle Bus: There is no shuttle bus from Ennis to Clover Meadows. The buses will drive directly to Clover Meadows on race day morning without any people. The shuttle will then take everyone to the starting line. Runners are strongly encouraged to carpool from Ennis to Clover Meadows. If you carpool, you should park your car in the parking lot of Ennis High School and then congregate at the Exxon Town Pump gas station which is about 100 yards away. 

Directions to Clover Meadows Campground

The best and quickest way to get to Clover Meadows within the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest is via the Call Road.   

Call Road Route 

From Ennis, get on Highway 287 and drive west as if you are going to Virginia City. Turn left off of Highway 287 towards Varney Bridge. This turn is about two miles outside of Ennis. From this turn-off drive towards, but not all the way to, the Ennis Fish Hatchery on Varney Bridge Road. After about 10 miles, you will make one right turn towards the Fish Hatchery. If you go straight and cross Varney Bridge, you’ve made a mistake. If you arrive to the Ennis Fish Hatchery, you’ve made a mistake. Stay on the main road and keep going straight. The road turns to gravel just after the intersection to the Fish Hatchery. Keep going straight onto the gravel road. This is the Call Road which passes through the Bar 7 Ranch and eventually leads you to national forest service land (it is about 10 miles to the national forest service gate from the Bar 7 Ranch). There are signs on this road. Basically, you should always be driving uphill.

You will be on Road 292, but will be following signs that will lead you to Road 290. The race is on Road 290 which is also called the Gravelly Range Road. Shortly after you pass the headquarter gates to the Bar 7 Ranch, you will make a big climb to get on top of the ridge where you will enter the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest at a well-marked gate. You can see the road climbing at a quite steep angle from pretty far away. This is the road you will go up. There are a few forest service signs along the way. From the National Forest gate, keep driving and following the signs until you reach Clover Meadows (about 15 miles). The climb up from the Bar 7 Ranch is a bit rough, but passable in a standard car. The road on top of the ridge is in good shape all the way to Clover Meadows. Eventually, you will reach the route of the Madison Marathon and will see mile marker cones. Follow the cones to Clover Meadows. 

NOTE: Allow a minimum of one hour and thirty minutes to get to Clover Meadows from Ennis, Montana. If there is heavy rain the day before, please allow for more time as the road may be slick.  The road is in generally good condition (i.e. you do not need a four-wheel drive or even a vehicle with high clearance), but it is gravel the entire length and narrow and rough in certain areas. There are a lot of high hills to climb, but the race director could easily get up there in a Toyota Corolla sedan.

BE AWARE that there is very limited cell phone coverage on the route. 

Sunday, July 14

Starting Time Full Marathon: 7:30 AM

Starting Time Half Marathon: 8:15 AM

Starting Line Full Marathon: Near Mile 17 of the Madison Marathon

GPS: 45 04 32 N; 111 52 00 W 

Starting Line Half Marathon: In a big meadow with a cajillion billion wildflowers

GPS: 45 07 11 N; 111 52 04 W

Finish Line: Varney Bridge on the Madison River

GPS: 45 13 47 N; 111 45 04 W

ALL RUNNERS WILL BE SHUTTLED TO THE STARTING LINE AT 6:00 AM FROM VARNEY BRIDGE.

Runners should drive directly to Varney Bridge Fishing Access site and park your car deep within the site. Please drive slowly and quietly as there are likely campers sleeping at that time. Park your car and then walk back to the bridge for check in.

Check-in Procedures

Two Options

Friday, July 12, 2024

4:00 to 6:00 PM at Lion’s Club Park in Ennis at the end of Main Street and right next to the Madison River.

Runners check in, sign waivers if not already done, receive bib numbers, and collect SWAG. Please check in on Friday if you can even though the race is on Sunday.

Sunday, July 14, 2024 – Race Day Check In and late signup (if available)

Volunteers will check runners in on race day morning at Varney Bridge. This will be from 5:00 to 5:45 AM at Varney Bridge on the Madison River. This is about 12 miles south of Ennis. Look for the big yellow school buses at/near the Varney Bridge Fishing Access site. If space is available, runners can sign up and pay on race day morning.

Double Marathoners can pick up both packets at the Madison Marathon check in on Friday.

Half and full marathon runners will be shuttled to their respective starting lines at approximately 6:00 AM. They will start their races at different times but within 30 to 45 minutes of each other.  

Here are the race packets for the weekend marathon races. They include route maps as well as lodging information

17th Annual Madison Marathon Race Packet

10th Annual Big Sky Marathon Race Packet