RUN THE RUT

www.runtherut.com

The spectacular and rugged terrain of southwest Montana brought to you in the tradition of European Alps-style racing, The Rut is a celebration of world-class racing with a little Montana flare.

The Rut 50K course starts and finishes at the legendary Big Sky Mountain Resort and will test all runners with off-trail exposed ridgelines, forested single-track trails, rugged jeep roads and the lofty summit of an iconic peak.

50K race details:

Race Start to Madison Village Base Area Aid Station (0-7.8 Miles):

The course will start in the Big Sky Resort base area directly behind the Huntley Lodge.
Runners will begin by heading uphill on the South Access dirt road until they reach the junction of the Soul Hole single track trail.
From there runners will head up up up the Soul Hole Trail l until they cross the South Access road again.
Runners will take a right onto the South Access road until the junction with the top of the Tango Trail.
Runners will then descend along this trail.
Markers will guide runners off of Tango onto a double track road which crosses below the Challenger Ski lift onto Moonlight Basin Property.
Runners will take the twin tunnels route until they reach the Moonlight Lodge
From Moonlight Lodge runners will head onto the Ullery’s lake loop trail.
They will then follow the Madison Village Connector trail to Madison Village base area and the First Aid Station
Madison Village Base Area Aid Station to Tram Dock Aid Station (7.8 – 15.9 Miles):

From the base area runners will head west on the Madison Loop trail.
They will continue along the Madison Loop trail until they reach the Southside Rd. East Connector trail.
Runners will take the trail until it connects into the Southside Rd.
When they reach the road they will turn left and head east on the Southside Road until the junction of the road and the Ullery’s Lake Loop trail.
Runners will take a right onto the Ullery’s Lake Loop trail at this junction.
Runners continue along this trail until the junction with the Lodge Loop trail.
Take a right at this junction onto the Lodge Loop trail.
Head uphill on the Lodge Loop trail until the junction with the Elkhorn trail.
Turn right onto the Elkhorn trail.
Runners climb to the top of the Elkhorn Trail where they will then connect into the Fast Lane dirt road.
Follow Fast Lane downhill and underneath the Challenger ski lift line back onto Big Sky Resort property.
Runners will go until the junction of Fast Lane and the Cairn’s Way single track trail. Take a right at the junction onto the Cairns Way trail. Head uphill on Cairns Way trail until you pop out onto the North Access double track.
Continue uphill on this road until the junction with the Morning Star double track.
Take a right onto Morning Star and continue uphill to the base of the Lone Peak tram and the second aid station of the 50K.
Tram Dock Aid Station to Lone Peak Summit Aid Station (15.9-18.2 Miles):

Runners will then head back downhill to the junction of Morning Star and the North Access double track.
At the junction, turn right and head uphill on the North Access road.
Continue up the North Access road until you reach the junction of the Lone Peak summit trail.
Turn right and uphill onto the Lone Peak summit trail.
Runners will then climb the steep trail along the ridge all the way to the 11,166ft. Summit of Lone Peak.
Runner’s will reach the third aid station of the 50K at the summit of Lone peak.
Lone Peak Summit Aid Station to Andesite Summit Aid Station (18.2-25 Miles):

The route then heads down and off trail descending the ridge to the West Southwest above Liberty Bowl and Hanging Valley. This off trail section will take runners all the way to the base of the Dakota Lift Line.
Runner’s will follow the Hippy Highway double track out from Dakota territory until they reach Cow Flats double track
Racers then head along Cow Flats double track until they reach the Middle Road.
The course then follows a mixture of double track and single track on the middle road until it turns into the South Access road.
Runner’s will turn right off of the South access road to reach the top of Moose Tracks trail
Runners then head down Moose Tracks Trail until they head right onto Moose Tracks cutoff trail.
moose tracks cut off dead ends into the Pacifier cat tracks.
Runners will take a right onto lower pacifier and head uphill until they reach the base of the Africa single track trail on their left
Runners will then scramble up this STEEP section of trail until it pops them out onto the upper Pacifier cat track
Runners will then head left and uphill until the reach the summit of Andesite Peak and the third aid station.
Andesite Summit Aid Station to Finish (25-31 Miles):

From the summit of Andesite 50K’ers will head down a dirt road to the top of a ski run called Shady Chute. There is a single track trail heading downhill which originates at the top of Shady Chute.
Runners will take this downhill until it dead ends into the double track top section of Coolridge Trail.
The course heads right and down the long and runnable singletrack of Coolridge trail.
The trail finally wraps back towards the front side of Andesite and runners will see the Big Sky base area coming into view.
The race finishes exactly where it started behind the Huntley lodge.