Rock 'N The Knob Trail Challenge - Marathon - 2021

Race - Sep 18, 2021

Dogs Leashed

Features Geological Significance · Historical Significance · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall

For mountain-goats, this course has broken the will of many as you repeatedly attempt to ascend one of the highest peaks in the Central Alleghenies – finishing with 6,635 feet of climbing on your legs. Not ready for the marathon distance? Check out our half-marathon or our 10K races. alleghenytrailrunners.com/r…

BLUE KNOB ALL SEASONS TO PAVIA AID STATION (7.0 MILES | +572FT./-1726FT.)
Starting at the Clubhouse at Blue Knob Four Seasons Resort at 2736 feet, runners follow Hink's Delusion before emerging out of the woods on Stoehr Climb below the summit before crossing the road. Runners will cross the road and then dips into the woods before a right turn down a gravel service road to the paved hairpin turn.

26 milers' runners will cross the road and onto a blue-blazed connecting singletrack for 0.7 miles to Tower Road to Lost Turkey Trail before turning left around the southern end of the campgrounds and then a right onto Chappells Field Trail. Chappells Field Trail is a wide trail toward Pavia Road. At Pavia Road (mile 5.1), runners will cross the road, bearing left onto an access trail before making a right onto Crist Trail.

PAVIA AID STATION TO CHAPPELLE'S FIELD AID STATION – (3.8 MILES | +1449FT./-560 FT.)
Racers will cross Pavia/Knob Road (at 7.3 miles) and here will be a full aid station. Then racers will run up Rock 'N Ridge Trail and up the spine of the ridge until making a left and dropping down into Pavia Run for 0.8 miles. At the bottom the course will turn make a sharp right and up the western fork of Pavia Run before climbing out of the hollow.

CHAPPELLE FIELD AID STATION TO RAVENS REST AID STATION. (2.25 MILES |+402FT./ 600FT.)
Runners will glide on a flat doubletrack then course turns sharply up Deep Hollow at mile 12.8. Then next downhill is steep and somewhat eroded, runners will run down the field to Raven Rest Aid Station at 14.2 miles.

RAVEN REST AS TO HEAVENS HAIRPIN AS (3.85 MILES | +1480FT./-721FT.)
Runners will go up and down the remote SE flank of the mountain until runners will climb up the hollow up Beaver Dam Run to the top of the mountain. Runners will cross Three Springs Trail (at 16.6 miles) and continue around the summit before arriving at the dirt state forest road. The road will end at Pavia Road where the aid station will be setup.

HEAVENS HAIRPIN AS TO RESORT (2.55 MILES | +891FT./-1190FT.)
Runners will summitt the Knob around the south side of the lodge will be offered a tremendous view toward the NE. Runners will then proceed down Mambo ski slope then arrive until Eurus. At Eurus, you'll climb up to the top then down a steep slope called Edgeset. After a short break, runners will go down Stembogen then down an old logging road and up a steep scramble called "I Need a Sherpa!"

FINAL 10K (6.5 MILES | +1240FT./-1268FT.) Runners will take Black Bear Trail to Lost Porcupine Trail which offers even more twisty turns on singletrack. Then you make a right turn onto Tree-odge – "get it" – then Code Blue Trail.The downhill fun is about to begin. It's the first half of Devils Hairpin! Then "Throat Punch"! It's the second half of Devils Hairpin. Throat Punch scrambles up Spit Hollow to almost the top of the mountain.

Then it's the final climb – a combination of ATV trails, a logging flune and logging roads – it is a mile climb of 600 feet we call The Soul Sucker Slopes. Once at the top, Not Fairway is a splendid runnable singletrack to the intersection of Oak Hill Lane and Summit Way before going back onto the singletrack to the finish.