Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon & 17 Mile Fun Run

Race Overview

Welcome to the 27th annual Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon and 17 Mile Blaylock Creek Fun Run. Both events are on an “out-and-back” well marked course beginning and ending at the Big Fork Community Center, utilizing the Athens-Big Fork trail.

• Marathon Challenge: Full Marathon runners will climb eight mountains twice with ~7,000' of cumulative gain.
• Cost: The event is free/donation based. A minimum $25 donation is suggested to cover our costs.
• Proceeds: All proceeds over our cost will be donated to the Big Fork Community Center and the Ouachita Amateur Radio Association.
• Food & Drink: We will have three fully stocked aid stations with typical aid station fare and additional unique offerings from aid captains.

Meal Options

Please bring your own cup or handheld because the race will be cupless this year. There will be an option to purchase a post-race meal ticket catered by Cheryl with the Big Fork Mall.

• Post-Race Meal: Details coming soon for race swag and meal tickets via email.
• Purchase Restrictions: Buy early, because there will be no race-day meal ticket purchases.
• Swag: Swag is pre-purchase only.
• Community Experience: We encourage you to bring a chair, blanket, and other comfort items to cheer in the finishers.

Awards

We will have awards for overall male and female in both the full and fun runs. We also offer unique awards to our 10 and 20 year finishers.

• No Finish Awards: We do not offer finish awards because this race experience is reward enough.
• Unique Recognition: Special awards for long-time finishers.
• Participation: All participants can enjoy the event's community atmosphere.

Aid Stations

There will be three fully stocked aid stations along the marathon route:

• Little Missouri Trailhead: Mile 3.8 Outbound & Mile 22.4 Inbound
• Cutoff Time: 3:42PM Cutoff (Mile 22.4)
• Blaylock Creek West Trailhead: Mile 8.5 Outbound & Mile 17.7 Inbound
• Cutoff Time: 10:30AM Cutoff (mile 8.5) for marathon runners.

Course Details

Turn Around (Forest Rd B23F – Southern Trailhead) at Mile 13.1 – the turn around point for marathon runners.

• Switching Events: Marathon runners may drop to the 17-mile fun run on race day after assessing their condition.
• Early Start: An early start option is available for those requiring more than 8 hours, but should not be taken lightly.
• No Shuttle Service: Due to the remote nature of this event, there is NO SHUTTLE SERVICE except for medical emergencies.

17 Mile Fun Run

• Start Point: Little Missouri Trailhead at Mile 3.8 Outbound.
• Turnaround: Blaylock Creek West Trailhead – Mile 8.5 Outbound for 17 mile fun run only.

Safety Requirements

Safety is a high priority for us. Required gear includes:

• Hydration: A hydration system (handheld or bladder).
• Light Source: A light source (handheld or headlamp).
• Additional Gear: A windbreaker or space blanket is suggested but not required.
• Medical Support: We will have HAM radio operators and medical entities on standby throughout the course.

Important Notes

NOTE: This event is NOT for trail-newbies. If you are not an experienced trail – or ultra-runner (or adventure racer), we invite you to one of the other UTS runs, BUT NOT THIS ONE. This is a difficult event that can present many opportunities for one to get lost, injured, tired, or incapacitated with sparse access for rescue.

Cut-Off Times

A cut-off time of 10:30am (2.5 hours) will be enforced at the turn-around point for the 17-mile run. Runners reaching that point after 10:30 must turn around – NOT proceed on the marathon course.

Race Information

For more details and updates, please visit the official race page.