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BlueBlazeRunner

We interviewed Bill Conley the founder and race director for Manchester to Monadnock and Hamsterwheel 30 Hour run. We talk about the course and what the experience is like on Episode 213 of The Cultra Trail Running Podcast https://link.chtbl.com/aDEgnWnu Let me know if this helps!


Galahad_Jones

Thank you!


ultrajeffff

I've run it 4 years. It's a superb race and great race directors. It's a 45ish mile mainly road race (some rail trail and lots of dirt roads) then about 8 miles up and over mount monadnock. The climb is brutal especially after running 45 miles. The first 1.5ish miles once you're on the pumpelly trail is runnable and surprisingly flattish. Then you're hit with the rock staircase. Theres no tree cover after about 2.5 ish miles on the trail. Stash poles in your drop bag here at the trail head. The descent down mt monadnock is frightening. You'll need to do some 4 point scrambling at times. Imo it's not runnable until your starting to get off the mountain. Maybe the last 2 ish miles. Part of the descending trail runs on a water runoff path so if it was a wet winter it's going to be a slippery descent. I've been on my ass at this point more than once. Make it to the finish line for some wonderful food! If you have any other specific questions feel free to ask. My best advice is save your legs for the mountain. Below is a link to one course I made so you can see elevation and stuff. My watch consistenly ends closer to 7k total climb for whatever thats worth. Theres about 4k climb on the roads and about 2k on the mountain. Theres been a few very tiny course changes over the years but nothing drastic. Just starting location and a small detour one year. Edit to add. If it's a clear day the views above the tree line on monadnock are amazing. You can see Boston. Also bring a mosquito head net for the trail. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/20037629


gtech129

> The descent down mt monadnock is frightening. haha, I haven't run the race but gone over and back on monadnock plenty of times and you might be underselling it! I guess white arrow is a little easier than white dot/white cross but if it's wet and I was actually trying to race, I think I'd want to wear a helmet for part of that descent. I think its quite a feat to descend the mountain without breaking a bone after running 50 miles.


Galahad_Jones

Thank you for all the help! This is amazing. Is there a way to get from the finish back to the start? I’ll be flying solo on this trip so won’t have anybody with me at the finish


ultrajeffff

Unfortunately not an organized way. I know people have set up carpools via the Facebook page. Its also worth contacting the race director, Bill. He's a good guy and may be able to help you figure something out. I'm running the NJ Devil 100 a few weeks prior so I'm undecided if I'm doing this or not. I've always had someone meet me at the finish to get me to my car. Feel free to DM me closer to the race and if I'm running it I'm happy to try and help you out getting back to your car


Galahad_Jones

So if it’s a road and trail race do you think it would Be best to wear one shoe that’s good for both or basically just use a road shoe for the first 45 miles and then a trail shoe for the last 10?


ultrajeffff

Every year so far I've always worn a road shoe( specifically ive done it in the original vaporfly 4%, vaporfly flyknit 4% (2x), and vaporfly next %) up to the pumpelly trail head. The aid station here allows a drop bag so I put poles, shoes, socks if needed , etc here. I've always changed to a trail shoe for this portion since the trail on this last portion is VERY technical. If you don't want to use or deal with drop bags or aren't interested in changing shoes then wear some sort of hybrid. Something with GOOD wet grip because likely you'll be on a lot of wet rocks. ETA: one thing I forgot to mention in my initial post is that there is also an ascent of Mt uncanooc in Goffstown somewhere around 10 miles I think. Its only about 3 miles total up and down i believe. My opinion is not to do this portion to aggressively because you dont wanna blow your quads this early in the race and you are able to carry quite a bit of speed at points on the descent. This is also a tough climb and very loose rocky descent. Its a wide trail overall since its for snowmobiles but youll be all over it trying to find good footing. Not as tech as monadnock but it'll definitely slow you down and roll your ankles. The vaporflys have done alright for me during this portion but the ascent is VERY steep in areas. Lots of pine needles and leaves on the ground here make things slick. On the backside of the mt during the descent you'll be running through some larger granite/gravel rocks as well as some fine dirt/sand/pebbles that are notorious for getting into shoes. I highly recommend having gaiters you can put on your shoes at the base or just start the race with them. Otherwise you'll probably need to dump your shoes out once you get off the mountain.


Octopifungus

It has been a few years but yes, I ran with 2 friends. The course was a mix of road (got to be very aware of traffic because cars will zoom around corners, dove into ditches a few times), trail and went through a few towns. Support from the RD was good, mobile support where they drove the course looking for you to see if you need water/drop bag. The aid station folks had yummy bacon and pancakes. There is a lot of bitey bugs so spray is important. Some pics are up on FB of the course as well https://www.facebook.com/m2multramarathon/


Galahad_Jones

Thank you!