The Lone Wolf

So, what is the Lone Wolf? A simple, fun, looped race. But there’s a catch. Races start together on the hour as a pack, needing to finish the loop within the hour. As when the next hour strikes, the race starts again, in the opposite direction. The goal? To complete as many loops as you can.

This “Last (Wo)Man Standing” takes place on a beautiful, single track 6.8km loop, with 210m of vertical/descent. On paper it seems easy enough to complete within the cutoff time for most, however pacing and tactics will come into play as the day goes on, and year one saw a lot of racers tap out earlier than expected!

The loop is washing-machine style – heading clockwise, then counterclockwise, then clockwise and so on. Racers need to make it back to base before the hour cutoff, and be ready to start the loop again, on the hour. If you miss the cutoff, you’re out and you remain in the den.

With a well-stocked aid station, easy logistics for one drop bag at base, and the opportunity to race as a Lone Wolf (solo), Coyotes (2-person team), Cougars (2-person team combined age of >80) or Pups (2-person team combined age of 32 or under), the race caters to a variety of runners, with a variety of goals. Treat it as a training run for the upcoming season. A chance to practice your race and fuel management. Challenge yourself to do one more loop than you thought you could. Or simply to have a great day on the trails, running, cheering and supporting fellow runners.