Crazy Mountain 100

Course Overview

The Crazy Mountain 100 runs point-to-point through Montana's Crazy Mountain Range. You start at Westling Ranch near Wilsall on Friday morning and finish at Berg Ranch in Martinsdale — if all goes well — sometime before Saturday evening. The course covers 100 miles with roughly 23,000 feet of climbing across terrain that ranges from 5,800 feet to 10,200 feet in elevation.

The Crazy Mountains are remote. This is not a groomed trail race. You'll run single track, forest roads, double track, and stretches where the only navigation is a line of cairns along a ridgeline. Some sections have no distinguishable trail at all. Every year, someone goes off course.

The First Half: Big Climbs, Big Gaps

The opening 6.1 miles to Porcupine ease you in, but the real race begins on the 13.3-mile stretch to Ibex — the longest gap between aid stations on the entire course. After Ibex, you push through Cow Camp to reach Halfmoon at mile 43.4, your first crew-access point with pacer pickup. The major climbs stack up in this first half. You'll gain thousands of feet through forest and exposed ridgeline before dropping into each aid station.

Conical Pass: The Make-or-Break Point

At mile 50, you hit Conical Pass — the high point of the race and the checkpoint that ends more runners' days than any other. The cutoff here is 12:15 AM Saturday (tightened by 30 minutes for 2026). You reach this point in the dark, at altitude, after 18+ hours of running. There's no aid station — just a time check. If you're behind pace, your race is over.

The Second Half: Technical and Relentless

After Conical Pass, you retrace through Cow Camp and push east to Sunlight (mile 63.3), a hike-in-only aid station where crew must walk 0.7 miles from parking. Then it's on to Crandall (mile 70.4) and Forest Lake (mile 78.3) — the last reliable crew points before the finish. The terrain stays technical. Rocky single track demands solid foot and ankle conditioning, and the accumulated fatigue from 70+ miles on mountain trails makes every rock feel sharper.

The final stretch from Huntin Camp (mile 92.8) to the finish is 7.2 miles with a hard cutoff of 6:00 PM Saturday. For 2026, there is no crew access at Huntin Camp. You and your pacer are on your own for the last push to Berg Ranch.

The Land Itself

The Crazy Mountains hold deep significance. The Apsáalooke (Crow) people call this range Awaxaawippíia — "ominous or angry mountain." The course crosses Indigenous lands, private ranch land from multi-generational family operations, and public National Forest. This is one of the few opportunities to traverse the bulk of the Crazy Mountain Range, which is otherwise difficult to access due to limited public entry points.

This is bear country. Mountain lions, moose, and other wildlife are present. Bear spray is highly recommended. Weather can swing from 90°F to hail or snow in the same day. Self-sufficiency matters here — carry a water filter, have your phone loaded with the course map, and pack layers.

For the full aid station table, cutoff analysis, mandatory gear list, and crew logistics, see our detailed course guide.

Training Highlights

Preparing for the Crazy Mountain 100 comes down to three things: aerobic endurance, mountain-specific leg strength, and time on your feet over technical terrain. A flat-road base won't cut it. The course demands that you climb and descend efficiently for 24 to 36 hours straight.

Build the Aerobic Engine First

Most of your training — roughly 80% — should be at or below your aerobic threshold. Easy, conversational-pace running builds the fat-burning capacity you need for a race this long. If you can't talk comfortably, you're going too hard. Our 20-week training plan starts with 8 weeks of aerobic base and gym-based muscular endurance before adding intensity.

Train the Legs for Mountains

23,000 feet of climbing will destroy unprepared quads. The specific training that matters: split jump squats, weighted box step-ups, hill sprints, and long uphill intervals in Zone 3. These build the muscular endurance to keep pushing uphills at mile 80 the way you did at mile 20. Downhill running matters just as much — eccentric loading on steep descents causes the quad-destroying damage that slows you in the second half.

Get on Technical Terrain

Rocky single track is the defining surface of this race. Your feet and ankles need conditioning that only comes from actual time on rocky trails. Rolled ankles and foot bruising are common. If you live somewhere flat, plan training trips to mountain terrain — especially in the peak phase (weeks 13-18) when back-to-back long runs on mountains simulate race conditions.

Respect the Cutoffs in Training

The 36-hour cutoff requires roughly a 21:36/mile average pace. That sounds generous until you factor in aid station stops, gear changes, stomach issues, and navigating rocky terrain in the dark. Build time buffers into your race plan. The cutoffs are consistent throughout — about 21:30 to 22:30 per mile at every checkpoint — so there's little room to make up time if you fall behind early.

Read the full plan: 20-Week Training Plan for the Crazy Mountain 100.

Frequently Asked Questions