Arts, Dining & Entertainment, Featured

Under Armour series takes on The Beast

Courtesy of Under Armour Running Series

The UA Mountain Running Series takes participants literally off the beaten path.

Aug. 19-20—KILLINGTON— On Aug. 19 and 20, athletes from near and far will converge on Killington Resort for the inaugural 2017 Under Armour Mountain Running Series.

Created for trail running novices and professionals alike, this North American trail running series provides unmatched racing experiences in beautiful mountain environments of three of the most iconic resort destinations in the United States, including Killington Resort. Race course locations offer diverse climates, different distances and varying elevations, and terrain built to push athletes to find the edges of their potential.

The series will make a stop at Killington Resort, touting a peak elevation of 4,241 feet, and tucked in the Green Mountains of the Appalachians in Central Vermont. Killington Resort covers seven peaks offering an expansive trail running system.

What differentiates the UA Mountain Running Series is that courses in their entirety will take participants off the beaten paths of mountains in national forests where runners will encounter everything from rocky paths in high alpine surroundings, forests of evergreens and aspens, to open meadows and mountain streams. Each single race course presents a truly unique trail running experience for participants of all levels.

Killington Resort race events include the following distances:

50k — A single loop course where runners will conquer the entire mountain, because The Beast is big. Offering 10,075 feet of total elevation gain, from the low side of the course at mile 16 and 1,172 feet elevation, to the high point of 3,994 feet at mile 22.6, runners will see all of the outstanding views Killington provides.

Marathon — A two-loop course highlighted with iconic views along the ridge at 3,860 feet will show the beauty of Killington, and some explanation as to why it’s called “The Beast.” A 9,578-foot elevation gain challenges runners on a route of dense forest trails and service roads.

Half Marathon — The single loop course starts at 2,519 feet elevation and climbs to 3,860 feet elevation in the first three miles. Runners are rewarded with majestic views at the top, followed by a scenic downhill to 1,173 feet for a total of 4,789 feet in elevation gain.

Marathon Relay — This two-loop course designed for teams of two to four runners features incredible views of surrounding mountains and 9,578 feet of elevation gain.

Vertical Challenge — The Vertical Challenge is 1.25 miles straight up 1,552 feet in elevation gain to Killington Peak.

10k — With grand views at 3,864 feet, the 10k course is a combination of trails and service roads with 2,649 feet of elevation gain.

5k — This is an amazing 5k course through wooded, glacial moraine starting at 2,521 feet elevation with a climb up to 3,358 feet offering great views.

See full course layouts and descriptions, and register at uamountainrunning.com.

The Killington Resort UA Mountain Running stop will be a running festival unto itself, with cash prizes, exciting weekend-long resort activities, and post-race parties. A $5,000 prize purse will be divided between the top three male and female 50K finishers.

The series continues Sept. 8-10 at Copper Mountain in Colorado.

Mountain Times Newsletter

Sign up below to receive the weekly newsletter, which also includes top trending stories and what all the locals are talking about!