The Marin Ultra Challenge, our premier Marin County long distance trail race, delivers ample hills and sweeping descents. March 9th marks the 8th edition of this tour of some of Marin’s best trails. Meticulous effort went into the design of each course for the MUC; all three distances are physically demanding (the 50 Mile has just about 11,000 feet of elevation gain) and exceptionally beautiful. The journey begins at the black sands of Rodeo Beach, and traverses the Marin Headlands, Stinson-facing Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods, exhibiting a range of terrain, from exposed fire-roads with incredible coastal and inland views to tight, technical single-track with redwood canopies. There is very little trail overlap, and Jim Vernon, from The Endurables and Hydrapak, spent hours and weekends developing these spectacular custom courses–we are super excited to show it off. You’ll quickly realize why Marin County has become the ultimate trail runner’s destination.
Starting at Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach, runners may fill their lungs with fresh salt air before embarking on a journey through some of the best trails the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais has to offer. Your journey will begins with amazing vistas of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from the SCA and Julian trails. You’ll soak in the beautiful views of Coastal Trail, the inland buffed single track of the Miwok, descend on the famous Dipsea Trail and tackle one of the toughest climbs around – Willow Camp. You’ll travel along the coast, by Pirate’s Cove, to Muir Beach. Fron there you will cross over to Mt. Tam, climbing to the top of Cardiac Hill then scream down the Dipsea to Stinson Beach. Depart Stinson Beach with the 1,800′ of vertical gain in 1.8 miles on Willow Camp and traverse Mt. Tam along the single-track Coastal Trail, back to the top of Cardiac. Enjoy the tall trees as you pass through Muir Woods, before you climb back into the Headlands on Miwok to the killer downhill of Dias Ridge back to Muir Beach. From there, you’ll quietly pass through the Zen center and up the incredible new Middle Green Gulch hill then traverse through the Headlands all the way back to the finish at Rodeo Beach.