Races
C&O Canal 100
Camp Manidokan near Knoxville. Almost entirely flat towpath along the Potomac. April mud. Fast when the legs hold.
- Start318 ft
- High387 ft
- Low240 ft
- Finish335 ft
- Washington DC at mile 0.0
- Maryland at mile 20, cutoff 6 hours
- C&O Canal 100 mile 40 at mile 40, cutoff 12 hours
- C&O Canal 100 mile 60 at mile 60, cutoff 18 hours
- C&O Canal 100 mile 80 at mile 80, cutoff 24 hours
- Finish Cumberland at mile 100, cutoff 30 hours
Geometrycourse math
The cruxCamp Manidokan hill repeats
Course DNA
The Course
C&O Canal 100 runs about 100 mi on the C&O Canal towpath near the MD/WV/VA borders. Organizer calls it almost entirely flat. HelloDrifter course map lists +2,493 ft gain and -2,500 ft loss, High near 525 ft, Low near 164 ft. Surfaces skew 95% towpath / 5% road. The climb back to Camp Manidokan is the only real hill. April average high/low near 68°F / 44°F.
The Work
Train flat long runs and the Manidokan repeats. Quads still take time on crushed gravel. 30 hours is honest for a first hundred. Rehearse fueling every 45 to 60 minutes. Night navigation is simple on the towpath.
Kit
April in Maryland: plan for cool mornings and mild afternoons. Shell if rain is in the forecast. Headlamp with spare batteries. Soft road or light trail shoes for crushed gravel. Blister kit for wet towpath miles.
Race Day
Hold effort early. The Manidokan climb returns. Walk it if you need the margin. Keep transitions short. Final miles are fatigue management on flat gravel, then one more climb to the finish.
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