Races
Grindstone 100
Natural Chimneys, Virginia. Twenty-one thousand feet of Appalachian vert. Reddish Knob in the first third. Then a long night on the ridges before the final Dowells Draft loops.
- Start1,339 ft
- High4,272 ft
- Low1,339 ft
- Finish1,342 ft
Terrain
The cruxReddish Knob and the Camp Todd to North River Gap night section
Course DNA
The Course
Shenandoah Valley ridgeline running east of the hundredth meridian. Lick Run and Wolf Ridge open the course. Reddish Knob at mile 20 is the first major summit. North River Gap, Dowells Draft, and Dry Branch Gap stitch forest service roads to singletrack. The back half weaves through Magic Moss and Camp Todd before a second pass of North River Gap. Steepest sustained grades hit around mile 84 on the elevation profile. Finish returns to Natural Chimneys after 167 km.
The Work
East Coast vert density without alpine altitude. Train repeated 2,000-foot climbs on technical trail. Night running on rocky descents. Humidity tolerance. Grindstone rewards steady hiking on Reddish Knob and runnable efficiency on the flatter ridge connectors.
Kit
Headlamp with spare batteries for two nights. Trekking poles for steep gravel and rooted climbs. Lightweight rain shell. Virginia September can deliver heat at noon and chill on the ridges after midnight.
Race Day
Reddish Knob sets the tone. North River Gap at mile 32 is the first crew window. Dowells Draft appears twice. Know which loop you are on. Camp Todd at mile 82 is the psychological crux for many runners. The final North River Gap climb at mile 92 separates finishers from cutoff casualties.
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