Races
Grindstone
Natural Chimneys, Virginia. Twenty-one thousand feet of Appalachian vert. Reddish Knob in the first third. Then a long night on the ridges.
100 mi+20,594 ft-20,591 ft36 hours1,329 ft to 4,341 fttech 7/106 stationsAppalachian ridgesWSER qualifierSeptemberWSER qualifier
Distance100 mi
Gain+20,594 ft
Loss-20,591 ft
Altitude1,329 ft to 4,341 ft
Technicality7/10
Air45°F to 85°F
- Start1,339 ft
- High4,272 ft
- Low1,339 ft
- Finish1,342 ft
- Aid 1 at mile 10.0, cutoff 5 hours
- Aid 2 at mile 20, cutoff 9 hours
- Aid 3 at mile 30, cutoff 12 hours
- Aid 4 at mile 40, cutoff 15 hours
- Aid 5 at mile 50, cutoff 18 hours
- Aid 6 at mile 60, cutoff 21 hours
- Aid 7 at mile 70, cutoff 24 hours
- Aid 8 at mile 80, cutoff 27 hours
- Aid 9 at mile 90, cutoff 31 hours
- Finish at mile 100, cutoff 36 hours
Field, 2025 · 3-year sampleresults
Starters194
Finish rate56%
Median32:09
Sub-243
Geometrycourse math
Steepest drop1,870 ft-18.8% over 1.9 mi
Night miles47 misunset near 18:00 local
Course records
Men19:10:06Mike MCMONAGLE
Women23:31:16Katti JACKSON
The cruxReddish Knob and the Camp Todd to North River Gap night section
Course DNA
The Course
Shenandoah Valley ridgeline running. Starts at Natural Chimneys Park. Lick Run and Wolf Ridge open the course. Reddish Knob near mile 20 is the first major summit. Forest service roads stitch to singletrack toward North River Gap, Dowells Draft, and Dry Branch Gap. Low near 1,329 feet. High near 4,341. About 20,600 feet of gain. Trail 85 percent. No alpine altitude. Pure East Coast density.
The Work
East Coast vert without thin air as an excuse. Train repeated 2,000-foot climbs on technical trail. Night running on rocky descents. Back-to-back ridge days in September humidity.
Kit
Headlamp with spare batteries for two nights. Trekking poles for steep gravel. Lightweight rain shell. Shoes that still grip when the leaves go slick. Soft flasks for the long ridge gaps.
Race Day
Reddish Knob sets the tone early. Respect it. Camp Todd late is the psychological hole. The final North River Gap climb separates finishers from cutoff. Keep calories moving through the night. Short stops. 36 hours disappears on these ridges.
Results
Grindstone finish lines.
Official siteBack to racesPredict your timeTrain for this raceCheck readinessFoot care plan
Sources (4)
- Field stats (2025): https://utmb.world/utmb-index/races/681.grindstonebyutmb100m.2025?page=1
- Qualifier: wser: https://www.wser.org/qualifying-races/
- Course record (M): https://utmb.world/utmb-index/races/681.grindstonebyutmb100m.2023?page=1
- Course record (F): https://utmb.world/utmb-index/races/681.grindstonebyutmb100m.2024?page=1