September 21, 2024 — 7 am
Bald Eagle Mountain, Lock Haven PA
Welcome to the 10th annual Boulder Beast
Join us on a course that started all the craze here in central PA. The infamous boulder field awaits you!!!! We take on trails called Goat Path, Lightning Ridge, Gut Check, Black Diamond, Crossover, Fleming Way, Chestnut Flats and the Gorge Trail. Expect the course to be about 24 miles long with approximately 6,000 feet of vertical gain. ***We're also offering a 25K distance for those not ready for 24 miles, but who still want to tackle the boulders.*** As usual, the start/ finish is at the Castanea Township Fire Company picnic grounds. There is plenty of camping space and parking available (free and no reservations needed). The fun begins on Friday night with a pre-race party and bag pick-up from 4-8 pm. After finishing, stick around and enjoy the typical PA Trail Dogs post-race picnic with great food and beverage.
Before signing up ---- Please understand that this event is not for everyone. It is a tough trek through some pretty tough and diverse terrain and will require some rigorous training on everyone's part. We have strict cut-off times at various places on the course. On the 24 mile course -- Bottom of Boulder Field Mile 6.5 (10:30am), Boy Scout Aid Station Mile 8 (11am for 25 Milers/1pm for 25kers), Zindel Park Aid Station Mile 11 (12:30pm), Vets+ Aid Station Mile 16 (3pm) and Leadership CC Aid Station Mile 21 (5pm). On the 25K course -- You must reach the bottom of the boulder field by 10:30am or you'll be pulled from the course. The first 3.5 miles are road and the next three are trail. If you can't make it 6.5 miles in 3.5 hours, you'll never be able to finish this course. The next cut-off is the Boy Scout Aid Station at mile 8 (1pm). Cut-off times are based on being able to finish in the daylight. There will be no exceptions to these cut-offs. They are in place for the safety of our runners and the compassion we have for our volunteers. If you don't want to take on 24 miles, we're offering a 25K option that will allow each runner to conquer the boulders and still see the Rote Overlook before heading back to the finish. All in all, we're looking to make this a most memorable experience for everyone signed up. Just like Hyner, Sproul, and the Wilds 25K, we're just a fun group of trail runners putting on a fun trail event. We're excited to get back to a more runnable course, but make no mistake, legs will be trembling at the finish line!!!
Registration for the 2024 event opens in December 2023. The event is open to the first 600 runners or the September 1st deadline. There are no refunds, bib switches, deferments, selling of bibs, or bandits for this event. If you don't agree with this policy, please refrain from signing up.
“Can’t begin to tell ya how much fun I just had today jog-walking my way through the PA Trail Dog’s Boulder Beast 24-miler. Stupidly beautiful. Climbing on all fours through boulder fields, technical descents, then really runnable sections. The people were great. Course marked great. Volunteers amazing. I give this a 10/10. See ya in April for #Hyner.”
