Near Death Marathon

Welcome to the Near Death Marathon which is apart of the the Canadian Death Race.The Canadian Death Race takes place every August Long Weekend in Grande Cache, Alberta, Canada. This year, Adult Race Day is in July.Since the start of the millennium, elite racers have come to the Canadian Rockies to cheat Death in one of the world's toughest adventure races. The course begins and ends on a 4200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes over 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing at the spectacular Hell's Gate canyon at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. Extreme athletes, push themselves to the limits of their endurance against the breathtaking background of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Each year, well-trained and totally committed, they battle heat, cold, altitude and themselves. Finishing is the prize. And the bragging rights are priceless.the world's toughest (and slowest!) marathon! This taste of Death may get you hooked on Death Racing. The Marathon is run concurrently with the Solo and Relay Races and is on the same course but spans only Leg 1 and Leg 2 (with a by-pass of the Flood Summit Loop to achieve the regulation length of 42.2 km).

Welcome to the Near Death Marathon which is apart of the the Canadian Death Race.The Canadian Death Race takes place every August Long Weekend in Grande Cache, Alberta, Canada. This year, Adult Race Day is in July.Since the start of the millennium, elite racers have come to the Canadian Rockies to cheat Death in one of the world's toughest adventure races. The course begins and ends on a 4200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes over 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing at the spectacular Hell's Gate canyon at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. Extreme athletes, push themselves to the limits of their endurance against the breathtaking background of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Each year, well-trained and totally committed, they battle heat, cold, altitude and themselves. Finishing is the prize. And the bragging rights are priceless.the world's toughest (and slowest!) marathon! This taste of Death may get you hooked on Death Racing. The Marathon is run concurrently with the Solo and Relay Races and is on the same course but spans only Leg 1 and Leg 2 (with a by-pass of the Flood Summit Loop to achieve the regulation length of 42.2 km).

The Marathon is run concurrently with the Solo and Relay Races and is on the same course but spans only Leg 1 and Leg 2 (with a by-pass of the Flood Summit Loop to achieve the regulation length of 42.2 km).The race begins and ends in Grande Cache, Alberta. The five legs may be run individually or in relay teams of from two to five members. The first leg is the shortest at 19 km, the second is the most technical, the third is considered the easiest section, the fourth is the longest at 38 km, and the last leg to the finish line is of (comparatively) intermediate difficulty. Included below are the cut off times for each leg. Cut off times are set for safety purposes and are strictly enforced for that reason. Included below are the cut off times for each leg. Cut off times are set for safety purposes and are strictly enforced for that reason. If a team's Racer does not make it in by the cutoff time, as a courtesy, the next Racer can begin at the cutoff time. However, the time to do the leg will not be scored and ultimately the Leg 5 Racer will not be able to cross the river (since he will not have the coin). First leg, 19 km: The Downtown Jaunt Approximately 6 km of pavement initially, followed by trail and 3.5 km of gravel road. It includes a net elevation loss of 500 feet, rolling hills with flat sections, several creek crossings and one significant downhill. The course will start in downtown Grande Cache and the race officially begins at the 5 km mark, after passing the Grande Cache Saddle club. It then continues past Grande Cache Lake and Peavine Lake, mainly on quad trails and including a section along a ridge with a spectacular view of Peavine Lake and the mountains of Willmore Wilderness Park. After crossing Washy Creek and skirting the north end of the CN rail yard through a deep mud bog, enter the first full aid station and relay exchange zone. Cut off Time: 12 NoonSecond leg, 27 km: Flood & Grande Mountain Slugfest Includes about.1 km of pavement. The rest is dirt trail with rocky and swampy sections, and approximately 6 km of hard packed dirt road.. Net elevation gain is 500 feet, but the total elevation change is well over 6000 feet. This leg of the race is characterized by long sustained climbing with about 3 km of very rough terrain and two creek crossings. The trail from the summit of Flood Mountain to the summit of Grande Mountain is the roughest piece of trail in the Death Race. The power line down the front of Grande Mountain leading back into town is the most dangerous part of the entire course. This is due to the steep, rocky drop-offs and unstable footing while running downhill. The Slugfest is the most technical section and is rated the second hardest leg of the Death Race (although many rate this leg as the hardest of all). The Near Death Marathon course bypasses the Flood Summit Loop but otherwise is the exact same Legs 1 and 2 and finishes at the Start/Finish Line at the end of Leg 2.