CRAZY MOUNTAIN 100 | Awaxaawippíia

The Crazy Mountain 100 in Montana was the first race I ever attempted that strongly suggested if not mandated that runners carry bear spray as part of their running kit and to make sure that it was easily accessible. Grizzlies are a real concern as we travel through their native habitat. Thankfully, neither I or any other runners found use for this piece of kit, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Just like other mandatory kit while traveling through mountain terrain, you do not want to skimp on anything that may keep you alive to fight another day, I mean run another 100 miler:-)

The Crazy Mountain 100 is the only point to point 100 miler in Montana, taking runners from the Westling Ranch in Wilsall, MT to the Berg Ranch in Lennep, MT. In the process, runners cover nearly 23,000 feet of elevation gain and equal loss while crossing 4 major mountain passes (two of them at 10,000 feet altitude). As a result, the average altitude of the race is about 9,000 feet. These are seriously big mountains and they're rugged.

I had come off a disappointing Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Miler a week earlier, where I pulled to plug and took a DNF at 56 miles. I had done some serious soul searching after the race. Thankfully, it only took a couple of days to get my head back on straight. When I finally toed the line at the Crazy Mountain 100, I was both ready and super excited to run my first race ever in the big mountains of Montana.