Meeteetse Absaroka Challenge Mountain Run

Distances: 5k, 10k, 15k
http://www.meetrec.org/race/raceb.html
I did the 15k and it was a tough race! All 3 races start at the same time and place. The 5k heads up a jeep road and then turns off and makes a loop back to the start/finish. The 10k goes all the way up to the end of the jeep road then turns around and returns the same way. The 15k goes up the jeep road and then just continues. From the end of the jeep road you are pretty much just heading cross-country for the rest of the race. After the jeep road you head up a steep hill to a ridge, along the ridge, then it's downhill to the finish. The downhill is probably the hardest part because it's so steep you can't run, you just have to survive. The race website advises 15k runners to wear gloves. I was fine without gloves, but a pair of low gaiters to keep the rocks out of my shoes on the downhills would have been very welcome. The race was well-marked but nonetheless, the leaders still managed to get off-course, so I would not recommend the 15k for anyone new to trail running. Race directors did a great job providing aid stations (there were 5). I really appreciated having my hands free of a water bottle on those hills. Barbeque at the end was also welcome because it took quite awhile for everyone to trickle in.