2025 RACE

Join us for the 7th annual and ONLY trail marathon in Northwest Montana on July 13, 2025,

Featuring the new, as of 2023, all-single track course with over 5000 feet of vertical!

Only the first 100 registrants will be allowed to participate!

Link to Run Sign Up page

Check out this cool interactive map from onX… but wait for a second for it to load

The Details

What are you getting yourself into?

This is a 26 mile running race on mostly single track trails with more than 5,000 feet of climbing. The first 2,800 feet of climbing occur in just over 5 miles to the top of Blacktail Mountain. The last 21 miles still include >2000 feet of climbing as you gradually descend the long ridge leading to the finish at Herron Park.

Bears, mountain lions, and other wildlife are found along the trail corridor. You will be required to carry bear spray and to know how to use it. Running with headphones is also heavily discouraged because of the increased risk of not hearing a wild animal ahead or behind you.

Weather: July can have a wide variety of weather conditions in the Flathead Valley, so please pay attention to the forecast and think about layers, rain gear, and how to prepare yourself for any possible conditions. We can have pouring rain, snow, and hot, sunny weather. We had one race with ALL of those conditions during a 6 hour period!

Cell phone coverage is mostly present along the course but it is not guaranteed. Aid volunteers will carry cell phones and radios.

There are 5 aid stations along the course:

~5 miles at the summit lodge of Blacktail Mountain (bathroom access),
~13 miles at Emmon’s Saddle (outhouse access),
~17.5 miles near Stoltze Corner,
~21 miles just north of Chase Overlook, and
~24 miles near the Foy's Overlook

Aid stations will have water, food, and calories provided by Skratch Labs & Hammer Nutrition. There will also be volunteers at many key intersections along the course BUT ALWAYS LOOK FOR PINK FLAGS ON WIRE. Do NOT step over pink flagging blocking side trails!

There will be a cutoff time of 12:00 p.m. to reach Emmons Saddle (approximately 25 minutes per mile pace), where the only road crosses the course (Patrick Creek Road). This cutoff will be strictly enforced. We will have transportation available back to Herron for those that do not make this cut off time or who wish to end their race at this point. No one to this point has missed the cut off time.

Race day Details

All proceeds from entry fees benefit Foy’s to Blacktail Trails Organization, which uses it to support ongoing trail maintenance, outreach, maps and signage.

Bib Pick Up: On Friday and Saturday, you can get your bib at Flathead Running Company, 132 S. Main Street, Kalispell. You will be able to get your t-shirt at the end of the race

Schedule | Sunday, July 13, 2025

5:30 a.m. All racers will meet at Herron Park in Kalispell. Park at the stables area just past the main trailhead in order to accommodate day-use patrons; look for volunteers wearing reflective vests to direct you. Please carpool together if possible because parking will be limited. For those who haven’t picked up their bib numbers in the days before, we will also hand them out at this time. In the event that there is a wait list, we will issue unclaimed bibs at this time.

Finish bags/Drop bags - Items brought onto the shuttle that you wish to return to the start (warm jackets, last minute not-needed items, changes of clothes for the end) can be placed in your personal bag for the shuttle’s return trip to Herron. A volunteer will bring all drop bags to the pavilion at Herron Park. Please label your bag.

There will be a pre-race meeting, starting promptly at 5:45 before participants board the shuttle to the Lakeside to Blacktail trailhead, approximately 25 miles away. The shuttle has room for all racers and will leave immediately at after the pre-race meeting. There is no parking at the Lakeside to Blacktail Trailhead.

7:00 a.m. Race begins

12:00 p.m. A support vehicle will be at Emmons Saddle (along Patrick Creek Road) for racers that do not make the cutoff time of 12 p.m. or wish to end their run at that junction. Patrick Creek Road is the only road that crosses the route. There is no vehicle access (except emergency vehicles) for the last 14 miles.

Racers that make the cutoff time just before 12 pm and continue to the finish should expect a finish time of 9-10 hours (4-5 p.m.). Sponsors and volunteer support will be available until this time.

If you have to leave the course at anytime to heed the call of nature, please leave an article of clothes or your running pack near the trail. If you go missing, this may be our only way of finding you quickly and will let the race course sweepers know that someone is still out on the course.

The Flathead Race Series!

We have joined with the Whitefish Trail Blazer and Le Grizz races to form the Flathead Race Series! Everyone who participates in at least one of the FTBT races on July 12th &13th, one of the Whitefish Trail Blazer races on October 4th & 5th, and one of the Le Grizz races on October 11th will be part of this series. Series participants will receive a buff, discounts on next year’s races, and will be ranked by Competitive Timing at the end of the series. Those completing the FTBT Marathon, the WTB 50k, and the Le Grizz 50 mile race will be part of the Crown of the Continent Champion’s League. Each CCCL member will receive a buff as well as a mug, a beanie with the race series logo made by Sam Avery, and a free entry into one of the series’ races in 2026! Awards for the race series will be given out during the Le Grizz award ceremony on October 11th.

Training plans:

Paige Bluhme, professional running coach, has generously offered a free training plan if you would like guidance on your running program leading up to the race. Go to: E2 Foys to Blacktail Marathon - Google Sheets to find the comprehensive plan. You can get customized plans and more thorough guidance by contacting her directly through her website, Epic Endurance Coaching.

Lodging options:

The County Parks Department will let us allow up to 20 camping units in the field by the stables. If you are interested, contact Brian Miller, race director, at brian@runflathead.com and we can make arrangements. Cost will be $25 per unit. A unit is defined as one camper or one tent. If we fill up, we may have options with a local land owner near the race staging area.

Spectators:

The best place to cheer on racers is at the summit of Blacktail Mountain. The well maintained road takes you to the Blacktail Mountain ski lodge just below the summit. Shortly before the lodge there is another road on the right that leads up to a radar station that looks like a big soccer ball. Racers will come up to that road - about 5 miles into their race - at the sign marking the top of the FTBT trail, just below the radar station. Blacktail Mountain ski area manager, Jessi Wood, will also have the lodge open to racers and spectators. The first aid station will be at the backside of the lodge. Restrooms are also available to the public in the lodge.

Massages:

Our friends at Flourish Massage and Yoga will be providing free massages after the races at the pavilion on a first come-first serve, sign up process. Tips/donations to the massage therapists are welcome.

After Party:

We will have post-race get together at Bias Brewing in Kalispell from 6-8 p.m. We can grab a bite to eat, share stories from the day, give away swag, and will recognize the top 3 men’s and women’s finishers.

Cancellation/Wildfire Policy:

Wildfires and smoke conditions vary over the course of the summer in Montana. Often, even when the Flathead area does not have active fires, smoke is blown in from the west causing poor air quality. Wildfire conditions are variable, unpredictable, and can change daily in northwest Montana. As we experienced in prior years, smoky conditions were persistent until race weekend where we experienced rain and clear skies. In the event of an active wildfire posing a safety threat to the Foy’s to Blacktail Trail Marathon (FTBTM) participants or volunteers, the race organizers reserve the right to cancel the event at any time. Please keep in mind that we work with multiple different land owners that will also be looking out for the health and safety of everyone in our event.

If the FTBTM is canceled due to a wildfire or other natural disaster, participants will have the options to (i) defer their registration at 50% value to the next year; or (ii) donate their registration to help cover operation costs.

As noted below, we will wait until race morning to determine cancellation, which means we incur the costs of operating the event (insurance, permits, etc) and compensating all of our local vendors, regardless of whether the race takes place or not. As organizers, we invest our lives into this event and want nothing more than a flawless weekend, so we thank you in advance for understanding and respecting this policy.

In the event of smoky conditions causing variable air-quality, FTBTM organizers reserve the right to make a final race cancellation decision by 5:00 am on the morning of the race based on AirNow.gov for Kalispell, MT. The Specific Air Quality Index chart we will refer to can be viewed here.

The event will not be canceled for AQI 0 (green) to 100 (yellow).
AQI reaching between 101-150 (orange), runners will have the choice to (i) complete the event, (ii) defer their registration at 50% value to next year’s race, or (iii) donate their registration.
AQI reaching > 151 (Red, Purple, or Maroon), the event will be canceled and runners will have the choice to (i) defer their registration at 50% value to next year’s race, or (ii) donate their registration.