2025 RACE

Join us for the 7th annual and ONLY trail marathon in Northwest Montana on June 22, 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!

This race is #2 in the new Flathead Race Series! More details to come on the new structure for 2025. Other races in the series include the Whitefish Trail Blazer and Le Grizz races. There will be special awards for those that qualify for the Crown of the Continent Champion’s League!

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: September 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 have had pouring rain, heavy snow, and hot, sunny weather, with one race having 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 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 1:00 p.m. to reach Emmons Saddle (approximately 25 minutes/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.

For assistance in preparing for this race, Paige Bluhm at Epic Endurance Coaching has generously offered both free and more detailed guidelines to get you in prime shape come race day. Check out her services Here!

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.

Schedule | Sunday, June 22, 2025

6:30 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. Bib numbers will be handed out at this time. In the event that there is a wait list, any unclaimed bibs will be handed out.

Finish bags/Drop bags - Items participants wish to have at the finish can leave them at Herron Park. They will be stored at the pavilion for immediate access upon finish. Items brought onto the shuttle that you wish to return to the start (warm jackets, last minute not-needed items) can be placed in your personal bag on the shuttle for the return trip. 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 6:30 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.

8:00 a.m. Race begins

1:00 p.m. A support vehicle will be at Emmons Saddle (Patrick Creek Road) for racers that do not make the cutoff time of 1 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 1 pm and continue to the finish should expect a finish time of 9-10 hours (5-6 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.

After The Race: We will likely 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.

Lodging options: We are working with the County Parks Department and local land owners for options near the race staging area, so stay tuned!

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 2026; 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 6:00am on the race morning of Sunday, June 22, 2025 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 2025, 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 2026, or (ii) donate their registration.