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The Lewis and Clark Marathon is an annual Bozeman, Montana event in Late May or Early June. Self-proclaimed to be "The first marathon in the west", the race is built on Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery Expedition in 1806. The race is said to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers over a challenging marathon course of trails, paved and gravel roads complete with dramatic views of four mountain ranges, fresh air and wide open spaces. A significant portion of Lewis and Clarks journey was spent in Montana including a portion in Bozeman, a college town surrounded by the Gallatin National Forest and 90 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Situated at 4,793 ft above sea level.
The Lewis and Clark Marathon course offers beautiful views of the Bridger Mountains but is still a challenge, containing both paved and gravel roads, as well as single-track trail. Also, runners need to keep a sense of humor if a train just happens to interrupt the Marathon race around the 15-mile mark.
Course details
The 26.2 mile Marathon and Marathon Relay course starts on Jackson Creek Road at historic Malmborg School. Runners follow Jackson Creek Road northwesterly to Bridger Canyon Road. The road turns to a sealed gravel surface just over a mile into the course, and climbs over the course high point at about the 3.5 mile mark. Dramatic views of the Bridger Mountains and an easy downhill grade make up the next section of the race.
Upon reaching Bridger Canyon Road, runners run southwesterly for about three miles (runners must stay to the left of barriers on the left side of the road here), then turn south onto Kelly Canyon Road and encounter a challenging hill as the road turns to gravel. After cresting the hill, the road leads to the campsite where Captain William Clark and other expedition members camped in 1806. This marks the start point of the Half Marathon; the Marathon and Half Marathon courses coincide for the remainder of the route.
Coming downhill off the Kelly Canyon Road, the course opens onto blacktop, passes near the historic Fort Ellis archeological site and heads into the eastern edge of Bozeman following Bozeman Trail and Kagy Boulevard. Runners hit the scenic Highland Ridge and Chris Boyd trails in Bozeman proper, crossing through Burke and Lindley Parks before heading southwest along the Gallagator (Linear) Trail. A short paved section along Tracy and Spring Creek streets leads to a section of Sourdough Trail. The course then follows residential streets on the south side of town, then passes Sacagawea Middle School before moving onto another trail section. A few steps north on 7th Avenue leads to the final cutoff west to the Montana State University Track Complex, and about a lap and a half to the finish on the track.
The Lewis and Clark Marathon course is typical of running venues in the Bozeman area, and reflects the scenery and accompanying challenges. It contains a mixture of paved and gravel road, as well as single-track trail; as such, it may be a more " technical " course than many who've only run road marathons are used to. With the hills, this is not a fast course, despite the overall loss of elevation, so don't count on a PR (or a Boston-qualifying time) on this course! In addition, there is a railroad crossing at about the 15 mile mark. Rail service on this track does not follow a regular schedule, and they cannot guarantee that runners will not be slowed or stopped on the course by a train passing through. This potential interference hazard is an integral element of the course experience, and they do not have the capability to adjust race times or finish positions due to runners having to wait for the train during the race.