Marathon Description with Relay Team Handoffs
(RELAY TEAMS WILL USE THEIR OWN TRANSPORT TO GET TO HANDOVERS – DO NOT DRIVE ON THE COURSE)
The Fourteenth Annual Mad Marathon is scheduled for July 13, 2025 in the gorgeous Mad River Valley, located in Central Vermont. For the Mad Marathon there will be a five person relay teams. There will be two person relay team for the Mad Half.
You will be running through this extraordinary rural community on 26.2 miles of back and dirt roads, with breathtaking views of the Green Mountains, tough rolling farm lands, quaint villages, historic barns, covered bridges and fields of our famous Vermont cows! Although you may know Vermont for it’s brilliant foliage, the Mad River Valley is equally beautiful during the cool and breezy summer months.
The race starts at the Mad River Green in central Waitsfield Village, and the course travels north on Route 100 for a short .6 mile before turning onto our first secondary road and through a covered bridge…on yes, Bridge Street. You will face your first climb about one mile into the race running up past an aid station and hitting a second station at the top of your climb on Joslin Hill Road and 2.2 miles into the race. Joslin Hill meets North Road and rolls along gently down hill for about another 2.5 miles, through Pine Brook Covered Bridge to your third aid station at Meadow Road. You are now traveling within Neill Farm on dirt roads and an absolutely fabulous introduction to our farmlands. About 1.5 miles along North Road past Meadow Road you will hit Carpenter Farm and your turnaround location 6 miles into the race.
Back along North Road you retrace your path up North Road and hit 8.5 miles at the Trembley Road intersection.
** This is also the Mad Half 2-person relay team handover point – first leg 5.8 miles. **
After a short out and back on East Road you hit Common Road which is a lovely dirt road with more extraordinary views of barns, farms and country homes all in a delightful rural setting. This stretch of the run is just under 3 miles and joins East Warren Road 12 miles into the run.
You will then turn left onto East Warren and run along this rolling countryside road for about 3 miles of stunning vistas. Just under half a mile down East Warren Road is the junction with Rolston Road.
** This will be the relay handoff for the 2-person marathon teams **
When you reach Roxbury Mountain Road you begin a four mile loop along four charming backcountry lanes (Roxbury, Senor, Fuller Hill, Plunkton) with amazing views, farms, barns and exquisite homesteads. You reach the junction of Plunkton and Brook Road.
Returning to East Warren Road 18.7 miles into your marathon, you begin a gentle rolling downhill slope (including one famous “dip”). Just after the “Dip” you reach the junction with Rolston Road.
Continue along East Warren Road and back to Bridge Street and then a short mile sprint to the FINISH LINE!
** This final leg of the Mad Half 2-person relay team is 7.3 miles. **