Want to run on the highest elevation road marathon in the world? The Madison Marathon in Montana (not to be confused with the Madison Marathon in Wisconsin) is run on a gravel road at an average elevation of 9,000 feet in the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest in Montana.
This small event is looking to go big, and with such a unique venue, we hope they will. The race starts at 9,200 feet, goes up to 9,600 feet, and ends at 8,550 feet in elevation.
Here's a link to the 2010 Runner's Packet. The section on the sheep guard dogs was particularly interesting! There's also a mile-by-mile description of the course, which is fantastic for those of us that don't live nearby.
For runners planning to do marathons in all 50 states, Montana has a huge selection of very different marathons - the Missoula Marathon was ranked as best in the country by Runners' World, for instance - Madison Marathon should definitely be considered if you are up to the challenge. The race is capped at 200 participants, which means that you should make your plans in advance.
