The 2024 Whiteface Mountain Race - a tough, fun Adirondack mountain run

The organizer describes this race as having “...more vertical gain and loss per mile than possibly any other race in the United States, Whiteface is burly”. 

While I’m used to hyperbole in race descriptions, this one delivers on the promise of uphill vert with 3100 feet of the total 3800 feet climb coming at you in the first 3.1 miles of the route, leading up the false (ski resort) summit of Whiteface.

It’s a tough, fun mountain climb. It’s short but packs a punch that only a few climbs on the northeast provide - not technical, so you could run it, but steep enough you’ll probably be hiking it. 

I definitely cursed at the mountain at least once as I slipped on loose gravel on a steep descent. My own poor hydration, compounded by high humidity, also hurt my performance on this day. That said, I'll be back next year. 

Overview

Whiteface is the 5th tallest mountain in the Adirondacks, topping out at 4,867 feet tall and located about 13 miles north of Lake Placid, New York. 

I’ve climbed Whiteface, Esther (its companion peak), and most of the other 46 peaks above 4000 feet in the Adirondacks (ADK) previously so I was very familiar with the trails and terrain in the ADK high peaks - rugged, muddy, standing water, and generally a wet eroded mess. 

On this day, I was running the 7 mile Marshak Mountain (MMR) Race which is a lollipop loop that starts and ends at the base lodge of Whiteface Ski Resort. The route climbs the mountain from the opposite side of the traditional hiking trails using the steep slopes of the resort and topping out lower, below the true summit, at the top of the ski resort.

Trail conditions & weather

I would describe the terrain for this race route as “messy” - a bit gnarled, not technical, just a mess of loose rock, mud, and small streams of water draining from the mountain. The course is 100% on ski runs, but surfaces vary - from gravel-covered service roads, to grassy cruisers and tight, rocky paths, cut through the trees. 

The weather for the morning included very high, summer humidity, which made the air feel heavy and the uphill efforts feel harder. Temperature was moderately warm with partly cloudy skies providing some breaks from the direct sun shining down the slopes as I ascended and descended. In those moments, when

Trip details

• Date: July 5, 2024
• Distance (MMR): 7 mile (lollipop loop)
• Elevation Gain: 3,800 feet
• Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
• Terrain: Grassy ski slopes, rocky ski slopes, service roads with loose rocks & gravel
• Race options: Various (7 mile Marshak Mountain (MMR), VK Line, Kid’s race)

Maps & route

• MMR race route (from organizer)

The climb

The climb starts out rather moderately, taking me in an “S” pattern slightly up and then over and across on the Runner Up trail to the base of the Lower Parkway trail. 

Lower Parkway is where the first stage of the climb begins and it gets steep quickly. I was not properly hydrated coming into the day and I knew the humidity was going to compound this issue. I had been moving at a decent pace, but started to suffer from my hydration mistake here and had to take it down a notch, slowing to a moderate climb vs. my push pace.

As I climbed, Lower Parkway became Upper Parkway and instead of continuing on, I made a right turn on a crossover trail that takes you down (yes, you lose elevation here) and across the mountain, I believe this trail is called Low Road. Low Road was extra sloppy, muddy and wet due to excavation work on the trail. After descending a few hundred feet, I connected with the Upper Valley trail where I made a left and climbed a bit to the base of the Summit Quad. 

The terrain flattened for a moment and I came to the first aid station. I’d traveled 2 miles and climbed about 1500 feet. I grabbed a small gulp of electrolytes and continued on my way.

From here to the summit is more or less a continuous vertical climb with 2-3, very short trail transitions providing a brief respite for an active recovery. The route follows the Victoria (Blue), Niagara (Black) and Cloudspin (Black) trails to the summit. 

Here the terrain gets steep on less manicured trails with wet rocks and greenery to manage as you push for the high point of the day. I found this section easier to manage than the loose rocks and gravel below. Despite it being steep, the footing was packed and consistent. I maintained a decent hiking pace here, despite having slowed things down to manage my fluid loss. 

Upon reaching the high point of the climb, I’d traveled 3 miles and climbed about 3100 feet and found the 2nd aid station which offered some food options in addition to fluids. I passed on the food, grabbed a quick drink and continued on my way.

The descent

From the high point, I descended approximately 900 feet on blue trails to connect with the Essex trail (black). This initial descent is primarily loose rocks until you hit Essex, where I once again climbed about 350 feet towards the summit of Little Whiteface on a less manicured, grassy and rocky climb. 

At the high point, I dropped down Approach (Black) and then made a sharp left onto Upper Empire (Black) and encountered probably the gnarliest descent of the day. Upper Empire drops off quickly and is a thinner trail, flanked by tall trees. The terrain was damp and varied - grasses and greenery grown in over rocks and various natural obstacles. Some areas had been tracked about by the leading group of runners resulting in some slippery section that took me down on my butt once.

Upon reaching the base of Upper Empire, I was back at the Summit Quad and had completed the lollipop aspect of the route. From here I would follow my original path back down to the base lodge and the finish line. At this point, I had traveled about 5 miles and completed most of the elevation.

The remainder of the descent was on the loose, gravelly trails I had ascended earlier. The last bit of climbing was a couple hundred feet back up the muddy and messy Low Road trail, at which point it was smooth sailing back to the base.

Overall

Overall, this is a fun route with some unique qualities for an east coast mountain run. The race is well supported by the organizer, despite the number of racers coming in very light this year due to sling momentum during the Covid-era and skipping last year. Hopefully the race picks back up some if its steam next year and beyond.

I certainly did not do as well as I planned in the MMR and based on how my body was feeling, I decided to skip the VK run, the 2nd leg of the day I had planned for. I’ll be back next year with better preparation in the form of hydration and rest days leading up to the race. 

My race stats:

• Distance: 6.94 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3,852 feet
• Time: 2h, 25 min (28th place overall)

More info & links

The race is organized by Red Newt Racing who also organize some other great races in New York including the Breakneck Point Marathon and the Seneca 7, a 7-person running relay in the Finger Lakes.

• To learn more about the organizer and the race, check out the organizers website.
• To register for the run or sign-up for sign-up alerts, head over to ultrasignup.