Course Description

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While it is true that there is a hill as steep as the road up MT Washington with a 10-12 percent grade, but that hill comes just after mile 9 and is only 100 yards long.

There is a net drop of dozen feet over 13.1 miles. Your total climb is 729 feet and the total drop is 741 feet. The total climb happens over 6.75 miles and the total drop happens over 6.35 miles, but we mix it up to keep it interesting.

NOTE: The profile show above has an error in it that the mapping software can not fix.

Mile .5 to 1.25 is flat as a pancake, then from about 10.8 to 12.3 it is even flatter than a pancake. The error effects both places because the first one is part of the second as you traverse it again later in the race. In the first section mentioned there is a 50 foot rise shown that is not there, and then in the second section mentioned there is a 50 foot rise and fall shown that is not there. The only steep hill is the 100 foot hill mentioned later.

The reason the hills are labeled "killers" is that the course conspires to do you in. However the course is so beautiful you will forgive it for the challenge it presents you, and the Apple crisp at the end will help you forget the tough part.

The good news is that more than half the course is in the shade which can help quite a bit on a warm day.

The course starts out down the high school entrance road, then left out for a 2 mile clock wise loop. It's flat for 1.2 miles until a 1/4 mile gradual uphill at Merrill Rd. So many people are still together at this point you can be dragged along too fast by the enthusiasm. The road is wide here so you won't be crowded. (Remember the little pimple you see in the elevation image above because with a slight-of-hand we turn that into a mountain when you get to it the 2nd time just before the end. [SMILE])

Mile 2 is out on Rt 122 in front of the high school where you started. Around mile 3 is a long downhill until you see Silver Lake State Park on your left. The course takes a right on S Merrimack after Mile 4. A short way after mile 5 the course goes right on Nevins. (Don't take Farley which is right after mile 5)

Mile 4, 5 and 6 are a general down hill disguised in a number of rollers to keep you from getting complacent until after mile 6. Now remember this isn't Kansas, these are New England "rollers". You can easily toast your legs during the first half of this race because many runners don't know how to run on their forefoot on the downhills and with all due respect to heel strikers, most people normally slam too hard.

Running downhill can be done comfortably with practice. Actually, anytime you can hear a footfall someone is probably not running as smoothly as they could.

The course continues on Nevins until after mile 6 where is merges onto Farley coming in from the right. The runners just continue straight.

Miles 6 to 8 is generally flat with a gentle roller after the course turns right onto Wheeler Rd. The 3 legendary hills on Wheeler road come just after mile 9. The tough part of Wheeler Rd on these hills covers about a mile and a quarter.

The first big hill includes the 100 yard challenge mentioned earlier with plenty of less intense uphill before this first hill levels off somewhat. However, then you're into the other two longer hills. The 100 yard steep start of that first hill is SO short that running hard at it buys you very little gain in total time and just might sap your strength for the next 1.2 miles to come.

The last hill on Wheeler road is long and a less challengingly grade that you can see from bottom to top. Most runners settle in on this one and grind it out until they clear the cemetery on the left at the top.

Does a cemetery seem appropriate to put at the end of over a mile of challenging hills? We'll let you and the memories of prior year runners answer that. From there for the next 150 yards you get your breath and smile back so you can look your best for the spectators who will be at the right turn on the main road which is both named Broad St and Route 130. Mile 11 is after this right turn. Runners will want to cross over to the left side of the road after the right turn.

From that cemetery you have about 1.5 miles of extremely flat road, enjoy it because in that 1.5 miles of flat road the only thing you will have to run over will be a shadow and some road paint, nothing higher, really.

Now, would Applefest let you off the hook that easy? No way! To get your attention again, just after mile 12, (where you are running over the same road as the opening 2 mile loop) you turn right and are treated to a 2nd crack at the 1/4-mile hill on Merrill Rd. At that point in the race the hill seems longer and steeper than it was 11 miles ago. Many race position changes happen here. You either have something left or you don't

After the Merrill Rd hill the Applefest course is finished having its way with you and it's downhill most of the way to just a mild incline at the high school entrance. Now you've earn the post race spread.