2026 Crazy Mountain 100
I’m officially signed up for the Crazy Mountain 100 in July 2026! 🏔️
Honestly, I only know about this race because of my friend. I generally avoid races in Grizzly Bear country 🐻, but he recommended that we do it together to get a Hardrock qualifier. From what I’ve seen, the Crazy Mountains look absolutely wild.
Why I’m running
I need a Hardrock qualifier. ⛰️
I didn’t get into the 2026 Hardrock 100, so I’m looking ahead to the 2027 lottery. The list of qualifying races is short and competitive, but I love steep, challenging courses, so “The Crazies” fits the bill perfectly. My previous qualifiers were the High Lonesome 100 and Mogollon Monster 100, so I’m excited to add another rugged mountain 100 to the list.
Registration Drama
Getting in was a sprint. Registration opened at 6:00 AM, and I managed to snag a spot by 6:01 AM. ⚡ Sounds like there will be a lottery next year.
The irony? The friend who originally told me about this race and hyped it up missed the cutoff by seconds and is now stuck on the waitlist. This adds to our history of missed connections:
- He was supposed to run the Kodiak with me.
- We were going to be in Chamonix together in 2024 (him for UTMB, me for TDS).
My wife is thrilled that I keep signing up for these adventures with a buddy, only to end up running them solo when he drops out due to injury or lack of training. Sorry, man! 😂
Stats
- Distance: ~100 miles
- Elevation Gain: ~24,000 ft
- Cutoff: 36 hours
- Terrain: Technical, off-trail, scree
Now the real work begins. I have a history of falling apart late in races because I’m undertrained for the eccentric load of downhills, or my ankles decide to quit on technical terrain!
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© 2025 by Justin Poehnelt is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

