Elbrus Race course information

There are three different events in the International Elbrus Race.

Speed hiking Colorado 14'ers as training for Elbrus Race 2013

Qualifier:

Run uphill from the Barrels Huts to Pastukhova Rocks, approximately 3600 vertical feet over 2.5 miles averaging 27% grade. This is primarily on glacial snow, with a few cracks depending on the seasonal conditions. Near the Barrels there might be a bit of lava gravel mixed in with the snow.

Everyone has to do the Qualifier, this year on September 18 at 11:00 AM. There is a two hour cutoff for the ascent, and everyone must be back to the huts by 4:00 PM or be disqualified. After you qualify, you are eligible to run either of the two following events.

Extreme:

Run uphill from Azau, the lift station in the valley, up to the West, highest summit of Elbrus. Up to the Barrels Huts is generally on a rough dirt road frequented by military cargo vehicles. Above Mir Tram Station the road becomes much rougher dirt and rock, and then at the Barrels transitions to glacial snow and ice. You are allowed to leave a bag of clothes, shoes, and gear at the Barrels so that you can change into glacier running mode.

The course is roughly 10,700' over 7.6 miles and averaging 26.5% grade. This is a very tough race. It starts at the lift station at 6:00 AM. You have until noon to summit, then must be back at the huts by 4:00 PM.

Classic:

Run uphill from the Barrels Huts to the West summit of Elbrus with 6,400' of elevation gain over 4.6 miles and averaging 26% grade. Except possibly a short section in the beginning, the course is all on glacial snow and ice. The race starts at 7:00 AM and you have until noon to summit, and must be back to the Barrels by 4:00 PM.

The chart above 

shows the results from 2010 for the top male and female finishers, plus the Top Ten of all finishers. There is no data from 2011 when there was no race, or from 2012 when the race was called off shortly after the first few finishers had hit the summit, due to increasingly bad weather.

When you run in an event like this you normally don't carry the usual emergency and cold weather gear that you would in a normal summit attempt on a 5,000 meter peak. That means you are much more dependent on the weather holding out for the duration of the event, though in this case that's only about nine hours.

The chart also shows the absolute minimum speeds to achieve the cutoff times for the Qualifier and Classic events, if just finishing is your only goal.

I'll share some training considerations based on this chart in an upcoming post. Stay tuned. Subscribe.