The route
168.7 km across Virginia, climbing 5,943 m, on an overnight loop from Natural Chimneys Park.
Drawn with a pen, line by line
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Indicative figures computed by Plotrek on its illustrative route, with altitudes from a terrain model. They may differ from the organiser's.
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Grindstone 100 Mile starts in the evening: the race sets off from Natural Chimneys Park at 6 pm, on a loop that returns to the same point after a night on the trail.
The course first climbs toward Narrow Back Mountain, then Reddish Knob, alternating ridgeline single-track and technical forest descents.
It then passes Grindstone Mountain and Hankey Mountain before climbing to Elliott Knob, the high point of the course, at 1,324 m.
The way back climbs again to Little Bald Knob before dropping to Natural Chimneys Park. Runners have thirty-six hours from start to final cutoff.
Paths and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Altitudes measured on the route.
03 · Your poster
The relief of the course, a 168.7 km loop from Natural Chimneys Park, takes shape as contour lines: our pen plotter draws it with a pen, line by line. Your finisher name and time go in the title block, in A4, A3 or A2.
Shipped from our workshop in Le Bouscat
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Updated Route and text: Plotrek workshop (Fabrice Jolivet)
The organiser announces 167.4 km and 6,400 m of elevation gain for the 2025 edition. Plotrek's illustrative route, redrawn on OpenStreetMap paths, measures 168.7 km and 5,943 m of gain. It is a loop, with Natural Chimneys Park as start and finish, Elliott Knob at km 92.9 and Little Bald Knob at km 138.2.
36 hours for the 2025 edition, according to the organiser's website, read on 17 September 2026. That is the time allowed to cover the announced 167.4 km. Start: Natural Chimneys Park, at 6 pm. The time limit can change from one edition to the next; the organiser's rules prevail.
Elliott Knob, at 1,324 m, at km 92.9 of Plotrek's route. The high point lies between two landmarks of the course: Hankey Mountain (1,046 m, km 66.9) and Little Bald Knob (1,323 m, km 138.2). The start and finish are both at 409 m. Altitudes measured on the route, with a terrain model.
689 m of elevation gain in one go, from km 128.6 to km 138.3 of Plotrek's route. Landmark on the way: Little Bald Knob (1,323 m, km 138.2). No other climb on the 168.7 km loop is as long. Average gradient of this section: 7.1%.
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