Escarpment Trail Run 30K

THE RACE ACROSS THE WALL OF MANITOU

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Start Times

Distance: 30KM (18.6 miles)

Elevation: ~4,800 ft gain / ~4,400 ft loss

Course Cut-Off: 6 Hours

Start: Elm Ridge Parking Lot, Windham, NY

Finish: North/South Lake, Haines Falls, NY

FOR MOUNTAIN GOATS ONLY! The Escarpment Trail is a very remote, rugged hiking trail in the Northern Catskill Mountains in New York State featuring 18.6 miles of singletrack, steep climbs, and technical descents. The race course traverses two of the Catskills High Peaks (peaks over 3,500ft in elevation) and another peak close behind at 3,400ft. There are no road crossings, which requires that all aid be backpacked in by volunteers. This is not for your average runner but for the runner who trains 12 months a year, and has spent years building a base and gaining long distance experience. Qualifying standards are required to insure that all participants have experience with endurance events and have a reasonable chance of completing the course within 6 hours

Race Info

The Trail | Strava Link & GPX Download

… is viewed by many as an exaggeration of the term. This is not a carriage trail; it is a treacherous hiking trail with ZERO road crossings. It is extremely rocky and a runner must expect to navigate over boulders, downed trees, gullies and hidden roots the entire distance. Contestants must be prepared to deal with any of the forest's natural barriers, such as bees (If you are allergic to bee stings, you MUST run with your own medication.), slippery rocks, porcupines, black bears (not probable, but possible), snakes, and anything else that can be found in the forests of the Catskills. There are numerous places where runners must climb hand over fist to scale a rise, conversely, extremely steep downhill sections add not only challenge to the course, but also a high degree of unwelcome danger. There are sections of the course that travel along cliffs. If you're not careful, you could fall to your death. Very few runners go the distance without taking at least one painful spill. Most runners take many.

This is not a run-for-all and we are not trying to hype it or make it something it is not. Due to the remote nature of the entire race course, there won't be a vehicle to fetch you if you should decide to quit. It is your responsibility to get to the finish line. There won't be people telling you where the trail goes or doctors to wipe your blisters; you must be prepared to be self-sufficient.

“I’m not sure what ‘escarpment’ means. One day I’ll look it up, although by then it’ll no doubt be too late. It sounds like this is an extremely dangerous, foolhardy thing to be involved in. My kind of run.”
— 1994 Amby Burfoot (1968 Boston Marathon winner)

Race History

For founder and race director, Coach Dick Vincent, the Escarpment Trail was his playground. Following its blazes along the Wall of Manitou, it was a place upon which he and friends shared many runs. In 1977, the Escarpment Trail Run (ETR) was officially born. The event has been held every year since 1977 except for 2020 (no event) and 2021 (virtual only), making Dick the longest running race director of a single event in the United States. ETR is a classic east coast race and many with running fame have graced its terrain including Olympians and Western States winners.

Awards

There are none. Your award is the experience and the accomplishment of tackling the challenging terrain to reach the finish line. Once again, there are no awards, no age group categories, and no medals. Just runners, mountains, and some refreshments at the finish line. However, run the race over and over and over again and you will be awarded with 100/200/300/400/500+ miles shirts.

Race Day Timeline

Race day is Sunday, July 26, 2026. Due to DEC restrictions, the event uses a wave start system. Approximately 15 runners go off every 5 minutes. Registered participants will be assigned to a wave one week prior to the event. Below are the wave numbers and their associated start times:

W1 – 9:00AM
W2 – 9:05AM
W3 – 9:10AM
W4 – 9:15AM
W5 – 9:20AM
W6 – 9:25AM
W7 – 9:30AM
W8 – 9:35AM
W9 – 9:40AM
W10 – 9:45AM
W11 – 9:50AM
W12 – 9:55AM
W13 – 10:00AM
W14 – 10:05AM
W15 – 10:10AM
W16 – 10:15AM
W17 – 10:20AM
W18 – 10:25AM

Aid Stations & Cut-off Times

There are 7 aid stations on the course (shown below). Each one has a LIMITED quantity of water, Tailwind (electrolyte drink), and snacks. There will also be menstrual products available. All aid is HIKED in by volunteers and all aid station crew are volunteers.

# Location Distance Gap
1 Windham Peak ~3.5M 3.5
2 Acra ~6.2M 2.7
3 Base of Blackhead ~8.7M 2.5
4 Top of Blackhead ~9.6M 0.9
5 Dutcher's Notch ~12.2M 2.6
6 Stoppel Point ~14.4M 2.2
7 North Point ~16.2M 1.8

Runners must maintain pace in order to finish the race in 6 hours or less (19:21/mile | 12:02/km). Here is an example of the course run at 6 hour pace (pacing as shown in the official results can be viewed here). With respect to the considerable logistical and safety concerns of this event, in addition to the volunteer component that supports it, there are hard cut-off times at three of the aid stations, as indicated below. If you reach an aid station after the indicated time, please be aware that your race will be over and you will hike out with the volunteers to their vehicles and be given a ride to the finish line.

Recommended Gear

While the race does not have required gear, these items are highly recommended in addition to any personal items (medication, epi-pen, etc. that you may need):

Virtual Race Option

The event offers a virtual race option. When participating virtually, you still must complete the actual course. You have from late July through mid August to complete it and it does count towards your number of finishes. Those participating virtually must be fully self-sufficient; there is not a cut-off time for virtual participation.

Support of Women

We at ETR recognize that fewer females tackle challenging trail runs. Frankly, some very tough women find trail running scary! For 2026, we will be launching some initiatives to provide support for women so more can experience the joy of completing ETR. Details to be released in 2026.

Registration

Please fully read this section before applying for entry. You must be 18 years of age or older on race day in order to apply and run.

Qualifying Standards

The following standards have been set up for accepting entries. We CANNOT accept your entry if you don't meet these standards. We reserve the right to accept or reject any entry. Due to trail limitations, entries will close at 275 runners or July 13th, whichever comes first. These qualifying standards are put in place to insure that runners are in condition to safely complete the event in 6 hours.

At least one of these standards must have been met:

Application Review & Payment

Each application is reviewed by the Mountain Goat, Dick Vincent, himself. Please be sure to provide all of the requested details on the application form. Once your application has been reviewed, you will receive an email indicating if your application has been accepted or not.

When you apply for entry, you will provide your payment method which is securely stored with our merchant. Upon our review, if you are accepted, your payment method will be charged. If you are not accepted, you will not be charged.

Application for Entry

Accepted Entries

Volunteers

This event relies on the hard work of many volunteers leading up to and on race day. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Race Director Coach Dick Vincent at DickVincentRun at gmail dot com.

Results

The Escarpment Trail Run has been held every year since 1977 with the exception of 2020. In addition, the 2021 race was held virtually, whereby participants were required to run the actual course but were allowed to do so over several weeks, submitting their Strava (/equivalent) data as proof.

All Results Merged Split Data since 2015 (PDF)

Virtual Results*

*Virtual participants must run the true ETR course during race week.

RECORDS & MOST WINS

Male Record and Most Wins
2:42:09 set by Lee Berube in 2018

Wins Name Years
13Ben Nephew (MA/USA)2000-2006, 2008-2011, 2014-2015
8Rich Fargo (CT/USA)1986, 1988-1991, 1994, 1996-1997
5Lee Berube (NY/USA)2018-2022,2024
4Matt Cull (VT/USA)1985,1992-1993,1995

Female Record and Most Wins
3:07:22 set by Cassy Bradley-Byrne in 1999

Wins Name Years
5Sheryl Wheeler (NY/USA)2003-2004, 2007, 2009, 2012
4Jean Kerr (NY/USA)1985, 1987, 1989, 1991
4Cassy Bradley-Byrne (PA/USA)1998-1999,2001-2002
4Michelle Merlis (NY/USA)2017,2021-2023

HISTORY OF WINNERS

Media

Manitou - The song: By Dave Douglas

The "Boston Marathon" of Trail Runs: Amby Burfoot, 2005

Damon Douglas: In Memoriam

Tour d'Escarpment 2004: Ben Nephew

Rocks and Rolls: Stefani Jackenthal, 2003. Originally published by Attache Magazine

Best of Times, Worst of Times: Escarpment '02: Jim Dunn's reflections on Escarpment 2002

Playing Plinko at Escarpment: Steve Darrow, Sept. 2002. Originally published by the Finger Lakes Runners Club.

Rip's Revenge: Don Kardong, Runner's World, August 1995. We have reproduced this article with permission from Runner's World.

The Escarpment Trail, the Ultimate Test: an article about the first Escarpment Trail Run in 1977, by Paul Fetscher. Originally printed in Today's Jogger, Summer 1977.

Escarpment Trail Run 2002 : Carol Kane's account of the 2002 race, on the HiTek Racing site

Dick Vincent: 25 Years a Streaker: by David Blaikie (Ultramarathon World). Not about the race, but about its founder

Photos

Photos from a handful of years can be found on the Escarpment Trail Run Facebook page and on the Mountain Peak Fitness page. Additional photo albums by year listed below. If you have photos/a photo album that you would like to share, please contact Jean Kerr at dakotajean at aol dot com.

2025

2024

2019

2011-2018

2010 & Prior