The Course
The Catskills Mountain Marathon covers 26.2 miles through the eastern Catskills, starting and finishing in Phoenicia. Surfaces are about 60% paved road and 40% unimproved fire road and gravel. The course is marked with orange ribbon every quarter mile and painted arrows at the turns. If you haven’t seen a ribbon in a quarter mile or more, you have probably gone off course — backtrack to the last one.
Elevation Profile
Turn-by-Turn
- Miles 0–2. Flat section through Phoenicia on Main Street, then right onto Woodland Valley Road. Watch for traffic at the Route 28 crossing.
- Miles 2–8. Gradual climb along Woodland Valley Road, following the creek. Pavement the whole way. Nice shade.
- Mile 8. Left turn onto the Slide Mountain fire road. The pavement ends here. This turn is easy to miss; a marshal is posted here on race day.
- Miles 8–14. Sustained climb on fire road, rocky in places. Highest point at mile 14, around 2,890 ft.
- Miles 14–20. Descent along the Panther Mountain ridge. Loose gravel and uneven footing — take this section carefully, especially if it’s wet.
- Mile 20. Rejoin pavement at the base of Panther Mountain. Last aid station.
- Miles 20–26.2. Return along Esopus Creek back into Phoenicia. Mostly downhill, slight uphill in the final half mile. Finish is at the Main Street lot.
Aid Stations
| Mile 10 | Water, electrolyte, bananas, orange slices |
|---|---|
| Mile 16 | Full support: water, electrolyte, gels, PB&J, coke, first aid, drop bag access |
| Mile 20 | Water, coke, pretzels, drop bag access |
Drop bags must be labeled with your bib number and left at the start line by 6:15 AM. They will be transported to the mile 16 and mile 20 stations and returned to the finish area by 2:00 PM.
Cutoffs
- Mile 14 (high point). 11:30 AM. Runners arriving after this time will be turned down the Woodland Valley road instead of over the top.
- Mile 20. 1:00 PM.
- Finish. 2:00 PM (7 hr 30 min).
Cutoffs are enforced for safety reasons. Runners who miss the mile 14 cutoff will be routed back down Woodland Valley Road with the sweep rather than continuing over the top. Seven and a half hours is a generous cutoff for the distance; plan to reach mile 14 by 11:00 AM and you will have plenty of cushion.
Course Records
| Men | 2:51:14 — Dan Pritchard, New Paltz NY (2019) |
|---|---|
| Women | 3:09:47 — Sarah Okonkwo, Kingston NY (2022) |
| Masters M | 3:04:02 — Bill Hartnett, Margaretville NY (2021) |
| Masters W | 3:24:18 — Lisa Bergman, Saugerties NY (2023) |