The Sentinel Hill Climb | Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

Welcome to Missoula’s longest running trail race! With 2,000 feet of elevation gain in only 1.5 miles, this course is short, steep, and ends on the proud summit of Mount Sentinel.  After the race, participants will receive a 2021 Hill Climb mug and a scoop of Big Dipper Ice Cream!

Registration:

3.2.21 – 3.31.21

  • $25

4.1.21 – 4.26.21

  • $30

4.27.21

  • Registration Closed.  There will be no race day registration.

This event will be limited to 250 runners.

There will be no refunds, deferrals, or bib transfers.  If the race gets cancelled due to COVID, we will offer a 75% refund or a deferral into the 2022 event.

Runners Receive:

  • 2021 edition of the Sentinel Hill Climb mug
  • Big Dipper Ice Cream
  • Free downloadable race photos of every runner
  • $100 cold hard cash to King and Queen of the Hill Climb
  • $50 to the first male and female to the ‘M’
  • Chip timing from Competitive Timing
  • Hammer Nutrition products at the finish

Awards

  • $100 cold hard cash to the Kind and Queen of the Hill Climb
  • $50 premium to the first male and female to the ‘M’ (must finish race to be eligible)
  • Age group winners will win a gift card to Big Dipper Ice Cream.
  • Age groups: 0-9, 10-14, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

Schedule & Bib Pick Up

Race Day Bib Pick Up Only. Please pick up your bib no earlier than 30 minutes prior to your planned start time to reduce crowding in the starting area.

  • 5:00pm: Elite Men (Projected finish time faster than 24 minutes)
  • 5:05pm: Elite Women (Project finish time faster than 30 minutes)
  • 5:15 – 5:29pm: Wave 1 Start (Projected finish time faster than 35 minutes)
  • 5:30 – 5:44pm: Wave 2 Start (Projected finish time between 35 – 45 minutes)
  • 5:45 – 6:00pm: Wave 3 Start (Projected finish time slower than 45 minutes)

Location:

The Sentinel Hill Climb starts at the base of Mount Sentinel in the ‘M’ Parking Lot on the University of Montana Campus.

Parking

  • Parking is available in the ‘M’ Trail Parking Lot and is limited.  Surrounding lots require a University parking pass. Please carpool if you can.

Virtual Sentinel Hill Climb

Not ready to run in-person races yet? No problem.  Register for the Virtual Sentinel Hill Climb.  You’ll still run the same course and get a finisher’s mug, just on your own time.

How it works:

On RunSignUp, register for the Virtual Sentinel Hill Climb.  From Thursday, April 22nd – Wednesday April 28th, complete the Sentinel Hill Climb course and make sure to record your time.  Note that from 5:00pm – 7:00pm on Wednesday, April 28th the in-person Sentinel Hill Climb will be taking place.  A virtual registration does not mean you are registered for the in-person Sentinel Hill Climb.  

Mugs will be available for pick-up at Runner’s Edge the week following the in-person event.  Come by between Thursday, April 29th and Wednesday May 5th to pick up your mug.

To upload your results, follow the directions below.

  • Log on to your RunSignUp account.
  • Click on the profile icon at the top right of the webpage, select “Profile”.
  • Scroll down to “Upcoming Races” and click on “Submit Virtual Results”.
  • Submit your Hill Climb time!

For more information on results submission, visit this webpage.

The Kids ‘M’ Trail Climb

Due to wave starts and attempting to reduce crowding along the trail, there will be no Kid’s ‘M’ Trail Climb for 2021.  However, we’ve expanded our age group awards to encourage kids to do the whole Hill Climb.

Course:

This demanding course gains 1,970 feet in only 1.6 miles, beginning from the ‘M’ trail parking lot and finishing on the proud summit of Mount Sentinel. The first 1/3 of the climb follows the ‘M’ trail while the remainder follows the Northwest ridge trail to the summit.

Results:

Top 10 All-Time

Friends of the ‘M’ Trail:

The Sentinel Hill Climb is conducted solely on University of Montana property. If you would like to support UM’s efforts to work with the broader Missoula community in providing stewardship and maintenance of Mt Sentinel’s much-loved and much-used trails, please consider making a donation in any amount to the Friends of the ‘M’ Trail.  Your donation is entirely tax deductible.

Learn more about The Friends of the ‘M’ Trail and opportunities to help HERE.

Questions?

Please email adam@runnersedgemt.com

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of this event!

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