Welcome to Missoula’s most spectator friendly race! We have handpicked 12 of Montana’s best runners (6 Men & 6 Women) to duke it out treadmill style in front of a live audience for the title of King and Queen of the Treadmill!
This year we will be holding the Treadmill Challenge in tandem with the Runner’s Edge 20th Anniversary Store Party held at the Big Sky Brewery Amphitheater.
We will have a prediction contest, Big Sky Brewing beer, music and live announcing – all for a great cause, with 100% of the proceeds will go to Missoula Youth Homes.
Charity:
- All donations from the event will go to Youth Homes, a Missoula-based organization which provides services and shelters for children facing abuse, neglect, emotional trauma and substance abuse problems in Western Montana. For more information, click here.
Beer:
- Big Sky Brewing has generously donated beer for the event, which we will have at the Big Sky Brewery Amphitheater.
How does this race work?
- The Treadmill Challenge will test who can run the farthest distance in 10 minutes on a treadmill set to a 12% grade.
- There will be 6 men, 6 women, and 3 treadmills, with two prelims and one final for each gender.
- Each heat will have three competitors. Whoever goes the farthest in 10 minutes will win the prelim. The winner of each prelim plus the holder of the next farthest distance will advance to the final.
- The three athletes lucky (or unlucky) enough to make the final get to do it all over again. Winners will be crowned King & Queen of the Mill!
Schedule of Events:
- 7:00pm – Men’s Prelim Heat #1
- 7:15pm – Men’s Prelim Heat #2
- 7:30pm – Women’s Prelim Heat #1
- 7:45pm – Women’s Prelim Heat #2
- 8:00pm – Men’s Final Heat
- 8:15pm – Women’s Final Heat
- 8:30pm – Crowning of the King and Queen of the Treadmill and announcement of the prediction contest winner
Prediction Contest:
We will have a bracket-style prediction contest the night of the event for spectators to join in on the fun. The brackets must be filled out before 7:00pm when the races start! Men’s and women’s brackets are $5 each.
2021 Athlete List
The Men
Zach Perrin: Formerly a sub-4 minute miler at the University of Colorado and still the Montana High School record holder in the 3200 meters, this toe-headed Montana Legend now lives in Bozeman and trains with his girlfriend, Makena Morley. This will be Zach’s first appearance at the Treadmill Challenge. Can his twine-like calves handle the grade?
Monte Cole: Making his second appearance at the Treadmill Challenge, Monte is hungry for more. In 2020, Monte just barely missed advancing to the final round, but now with 516 days to train for the 2021 Treadmill Challenge, Monte is in the best shape of his life. Most recently, Monte broke the old course record and finished 2nd at the River of No Return 55k in Challis, Idaho.
Chase Green: Coming off of a 4th place in the 3200 and a team title at both the Montana High School State Track Meet and cross country meet with Missoula Sentinel, Chase is our only high school runner in the Treadmill Challenge. With pr’s of 9:30 in the 3200 and 4:28 in the 1600, Chase is one of the faster runners in our field. He also asked to be a part of the Treadmill Challenge, which is NOT common.
Kris Brown: Hailing from Santa Barbara, California, Kris Brown, is new to Missoula but not new to racing uphill. Kris runs for HOKA ONE ONE in races up to 100 miles, most notably finishing 3rd in HOKA’s 2021 Carbon X2 100k in 6hours and 39 minutes, averaging a pace of 6:20/mile For 62 miles. Can he average such a pace for 10 minutes on the mill?
Isaac Schmidt: Isaac graduated from Hellgate High School, where he ran for the legendary Anders Brooker for 4 years. Famously known around Missoula for his record on the infamous Whitaker Hill Climb, if Isaac is even close to his full potential he should be a contender. Now a senior running for Montana State University, Isaac is in the middle of his summer training and ready to rip at the Treadmill Challenge.
Adam Peterman: After a career running at the University of Colorado, Adam returned to Missoula to pursue running on the trails. He now runs for HOKA ONE ONE and is widely known for his ability to take excellent “dad selfies”. Adam has dominated the Treadmill Challenge the past two years, including breaking Jim Walmsley’s former record. Speaking of breaking records, Adam also broke Walmsley’s record at the Sentinel Hill Climb. This guy can run up hill, FAST. Can anyone beat Adam? Can anyone take a dad-selfie as bad as Adam?
The Women
Erin Forde: You may know Erin as a friendly, bubbly face at the Runner’s Edge. But watch out, she’s a fierce competitor. Although she is more of a road marathoner these days, Erin has been a finalist at the Treadmill Challenge in years past. She previously ran at Iowa State University as a middle distance runner, and now coaches at Hellgate High School. Erin is also a great friend to have, as she laughs at all jokes, no matter how terrible.
Nicole Murray: Nicole is an absolute machine at the Treadmill Challenge. Undefeated every time that she’s competed, she was also a 2x US Olympic Marathon trials qualifier, a US National Champion in Mountain Running, and a 2x member of the US National Team for Mountain Running. Nicole is coming off of a 2nd place finish at the Sentinel Hill Climb, so she is certainly looking forward to reclaiming an uphill crown.
Abby Kendrick: A recent graduate of Hellgate High School, Abby recently placed 3rd in the 1600 at the Montana High School State Track Meet. Abby is also the manager of a popular vlog which chronicles the last couple years on the Hellgate Cross Country Team. Next year, Abby will be running for Boise State University. At the Treadmill Challenge, her primary focus will likely be defeating her coach, Erin Forde.
Elise Stearns: Another Hellgate Grad, Elise is headed into her 3rd year running for Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Previously a competitor in the Treadmill Challenge in 2019, Elise is looking to qualify for the final and also to try and defeat her old coach, Erin Forde.
Trish Drobeck: Multiple time Missoula Marathon Champion and 2016 US Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier, Trish is a beast on the road scene. With her most recent results of 2:52 from the Utah Valley Marathon in June, we’re all left wondering: can she compete with her husband’s Treadmill Challenge outfits? We’ll find out on Tuesday.
Evie Tate: The Treadmill Challenge Champion from 2019 RETURNS. Evie has been steadily chipping away for the past two years, running as early as 4:30 in the morning to get in her training. Rumor has it that she is in the best shape of her life for this event. While she isn’t training for the Treadmill Challenge, Evie is a physical therapist for Sapphire Physical Therapy and tending to her new dog, Mozz.
Store Hours
Saturday | 10am - 5pm
Sunday | 11am - 4pm
