Summary of the State Course @ McDaniel College

 

1st  Kilometer - Open field start with a gradual down hill start, 1st 200  down hill and  it flattens out, next 200 up a hill, 1st half of the hill is tough, after that it becomes more gradual until you hit the plateau.  Hang a left at the fork.

 

Next 300-400 looks pretty flat on the top of the plateau and hang a left at the fork and go back down the same hill you started but on the opposite side of the tree line. 

 

Heading into the 1st kilometer marker you are going back up the hill that you started on. 

 

1st km ends behind the start line on another plateau which is a tee box for one of the golf holes.  You will go up this hill twice today and you will go down it twice

 

2nd Kilometer - 2nd km goes into the same down hill and up hill that you ran up at the start.  Stick to the right of the fork at the top after about 400m.  180 degree turn sends you back down the same hill.

 

Next 300m are all down hill.  Nice wide open with easy footing.  But at the turn around it’s a 180 degree turn.  This turn will stop all momentum.  This will start to weed out the weak.  End of the hill gets to be steep. 

 

The last 300m of this 2nd KM will be flat and down hill heading.  3rd Km starts on a down hill slope. 

 

3rd Kilometer - 1st 350m of kilometer 3 are down hill and flat.  Not many turns, easy to maintain momentum and keep folks in sight.  180 degree turn at 2350, almost half way.  Take the turn wide to maintain your momentum.  This is one of the few 180 degree turns on the course where you can maintain all of your speed in the corner.

 

Next 200m are flat, good footing, and wide open.  At a nice short fast down hill you will hit roughly the 2500m mark. 

 

At 2900m you will go up a hill that will take you right down again into a turn and the start of the 4th km. 

 

4th Kilometer - The 1st 800m of the 4th km will be spent entirely along the road/tree line.  The 1st 300m will be gradually up hill or flat, the next 200 is flat.  The next 300 has some rolling up and down short hills for the first 150 and the last 150 is up hill back to the plateau. 

 

The last 200m of the 4th km will basically be flat.

 

5th Kilometer - The 5th kilometer will start at the top of the plateau and we will head back down to the start line area. 

 

1st 300m of the 5th km are flat and down hill. At the bottom you will be in the same area (opposite side of the trees as the start) and going back up the same hill you went up going into the end of kilometer #1. 

 

180 degree turn to go back down the hill.  You can maintain the speed if you take the turn wide.  Almost home.  700m to go.

 

After you make the turn you are going right down the hill you just came up. You will go into the valley and up the plateau for the last time.  You only go up the hill about 3/4 of the way before you veer off to the left to run along some sort of sport field.  It levels out. 

 

During that first 1km you went to the left at the fork, this time you will go to the right and into the last 1/4 mile.

 

Last 400m starts flat but its probably all down hill.  Fast finish.