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, enjoy Big Dipper Ice Cream at the M-Trailhead amphitheater.

More registration information to come soon!

This event will be limited to 250 runners.

There will be no refunds, deferrals, or bib transfers.

Runners Receive:

• Big Dipper Ice Cream

• Chip timing from Competitive Timing

• Hammer Nutrition products at the finish

Awards

• $100 cash to the first place male and female. To be eligible for the overall win and cash prizes, you must start in the elite wave.  Our top 3 men and women will be based on gun time, not chip time.  

• $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: 0-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

Schedule

Tenative Schedule

• 5:00PM: Packet Pick Up at M Trailhead 

• 5:45PM: Kids Run Start

• 6:00PM: Elite Start*

• 6:02PM: Wave 1 Start

• 6:04PM: Wave 2 Start

• 6:06PM: Wave 3 Start 

• 7:30PM: Awards Ceremony at the base area

*Elites – We are excited to bring together some of Western Montana’s best hill climbers to battle it out at the Sentinel Hill Climb.  Elite qualifying standards are sub-24 minutes for men and sub-30 minutes for women.  You will receive an invitation to the elite heat after registration. If you have any questions, email adam@runnersedgemt.com. 

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.

The Kids ‘M’ Trail Climb (Free!)

Starting 15 minutes before the Sentinel Hill Climb, the Kids Run goes from the base area to the M (0.6 miles with 600 feet of climbing).  After finishing their run at the M, kids will stick around and cheer on the Sentinel Hill Climbers as they make their way up the mountain.  Once all the runners have passed by, the kid’s racers will make their way to the base area and celebrate with Big Dipper Ice Cream.

We’ll have a group of folks from Big Dipper Running making sure the kids go the correct way and know when to head down.

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.

Course Map

To view the map, click “Load Sentinel Hill Climb.”