A NORTH East distance race described as one of the toughest of its kind will test runners keen to tackle a mountainous challenge.
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The inaugural Great Alpine Road Marathon on Sunday November 20 starts at Dinner Plain and leads participants on an out-and-back course to Mount Hotham village and on to Mount St Bernard before returning.
A half marathon run in conjunction heads past the Razorback to Blowhard Hut before turning back and down to Dinner Plain.
Race director Paul Ashton said he had often visited Mount Hotham and completed road runs.
“The views are just spectacular and one day I just thought wouldn’t it be great to organise a marathon or a half-marathon,” he said.
“So I started doing the planning on that and talking to people.”
An initial half marathon two years ago went well but did not attract many competitors so Ashton began trying to involve partners at Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham as well as Alpine Shire Council.
“Those boxes have now been ticked and those organisations are coming on board as supporters of the event because they see the benefit of trying to attract a few hundred people up to the alps and just experience the magic of it all,” he said.
Ashton, of Running Wild, has been organising runs in Victoria since 2000, mainly trail runs in the alps and coastal national parks.
“The half-marathon was my first road race that I organised and this will be really just an extension of that,” he said. “Road runners are always looking for new and interesting challenges.
“This is going to be the highest run in Australia, road run, it’s probably going to be the hardest road run in Australia and in another sense compared to a lot of the city runs, it’s going to be relatively uncrowded.
“I think there’s a group of people that will want to do it for the scenery. You're not going to get a more stunning vista than that.
“If you can run in some of the most beautiful places in the world, why wouldn't you?”
More information is available at runningwild.net.au.