On August 8 & 9, Great Glen Trails will host the fourteenth annual 24 Hours of Great Glen, a twenty-four-hour mountain bike race, at the base of Mt. Washington. For 2009, Great Glen Trails has added $1,000 to the prize purse. Registration is still open, and volunteers are also needed.
The 24 Hours of Great Glen begins at noon on August 8 and runs until noon on August 9. Competitors race around the clock and may compete solo or in teams of 2, 4 or 5 for a total purse of more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. The goal is to ride as many laps of the 8.25-mile course as possible. Registration closes on Tuesday, August 4 at noon, and spaces are still available.
In 2009, Great Glen Trails has increased the prize purse by more than $1,000. The biggest increases are in the male and female solo categories. The winner of each of the 24-hour solo categories will pocket $500 this year.
For those not ready to tackle the full 24, a 12-hour division will also be offered this year. Designed to introduce more riders to endurance racing, in this division, competitors will race the same exact course and have the same starting time as the 24-hour competitors, but their race ends at midnight. The 12-hour version will offer solo, 2-person and 4-person divisions.
Also for the first time ever, the 24 Hours of Great Glen will be timed by RealTime™ Scoring. RealTime™ Scoring is the timing system of the premier 24-hour mountain bike event production company, Granny Gear Productions. The addition of RealTime™ Scoring will improve the flow of the event for all racers and provide accurate in-race stats and lap times.
Not just a mountain bike race, the 24 Hours of Great Glen features Festival 24, which is packed with contests and games for the whole family, including the 24 Minutes of Great Glen—a mountain bike race for the kids.
The race course is currently marked and open daily for racers to preview before race day. Due to the soggy weather this summer, many sections of the course are muddy—some too muddy to ride. Great Glen Trails will make the final determination of the exact course on race day, but some short singletrack sections may be eliminated. Course adjustments are not unprecedented, as last year, the heavy rains the day before the event forced the elimination of a quarter-mile section of the course. After riding for 24 hours, not a single rider complained about the shortened course.
One of the keys to the continued success of the 24 Hours of Great Glen is volunteers, and Great Glen Trails is in need of help again this year. Volunteers are needed for shifts around the clock to assist as course marshals, timers and other positions. All volunteers will receive lunch, t-shirt, a trail pass for Great Glen Trails and a pass for the Mt. Washington Auto Road. To volunteer for the 24 Hours of Great Glen, contact Kelly Evans, kelly@mt-washington.com, or 603.466.2333.
To register, to learn more information about the course or Festival 24 or to view the race forum, visit www.24HoursofGreatGlen.com.
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