Point-to-point from downtown Boonsboro to Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, in three distinct sections. Miles 0-2.5 are road, climbing onto the Appalachian Trail. Miles 2.5-15.5 follow the Appalachian Trail's rocky ridge singletrack (with about 2 miles of pavement between 3.5 and 5.5 mi), gaining 1,172 ft in the first 5.5 miles and then dropping over 1,000 ft in a series of switchbacks around mile 14.5 down to Route 340 and the C&O Canal. Miles 15.5-41.8 are the flat, unpaved, vehicle-free C&O Canal towpath (26.3 miles). The route leaves the towpath at Dam #4 and follows gently rolling paved country roads for the final 8.4 miles (41.8-50.2) to the finish.
A 50.2-mile point-to-point race in three distinct sections: road out of downtown Boonsboro onto the Appalachian Trail's rocky ridge singletrack (miles 0-15.5), the flat unpaved C&O Canal towpath along the Potomac (miles 15.5-41.8), and gently rolling paved country roads to the finish at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport (miles 41.8-50.2). A 6:30 a.m. mass start and a 13-hour time limit.
First held in spring 1963 as one of many 50-mile events staged nationwide after President John F. Kennedy challenged his military officers to match a physical-fitness standard Theodore Roosevelt had set for his own officers decades earlier: covering 50 miles on foot in 20 hours. Most of the nationwide JFK Challenge races were never held again after Kennedy's assassination in November 1963. The Washington County, Maryland event renamed itself from the JFK 50 Mile Challenge to the JFK 50 Mile Memorial in 1964 and, per the race's own history page, is the only original JFK Challenge event still held every year, which is the basis for calling it America's oldest ultramarathon. It describes itself as, in spirit, a military race, and awards the Kennedy Cup each year to the top-finishing military team.
| Mile | Station | Cutoff | Crew | Bag | Pacer | Med | To next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | Start (Downtown Boonsboro) | 6:30am | ● | · | · | ? | 2.50 |
| 2.50 | South Mountain Inn | 7:15am | · | · | · | ? | 6.80 |
| 9.30 | Gathland Gap | 9:15am | · | · | · | ? | 6.20 |
| 15.50 | Weverton Aid Station | 11:30am | ● | · | · | ? | 11.80 |
| 27.30 | Antietam Aid Station (Antietam Aqueduct) | 2:00pm | ● | · | · | ? | 7.10 |
| 34.40 | Snyder's Landing | 3:45pm | · | · | · | ? | 4.30 |
| 38.70 | Taylor's Landing | 4:45pm | ● | · | · | ? | 3.10 |
| 41.80 | Dam #4 | 5:30pm | · | · | · | ? | 4.20 |
| 46.00 | Downsville | 6:30pm | · | · | · | ? | 4.20 |
| 50.20 | Finish (Springfield Middle School) | 7:30pm | ● | · | · | ? | ? |
Leave the Boonsboro School Complex and take MD Rt. 66 (South) for less than .1 of a mile towards Boonsboro. MD Rt. 66 runs into U.S. Alternate 40. Take a left (East) on U.S. Alternate 40 1.5 miles to MD Rt. 67. Go right (South) on MD Rt. 67 for 12.0 miles. Park along the shoulders of MD Rt. 67. Shuttle Buses will be transporting spectators to the viewing area at the base of Weverton Cliffs or you can walk to the viewing area.
jfk50mile.orgTurn RIGHT (north) onto MD Rt. 67 and go 6.4 miles. Turn LEFT (west) onto Trego Road and go 2.1 miles. Turn LEFT (west) onto Porterstown Road and go 0.2 miles. Turn LEFT (west) onto Burnside Bridge Road and go 2.2 miles. Turn LEFT (south) onto Mills Road and go 1.8 miles. Turn RIGHT (west) onto Harpers Ferry Road and go 1 mile. Turn LEFT (west) onto Canal Road and go 0.2 miles to the Antietam Aqueduct area. Park in the field to the right of the towpath. Parking attendants will instruct you as to where to park. Approximate travel time (driving slowly down these back roads) from Weverton Cliffs is 25 minutes.
jfk50mile.orgLeave Antietam Aqueduct (LEFT from the camping area) and continue (north) on Canal Road and go 1.3 miles. Turn RIGHT (east) onto Millers Sawmill Road and go 1.7 miles. Turn LEFT (north) onto Harpers Ferry Road and go 0.9 miles into downtown Sharpsburg (Harpers Ferry Road will turn into South Mechanic Street as you come into Sharpsburg). Turn RIGHT (east) onto Main Street and go 0.1 miles. Turn LEFT (north) onto North Church Street (also MD Rt. 65 north) and go 3.2 miles. Turn LEFT (west) onto Taylors Landing Road and go 1.0 miles to the parking area where parking attendants will instruct you where to park -- in a large field opposite the towpath.
jfk50mile.orgContinue (north) on Taylors Landing Road and go 0.3 miles. Turn RIGHT (east) onto Tommytown Road and go 1.6 miles. Turn LEFT (north) onto Bakersville Road and go 2.1 miles. Bear LEFT at the fork in the road onto Spielman Road and go 1.3 miles. Turn RIGHT (north) on MD Rt. 632 and go 3.9 miles. Turn LEFT (west) onto Sterling Road and go 1.8 miles. Turn RIGHT onto Governors Lane Boulevard and go 0.2 miles. Turn LEFT (south) at traffic light onto US Hwy 11 and go 0.8 miles. Turn LEFT at the light onto Clifton Drive and go 0.5 miles to Williamsport High School parking lot. Walk (or take shuttle bus/van) from Williamsport High School parking lot to the finish at Springfield Middle School -- a distance of .4 mile.
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