20 Miles in 8 hours

Through the 29029 social network, Steve and I heard about the Mammoth March. Like 29029, this event is held in many different locations over various Saturdays. We choose the Delaware Valley hike located in Elkton, MD. The event we chose was a 20 mile hike in 8 hours (some of the events are 30 miles in 12 hours).

Since Elkton is a 5 hour drive from our home, we got a hotel for the weekend. We arrived in town late afternoon. After settling into our room, we went to dinner at MadMacs, which is just across the state line in DE. We filled our tummies with cajun mac & cheese and deep fried brownie bites with vanilla ice cream. Then it was back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

We had one of the later starting time slots at 8:45 am, so we didn’t have to wake up super early. After a quick breakfast and coffee from Dunkin Donuts, we headed to the fair grounds and the starting point for the Mammoth March.

At the checkin everyone receives a wristband and hiking pass book. (the books have spaces for starting and finishing stamps for several hikes). Once checked in you make your way to the starting line. Approximately every 30 seconds, 2-5 people are released to begin their hike. This is to help spread people out on the trail.

The 20 mile trail winds its way through the Fair Hill Natural resources Management Area. You hike your way across fields and through the woods, partly on wide gravel paths/roads and partly on narrow dirt trails. On some of the more narrow parts of the trail, we did find ourselves in a long line of follow the leader.

There were four aid stations along the route. Two of the stations were just water filling stations and the other two had food along with the water. Thankfully we had a backpack with some of our own food as being a late starting time the food options were pretty slim pickings.

It was a gorgeous day and the landscape was beautiful. We walked through fields, over creeks, and into the woods. Along the way we saw people riding horses, an amish buggy, farm equipment, and stone ruins. The best surprise of the day was meeting a fellow 29029’er. We had a great opportunity to hike a couple miles together, talking and hearing each other’s stories. She is doing an earlier 29029 event in August and we wish her the best of luck.

Hiking along we noticed the mile markers counting up toward 20 as we got closer and closer to the finish line. Except, just shortly after passing marker 18, we came out of the woods to see the finish ahead. What happened to mile 19? Did the person marking the trail goof up or was this some sort of psychological benefit for the hikers? Don’t know, but it does explain why our apple watches kept reading a mile more than the markers.

We managed to reach the finish line in just under 7 hours. What a great day and experience. We really enjoyed the hike and are very likely to participate again.If you like hiking and want a bit of a challenge, I recommend checking out a Mammoth March.

Mammoth March

20 Miles in 8 hours

Training Time

12-Hour walk