Black Hills Veterans March – Endurance
4 Days – 110 miles
September 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2024
Edgemont to Deadwood following the entire Mickelson Trail!
Forge friendships, build confidence, and test your physical and mental endurance in this team-concept 110-Mile endurance march through the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota from Edgemont to Deadwood on the scenic George S. Mickelson Trail. This is an exciting and challenging foot-march through beautiful pine forests containing more than 100 converted railroad bridges and 4 rock tunnels over a trail surface composed of crushed limestone and gravel.
This march is extremely challenging, but incredibly rewarding. The memories and friendships made on the trail are priceless!
Overview
The Black Hills Veterans March – Endurance (BHVM-E) is a team event completed in segments over the course of four (4) days.
The first three days are all self-supported, which means that your team is responsible for your own nourishment, hydration, lodging, medical support and transportation.
The fourth day runs concurrent with the 1-day Black Hills Veterans March and Marathon. On this day there are many organized rest stops providing food, drinks, and a competitive spirit with many people along the route cheering you on to the finish line.
Team Concept
The BHVM-E team-concept is critical for the safety and success of marchers. For your own safety, teams MUST register and participate with a minimum of three (3) marchers and one (1) support person each day of the march.
****YOU MUST REGISTER AS A TEAM!!! NO INDIVIDUALS CAN REGISTRUE FOR THIS CATEGORY!!!! EVERYONE MUST COMPLETE THE ENTIRE 4 DAYS AND 110-MILES OF THIS CATERGORY!!!!
Teams: Teams must start each day with a minimum of 3 participants. The team concept is designed so that team members take care of each other to ensure the entire team gets through the day. Teams may be a mix of civilian and military marchers. No maximum team member limits, however, teams must have adequate support personnel to accommodate the needs of the team. During registration, you must submit the name of your support person(nel).
Support Personnel: Each team must start each day with at least 1 support person. The support person is responsible for shuttling team members to and from the start/finish points each day. Typically, support personnel designate points along to ensure team members have support throughout the day. Support personnel may provide the team with additional water, sports drinks, food, and medical supplies, minimizing the amount of equipment marchers have to carry with them on the trail. The support person should maintain team accountability/tracking throughout the day, and serves as a means for emergency medical evacuation.
Weeks in advance, marching team members and their support personnel should plan together and tailor planned rest stops, sustainment, and support to the individual needs of team.
Route Overview
Day 1 (32.1 miles) begins at the Edgemont Trailhead in Edgemont (located on the south end of Main street), and finishes at the Pringle Trailhead in Pringle, SD (located on the west side of Hwy. 385 in the center of the town).
Day 2 (28 miles) begins at the Pringle Trailhead and finishes at the Burlington Northern Hill City Trailhead in Hill City, SD (located in Tracy Park east of the High School).
Day 3 (22.5 miles) begins at the Burlington Northern Hill City Trailhead, and ends at the Rochford Trailhead in Rochford, SD (located on the east side of Rochford near the fire station.) *To extend the Mickelson Trail (108.8 mi.) route, an additional 1.2 miles is added on Day 3 for a complete 110-Mile march.
Day 4 (26.2 miles) begins at the Rochford Trailhead and ends at the Deadwood Days of ’76 Complex and Rodeo Grounds in Deadwood, SD.
Start time is 5:00 A.M. each day,
MUST BE DONE EACH DAY BY 6:00 P.M.
ON THE 4TH DAY, MUST BE DONE BY 5:00 P.M
Contact: Questions regarding the 110 Mile Endurance March can be directed to: jeremy.l.eccleston.mil@army.mil.
