Dances with Dirt – Gnaw Bone Harf Marathon
May 18, 2024
Nashville
Trail
1-100
Challenging
Forested
High: 73°
/ Low: 51°
Overview
Known for its challenging hills and mountains, the backwoods of southern Indiana are the setting for this annual springtime race, which includes a full, 26.2-mile marathon and a 13.1-mile half marathon in addition to a 10K, 50K and 50-mile trail races through the hills near the unincorporated community of Gnaw Bone, which lies just a short drive from nearby Bloomington. Like its counterpart races in the Dances With Dirt race series — which also includes Florida’s Dances With Dirt Green Swamp Marathon & Half Marathon — the Gnaw Bone races take runners over wild, untamed terrain here in this part of the southern Indiana wilderness, which also plays host each October to the “Hilly Hundred,” a cycling race that draws thousands of riders each year to its two 50-mile courses.
The course is filled with brush, trees and natural junk along the race route, as well as river and creek crossings.
Course Description
Runners in the half marathon and the 10K start their race at Mike’s Music and Dance Barn on Highway 46. From there, the out-and-back loop course follows a winding route through the hills as it makes its way to other points like Hoosier’s Nest (just to the east), along the shoreline of Ogle Lake and then westward through the hills back to the finish line at Mike’s Dance Barn.
Runners need to arrive ready for a challenging trail race with plenty of uphill and downhill stretches through the woods, and need to be ready to get wet, depending on the weather conditions in the days and weeks leading up to the race, as the trails can be muddy and/or rocky and wet in spots.
