Run Crazy Horse Marathon, Half Marathon & Relay

Sunday, October 6, 2024 • Crazy Horse, SD • Course Map

The gorgeous and oftentimes stark and jagged natural scenery of South Dakota’s Black Hills will be on display at the annual Run Crazy Horse Marathon, Half Marathon and 5-Person Relay, set to start this fall at the Crazy Horse Memorial and finish in nearby Hill City, S.D.

Designed both to raise awareness and interest in the area’s majestic tourist attractions — which include the Crazy Horse Memorial, a more than 500-ft.-high monument to the Oglala Lakota warrior that is still being carved from a mountain more than 50 years after its sculpting commenced, and nearby Mount Rushmore National Monument, one of the nation’s most famous landmarks — the race also serves as a fundraiser both for Habitat for Humanity and for the American Heart Association.

The course for the race follows a point-to-point course that follows a mostly gentle downhill slope, starting near the Crazy Horse Memorial, where runners can see the monument in the distance, taking shape in the rock as sculptors continue work to carve it from the mountain.

From there, participants follow the course on a brief loop up to the monument and then back again, where they then enter South Dakota’s George S. Mickelson Trail, which they follow for the rest of the half marathon route.

Completed in 1998, the Mickelson Trail features more than 100 miles of gently sloped crushed limestone and gravel trails that wind through acres upon acres of national forest lands, and take runners across converted railroad bridges and through dense forests and meadows.

Designed to offer people of all ages and fitness levels a way to take in the scenery throughout the Black Hills, the trail is open to runners, walkers, cyclists, hikers and horseback riders.

Runners in the race follow the trail as it winds its way northward and eastward all the way up into Hill City, following a nearly all-downhill (and very gradual) grade from about the 2nd mile marker in to the finish line in Hill City. Organizers plan to keep the finish line open for as long as 7 hours, and the race is open to runners and walkers.

The day before the 26.2-mile and 13.1-mile races, however, the Run Crazy Horse races will also host a 1K fun run for kids, which will start at Tracy Hall Park in Hill City.

The Crazy Horse Memorial in Crazy Horse, S.D. (Photo by jimmers54/flickr)

Race Weather & Climate

Located in the westernmost part of the state about 37 miles southwest of Rapid City, in the region known as the Black Hills of South Dakota, Crazy Horse typically experiences dry, cool weather in the early fall.

On race day (Oct. 6), the average low is 34ºF and the average high is 63ºF.

Crazy Horse Marathon Past Results

• 2023 Results
• 2022 Half Marathon Results
• 2021 Half Marathon Results
• 2020 Half Marathon Results
• 2019 Half Marathon Results
• 2018 Half Marathon Results
• 2017 Half Marathon Results
• 2016 Half Marathon Results
• 2015 Half Marathon Results
• 2014 Half Marathon Results
• 2012 Half Marathon Results
• 2011 Half Marathon Results
• 2010 Half Marathon Results

Crazy Horse Marathon Course Map

See the race route map for the Crazy Horse Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

8:00 AM

Course Time Limit

7 hours

Fees

• $80 – $100 for the half marathon
• $90 – $110 for the full marathon
• $240 – $280 for the marathon relay
• $25 – $30 for the Fast 5K
• $10 – $15 for the Kids 1K

Crazy Horse Marathon Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of South Dakota’s Crazy Horse Half Marathon, register online at GetMeRegistered.com here.

Crazy Horse Marathon Official Race Website

www.runcrazyhorse.com

See more races in: October, South Dakota