The Vermont 100 runs 100 miles in the rolling rural country around West Windsor, Vermont. 14,000 feet of climb. 30-hour cutoff. Held in mid-July. One of the original American 100-milers (since 1989) and famously the only major 100 that runs alongside a 100-mile horse race — the Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Ride. Runners and horses share the course.

The course

Loop-and-out-and-back combination. Mostly dirt roads, jeep roads, and trails through farmland, forests, and rural Vermont. Climbing is rolling — no big sustained climbs, but hills are constant. Less technical than mountain 100s; more runnable. The course passes through small Vermont towns where families set up unofficial cheering stations on their porches.

By the numbers

  • Distance: 100 miles
  • Vert gain: 14,000 ft
  • Vert per mile: 140 ft/mi (rolling hills, no sustained climbs)
  • Highest point: ~2,400 ft
  • Cutoff: 30 hours
  • Date: Mid-July (Saturday morning start)

How to qualify and enter

Open registration with a 50-mile qualifier required. Less competitive than lottery races; first-time entrants typically get in. Field is capped at ~325 runners.

The horse-runner thing

A 100-mile horse endurance race runs concurrently on the same course. Horses pass runners (don't startle them), and aid stations serve both. This sounds chaotic; in practice it's well-managed and adds character. Don't try to keep up with horses on flat sections — they will lap you.

Gear strategy

  • Vest: 8–10L. Salomon Adv Skin 8.
  • Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 6 — runnable course, mix of dirt road and trail. A pair of road shoes works for some runners.
  • Layers: long sleeve for the early-morning start; ditch by 9 AM. July heat in Vermont can hit 90°F.
  • Headlamp: primary + spare. ~6–8 hours of dark for most finishers.
  • Bug spray: July in Vermont = mosquitoes + black flies. Don't skip.

The Vermont 100 experience

Most finishers describe Vermont 100 as the most "American Heartland" of the major 100s. Family-run aid stations, dairy farmers waving from front porches, the smell of cut hay, generous cutoffs. The most welcoming first 100. The horses make it weirder, in a good way.