Vermont 100 crew stations and cutoffs

In 2026 entry was by lottery in January: one lottery and one waitlist for both races, capped at 450 runners. The lottery was open January 1 to 9 and drawn live on January 11. You could enter alone or with a buddy, in which case you both got in or neither did. Some runners skipped the lottery and entered in December, among them anyone with four or more finishes of their distance in the last eight editions, recent podium finishers, athletes with disabilities and course landowners. Runners who commit to raising $2,000 for Vermont Adaptive with Team Run 2 Empower get priority entries.

The 100 mile needed a qualifier: a 50 miler under 12 hours, a 100K under 16 hours or a 100 miler under 30 hours. Both races asked for 8 hours of volunteer service, like trail work or helping at a race, though you could buy out of it if volunteering was a hardship. Crewing and pacing didn't count. Entry was $425 for the 100 mile and $375 for the 100K, and entries can't be deferred or transferred except under the organizer's pregnancy and military policies. The organizer said the 2027 details would be posted in fall 2026.

Silver Hill Meadow is in West Windsor, off Interstate 91. From the north, leave at Exit 9 (Hartland-Windsor) and take Route 5, Route 12 and the Brownsville-Hartland Road to Silver Hill Road. From the south, leave at Exit 8. Follow the organizer's written directions rather than your GPS, since some local roads are closed to race traffic for the weekend. The airports the organizer suggests are Hartford, about 2 hours away, and Albany and Boston, about 3.

Camping in the meadow is free for runners, crews and pacers on Friday and Saturday nights. It's a spot for your tent in a field with portable toilets at the edge, and there's no room for RVs or camper vans. Otherwise look for a room in West Windsor, Ascutney, Woodstock, White River Junction or Lebanon, New Hampshire. In 2026 Friday was check-in and a mandatory pre-race meeting at 4:15 PM, and drop bags were due by 5:30 PM.

Each runner gets one crew vehicle, and it needs the crew pass to get into the crew stations. Crews can help only at those stations, and the Runner Handbook has driving directions to each one, written in order. Use them: GPS sends cars down roads that can't be driven, and some roads are off-limits to race traffic. Unmarked dirt roads are 30 mph. Crewing the 100 mile means more than 125 miles of driving, and the 100K about 85.

Parking at the stations is tight. Don't get to Pretty House or Lincoln Covered Bridge more than 30 minutes ahead of your runner. At Spirit of '76 you park and walk about five minutes down, and at Bill's the station is in a barn below the parking field.

Pacers can start after the second pass through Camp 10 Bear, for about the last 30 miles, and runners over 60 can have one the whole way. You get one pacer at a time, swapped at crew stations, and they can't carry your gear. Pacers can't park at the stations: a free shuttle runs from Silver Hill Meadow to Camp 10 Bear, Spirit of '76 and Bill's. Solo runners go without crew or pacers and send drop bags instead.

The race is on the third weekend of July, and the organizer warns of heat and high humidity. Race morning is usually 65 to 70°F and foggy, though it can be as cool as 50°F. By day it's usually 75 to 85°F, and hotter in some years. Rain on race day is unusual but possible, and the trails can be muddy if it's been wet. The organizer thinks road shoes would probably do.

The race is cupless, so carry a cup or bottle for the aid stations and for Friday's dinner. Headphones and speakers are banned, and poles need the race director's approval. Leave dogs at home: they aren't allowed at Silver Hill Meadow, at the aid stations or on the course. At night, talk to riders as you come up behind their horses, and don't shine your headlamp at them.