Alpine Challenge

100 mile—100 km—60 km —42 km—25 km—16 km—10 km

Individual—Team—Relay Challenge

To give you a taste of what it could be like on the course, watch the video compiled by the Eventurers

I just wanted to say thank you for such a great event over the weekend and wanted to make special mention of all the volunteers. Each and every checkpoint we were met with amazingly friendly and supportive volunteers despite the time of day or night. They honestly made the day and I was blown away by how wonderful they were.
Of all the Alpine events I have taken part in over the years I have found Running Wild to be the most well organised events with such a high standard of safety and always such a positive and friendly vibe.
Thank you again for all your hard work putting on an amazing race weekend.
Kate
Alpine Challenge—April 2022

In order to enable more people to experience the magic of the Victorian Alps and savour the atmosphere of this unique event we have introduced a number of short course distances of 10/16/25 km as well as adding in a new marathon distance taking in the best of the high plains whilst offering fantastic scenery on a challenging course.

The Alpine Challenge is without doubt the toughest, most challenging, most spectacular and rewarding all mountain trail run in Australia—if not the southern hemisphere over seven distances. The 100 mile (160 km) course takes in 6 major climbs with 7,600 m of ascent and descent including Mt Feathertop, Mt Hotham, Mt McKay, Spion Kopje, Mt Nelse and Victoria’s highest mountain, Mt Bogong plus five river crossings. The 100 km involves over 4,000 m of ascent and descent and the 60 km course over 2,000 m of ascent and descent, whilst for those undertaking the 42 km run you will have over 900 m of ascent. The three short distances—10/16/25 km—offer an opportunity to experience great trail running and some of the historic huts on single tracks with great views over Heathy Spur and Rocky Valley Dam.

It also offers the most challenging weather conditions, from intense heat during the day or snowstorms and driving rain, to subzero temperatures at night.

Whilst the event organisers can take action to reduce risk to participants, they cannot eliminate it, as a result runners need to be prepared to run in all conditions or have the experience and sense to decide not to run at all on the day. Participants are advised to train for all conditions, including running in storms, snow and at night.

Key Information

Date November Edition: Saturday 12 April–Monday 14 April 2025

Location: Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Start/Finish: Slalom Plaza, Falls Creek

Time Limit:

• 100 mile 42 hours
• 100 km 26 hours
• 60 km 14 hours
• 42 km 8 hours
• 25 km 5 hours
• 16 km 3 hours
• 10 km 2 hours

Equipment: Refer to Mandatory Safety Gear

Navigation: In order to encourage participation in the short course distances (10/16/25 km) these are well marked with flags and directional signs. The 42/60/100/160 km courses are generally unmarked however, major decision points (ie points where people have a tendency to go the wrong way) are marked. The course follows bush walking trails and is generally easy to follow using map, course notes and the Avenza interactive map, which shows your location on the course in real time on your smartphone. To ensure against technology failure all participants need to be able to navigate with map/compass or GPS. If you are unsure how to use a map and compass check out the link below or go to rogaining or orienteering.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/01/how-to-use-a-map-and-compass/

Entries:  Online Entry

Support/Drop bags:

• Victorian runners in the 100 mile event MUST have their own support crews.100 mile runners resident interstate or overseas do NOT need a support crew and can use drop bags. NB: In case of withdrawal from a remote location you may need to wait until transport can be arranged.
• All 100 km runners can have small drop bags deposited at designated checkpoints.
• Runners in the 10/16/25/42 and 60 km event do not have access to drop bags on the course.
• Drop bag locations are at the following locations:
  • Cope Hut, Loch Car Park, Pretty Valley Pondage/Hut 160 km
  • Cope Hut, Pretty Valley Pondage/Hut 100 km

Accommodation: To book your accommodation at Falls Creek, visit:

http://www.fallscreek.com.au/reservation-centres

We encourage you to book with the following accommodation venues that support Alpine Challenge:

St Falls Resort – 03 5732 8000 – located at the start

Cedarwood Apartments – 03 5758 3393 – 5 minutes from the start

Frueauf Village – 1300 300 709 – 5 minutes from the start

Other accommodation is located outside of Falls Creek at Howman’s Gap YMCA —refer Alpine Challenge Entry information. Participants are responsible for organising and paying for their own accommodation.

Registration: from 4 P.M. on Friday—Falls Creek Alpine Resort, Board Room—Slalom Plaza

Dinner/Briefing Friday: Dinner, 2 sittings from 5, 6 P.M.—in St Falls Resort at Falls Creek Alpine Resort—Slalom Plaza. Contact the venue direct to book your dinner on 03 5732 8000.

Briefing Sessions: 2 sessions: 5:15 and 6:15 P.M. in the St Falls Resort function room/restaurant

Nearest airports:  Allow 4.5 hours to drive from Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport. Participants travelling from the north may prefer to fly into Albury, on the New South Wales – Victoria border. From there, it’s only a 2-hour drive. This is an excellent option if you need to head off after the race.

Car hire: Car hire is available from several providers at all airports. Please check your rental agreement carefully, especially if you are using the car as a crew vehicle. Some companies will not let you drive on unsealed roads, such as the one used to access Pretty Valley (NB: This is a dirt road suitable for 2WD).

Public Transport: It possible to get to Falls Creek by public transport from Melbourne. Train to Wangaratta, bus to Bright, private car to Mt Beauty (at public transport rates), taxi to Falls Creek. For details contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Services Both Falls Creek and Mt Beauty have supermarkets, however, if you require specialist items such as race apparel or gas canisters, we recommend you purchase these in Bright, Albury or Melbourne before the run, where there are numerous outdoor stores.

If you are looking for something different, if you want a fantastic run or tough walking against the clock, great scenery, unpredictable weather and to push yourself to the limits, the Alpine Challenge is for you.