A Very Monumental Ultra

Purchase your official race shirt here: https://www.bonfire.com/a-very-monumental-ultra/

Think you have what it takes to run over 300 virtual miles in the Chihuahuan Desert?  Could you do it in 7 days, 8 hours, which is the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the course? Source: https://fastestknowntime.com/route/monumental-loop-nm 

Don't worry; we're giving you three weeks to run this virtual ultra where you live - that's just over 100 miles a week!  The Monumental Loop is a roughly 306 mile route in Southern New Mexico, which starts and ends in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Below are your benchmarks and the sights you can expect to "see" along your journey. 

SEGMENT 1 A MOUNTAIN-HATCH 69.5 MILES
Connecting flowing singletrack with washes, rutted roads, and smooth river banks, this segment offers a diversity of riding.  Tonuco Mountains offers wide views of the Rio Grande valley and fine camping.
SEGMENT 2 HATCH-LC 66.5 MILES
Rolling through the Las Uvas and Robledo Mountains on rocky two-track, this segment provides some of the most enjoyable and relaxing running. Following a 7 mile descent of the SST trail, the Monumental Loop crosses Prehistoric Trackways National Monument.  Paleozoic Era fossils of a variety of plants and animals have been found in the area.
SEGMENT 3 LC-VINTON  50 MILES
30 miles of mostly downhill singletrack wind past the Organ Mountains, before joining the rockier trails in the Franklin Mountains.
SEGMENT 4 VINTON-LC 120 MILES
Without doubt, this segment traverses the most remote and driest lands on the route.  With the knowledge gained on the 3 previous legs, one should still find the open expanse of Cone Country to be an enjoyable place to run.

Source (edited): https://bikepacking.com/routes/monumental-loop/

If you would like to share photos, information or videos of the actual Monumental Loop, you may do so on the Facebook group page.  The group page is also a great place to ask questions, seek or share advice, and share your progress once the race begins in August. https://www.facebook.com/groups/639709463250483/