Sidewinder
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Sidewinder in Montour Woods Conservation Area
Sidewinder is a trail race held at Montour Woods Conservation Area with proceeds benefiting the Hollow Oak Land Trust. The event starts and finishes at the Clearview Pavilion in Moon Park, 1367 Joe DeNardo Way, Coraopolis, PA 15108.
Races follow a course made of three parts: Liftoff, Orbit, and Final Approach. Liftoff is an approximately 1.3 mile flowy, downhill connector that includes a wooden boardwalk. Orbit is a roughly 9 mile loop that passes reclaimed concrete clearing of an old Nike missile site, a powerline corridor, a scenic stretch beside Meeks Run with a waterfall and cave feature, and an old oil well. Aid stations are available about every 3 to 4 miles along the Orbit loop. Final Approach differs by distance: for the 50K and Half Marathon it is a 2.9 mile mainly double-track loop around Moon Park; for the 20 Mile it uses the Liftoff segment in reverse as an uphill return to the finish.
Vertical gain per distance is approximately:
- 50K about 4500 ft
- 20 Mile about 3200 ft
- Half Marathon about 1900 ft
All distances share a 10 hour cutoff and the event will be timed by a timing company. T-shirts and medals are provided to participants and awards are given to the top male and female finishers in each distance. A preview run is scheduled in July. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
