The Void - Valley-Hi
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The Void - Valley-Hi, PA
The Void is a 48-hour out-and-back endurance run held inside Sideling Hill Tunnel. Runners complete 63 out-and-backs through a 1.3-mile corridor for a total just under 160 miles. The course is entirely on pavement and the tunnel has no interior lighting, so participants rely on headlamps and their own pacing.
The event emphasizes sustained repetition and isolation rather than external variation. The route is a simple turnaround at each end of the corridor with no scenery or changing terrain, and the environment is described as cold, dark, and silent.
A physical Toll Ticket system controls how often a runner may exit the tunnel to access support. Each entrant receives a Toll Ticket at check-in and must plan exits accordingly; the system is intended to introduce strategic and psychological constraints in addition to physical demands.
Entry requires an application that is reviewed by race directors. Priority is given to applicants with demonstrated extreme endurance experience. Organizers recommend applicants have completed at least one 100 mile ultramarathon, backyard ultra, FKT, or comparable extreme endurance event within three years of registration. Participant field is limited to 96 runners.
Historic context for the location is noted: the tunnel was finished for the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the 1940s, abandoned in 1968, and now forms part of the Old Turnpike Trail. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
