Montana Enduro Series: 2026 Marshall Madness event

The MES is excited to return to Missoula and showcase the hard work that Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition and the local community have done turning Marshall Mountain into a destination trail center.

Thanks for registering for the 2026 Marshall Madness Here is the email you’ve been waiting for: the course announcement! The race timeline is also provided below, so this email contains full race details. That makes it long, but please read thoroughly as you are responsible for this information.

Marshall Mountain Logistics:
The parking area is small, so we ask that you share rides as much as possible. You can also catch the Mountain Line to the park. We pushed back our start time to make this a viable option. Mountain Line departs from the Downtown Transfer Center hourly beginning at 8 AM. The last departure from Marshall Mountain is at 4:30 PM. https://mountainline.com/your-trip/the-marshall-mountain-line/

When you park, Look for an attendant in a hi-viz vest- they will direct you to the right parking zone. We'll ideally fill the yellow 45-degree zone first, then fill the orange 90-degree spaces afterwards.

If you're interested in purchasing some Marshall Mountain merch please bring cash! We're running on a cash only system right now and need exact change. Hats are $25, T-shirts are $30 and bike bottles are $20.

There is no drinking water available at Marshall Mountain, so please bring what you’ll need for the day.

Zeera Pakistani Food Truck will be onsite from 12-3. This will reduce space in the parking lot, but we think it’s worth it.

Race Timeline:

Friday, July 17th
• MES volunteers will mark the course
• All day: course open for practice
• 1:00 - 3:00: packet pickup at the MES tent at Marshall Mountain base
• 5:00 - 7:00: packet pickup at Big Sky Bikes patio (809 E Front St, Missoula)
Saturday, July 18th
• 7:30: racer check-in opens at Marshall Mountain
• 8:30: packet pickup closes; unclaimed entries released
• 9:15: racer meeting
• 9:30 race start
• 3:00 course closed

Prizes and awards will happen as soon as all results are in. RETURN YOUR TIMING CHIP AS SOON AS YOU FINISH. Make sure you stay around for the awards, since we will have loads of prizes and giveaways from Pit Viper, Deity, Wild Rye Apparel, and Kühl.
If you check in Friday and something comes up to keep you from racing, you must return to the timing chip to us as soon as possible! Otherwise, we have no way of accounting for you on race day.

Marshall Madness 2026 Routes:

We will have two courses, and the course you race is determined by your registration class. Marshall Arts is a double-black trail with consequential features. We are happy to change your class upon request.

Pro, Expert, & Master Classes: 14 miles, 3,300 feet
Stage 1: Hello Kitty.
Stage 2: Moose.
Stage 3: Bjorn Again – Headwall.
Stage 4: Marshall Arts.

Sport & Junior Classes: 10 miles, 2,000 feet
Stage 1: Hello Kitty.
Stage 2: Moose.
Stage 3: Mission to Mars.

Hydration:
There is no drinking water available at Marshall Mountain, so please bring what you’ll need for the day. Self-sufficiency is a core tenet of mountain bike racing, so please do not rely entirely upon on-course water. That said, we will have some water available at the base area.

Navigation:
If course markings are damaged during the race day, you are still responsible for navigating the course, so it pays to familiarize yourself. To help with that, the route is published on Trailforks. There are a few ways to find the routes in the Trailforks app. All Trailforks navigation functions are limited in the app now, so you can preview the course and surrounding trail network without any restrictions. The easiest way to find the route in the app is to open the Events tab when you arrive in Missoula. It automatically loads nearby events, and the routes will be available there. Alternately, if you’re reading this on your phone, you can click this link:

[L=https://www.trailforks.com/route/montana-enduro-series-2026-marshall-madness-proexper/]Montana Enduro Series: 2026 Marshall Madness (Pro-Expert) Mountain Biking Route | Trailforks
[/L]
[L=https://www.trailforks.com/route/montana-enduro-series-2026-marshall-madness-sport--junior/]Montana Enduro Series: 2026 Marshall Madness (Sport-Junior) Mountain Biking Route | Trailforks[/L]

The link will open in the app and update the Marshall Mountain riding area. If you’re reading this on a computer, you can click Add to Wishlist at the top left of the page, and the route will be added to your account. Then inside the app, open Your Wishlist on the table of contents.

Timing System:
We use the SPORTident Air contactless timing system. This gives the best and most accurate results in our sport. You are responsible for following our procedures for checking in and heading out to the course. The timing chips must be switched on to collect time stamps. Crucially, they must be returned to the timing tent for scanning for you to have results. If you lose your timing chip it will cost you $100 to collect backup timing results. Keep the chip on the right-hand wrist outside of your clothing to ensure good time stamps.

Rules:
Our rules are simple and intended to make sure everyone has a high-quality experience. We will cover rules and course-specific concerns during the racer meetings. The basic rules are:
• Enduro format – timed stages are mostly downhill, and transfers are mostly climbs. Transfer stages are untimed, but don’t linger because we have a course closure time.
• Helmets must be worn at all times when on the bike. This includes uphills/transfers. Anyone riding without a helmet will be disqualified immediately. Full-face helmets are recommended but not required.
• The trail is the course. Whether or not a corner is taped, shortcutting the trail tread is a rule violation.
• You must be able to hear an overtaking rider. No earbuds or external speakers are allowed.
• Our complete rulebook is available on our website.
Volunteers will help us assess if we need to penalize any racers that aren’t following our series rules. Keep it fun and throw out high fives all day!

Swag:
We have some great swag lined up for you this year, along with prizes and giveaways from Pit Viper, Deity, Wild Rye Apparel, and Kühl. We will also have T-shirts, socks, and water bottles available for purchase.

Volunteers:
If any of your traveling companions would like to volunteer on course, we’d be happy for the help. Also, if you can’t race for some reason on Saturday, we’ll happily refund your registration fee in exchange for your volunteer service. True story: running an enduro race takes a lot of volunteers. Find us at the MES tent in the morning or email shannon at montanabicycleguild.org.

Results:
We recommend you subscribe to this event. The links to the race results will be posted here after the race.
We’ll see you this weekend!