Rugged, rough, and challenging -- that's how to describe the 25K and especially the 50K course on Mt. St. Helens in Washington state.

The 50K course runs entirely on single-track trails, circumnavigating the entire mountain. All but 4.5 miles are run on the Loowit Trail. Racers scramble over boulder fields, cross rivers, run through the blast zone, as well as through dense forest – all with ever-changing views of the volcano. The course is 32 miles and feels more like a 50-miler. In all, this Mt. St. Helens race has approximately 7,400 feet of elevation gain and 7,400 feet of loss.

The 25K gives runners a real Mt. St. Helens volcano race experience without having to run all the way around it. This course includes some of the iconic features of the longer race -- boulder fields, the Loowit Trail, jaw-dropping views of the mountain and the surrounding Cascades, and lush forests. The race option has 3,300 feet of gain and loss. This route is also challenging, and the organizers mean it.

Both races start and finish at the Marble Mountain Sno Park.