In a word: challenging

 

The Verdugo Mountains 10K takes place on the Brand Motorway, a fire road accessed from Brand Park in Glendale.  The majority of the fire road is dirt; only two brief sections, at the start and finish, are paved.   

 

The race starts just above the Doctor's House, at an elevation of 850 feet.  From there, the course climbs steadily for approximately 3.1 miles to the turnaround point, which is at an elevation of 2,536 feet. On the way up, the road gains about 500 feet in elevation every mile, with an average grade of 10%.   After the turnaround, it’s a fast downhill to the finish line. 

 

The Verdugo Mountains 10K is an “out and back” course, so you will encounter runners approaching in the opposite direction.  The Brand Motorway is a fire road wide enough to easily accommodate two-way running traffic.  So please stay to the right side of the fire road when you see an oncoming runner, or when someone is attempting to pass.

 

There will be water stations at approximately mile 1.5, the turnaround point, and mile 4.5.