Course Information

Details about the course

Timing
Chip timing is being provided this year by Falcon Race Timing of Northumberland, PA. Results will be available shortly after the race at Falcon’s website, linked above. Results will also be posted on this website.

Register online here

Aid Stations
Each aid station will provide porta-johns, water, electrolyte replenisher, gels, bananas and/or oranges, located in the following areas for each race:

14 miler
– Start area (water, gatorade, porta-johns)
– Mile 3.0 South Fork (water, gatorade, porta-johns)
– Mile 6.0 Staple Bend Tunnel parking lot (water, gatorade, gels, beans, bloks and porta-johns)
– Mile 8.0 Coy/McCombie link (water, gatorade, gels, beans, bloks)
– Mile 12 end of Hope Tunnel, opposite City Brake & Auto Service on Woodvale side (water, gatorade, gels, beans, bloks and porta-johns)

8 miler
– Start area at Staple Bend Tunnel parking lot (water, gatorade, porta-johns)
– Mile 2.0 Staple Bend Tunnel (water, gatorade, gels, beans, bloks)
– Mile 6.0 end of Hope Tunnel, opposite City Brake & Auto Service on Woodvale side (water, gatorade, gels, beans, bloks, bananas, oranges)

5K
– Start area in East Conemaugh near the car wash
– Mile 1.2 (water, gatorade)

Course Terrain

14 miler. The 14 Miler course for 2024 will be nearly all crushed gravel (rails to trails) surfaces from its beginning at the breast of the dam, with short bursts of pavement to connect them. Although the flood waters of the Little Conemaugh all ran “downhill,” there will be portions of the course that will offer ascents – most notably the first climb of the new Stineman section of trail and its rolling initial half mile, the west side of Staple Bend Tunnel on the Coy/McCombie section of the Path of the Flood Trail, and the new Trolley Line extension from East Conemaugh to Woodvale Heights at Mile 11.0!

8 miler. The 8 Miler course is roughly a fifty-fifty combination of crushed gravel (rails to trails) and paved road surfaces. Runners will have a smooth start to and through the Staple Bend Tunnel before a healthy, but short, series of climbs to regain the hillside before heading into the halfway mark. The 5K description applies for the remainder of the course.

5k.  The 5k race will start in East Conemaugh and traverse the recently completed Trolley Line extension from East Conemaugh to Woodvale Heights. This shaded trail will challenge all participants with a steady, shaded climb on one of Johnstown’s historic trolley cut outs, a flat traverse with never-before-seen views of town and the surrounding area, and a challenging switchback ascent to Woodvale Heights. After passing through the “Hope Tunnel,” the course will intercept Clinton Street at Mile 2.0, continue on to Washington Street, cross the Walnut Street Bridge where the finish line will be in sight. 

Marked Course
There will be markers at each mile along the route. The course is fairly intuitive but we will have guides for traffic control and “steering” at the few points that they are required. Orange traffic cones will guide the runners on roughly the last three miles of the route.

Medical Aid
There will be EMT support at the 8 miler start/Mile 6 of the 14 miler at the Staple Bend Tunnel parking lot and at the 5K start. There will also be EMT/medical support at the race finish. Each aid station will have basic first aid materials, Vaseline, etc.

2024 POTF courses

This map shows the revised courses for 2020.