I'd like to submit Souix Passage (St. Louis, MO) to the 'toughest
courses list'. Several unfortunate teams, including my own (Saint
Louis University High), have had to run this course for years the
week before the state meet, and despite repeated efforts are unable
to change the venue. Here's a description
The notorious Souix Passage State Park course in Saint Louis, MO,
is arguably one of the hardest courses, often slowing times by over
a minute for elite runners. The course starts at the bottom of the
suitably named "Manmaker" hill (noted as one of the hardest
hills in High School Runner Magazine). You begin by running from the
base up the hill the first time for 400 meters straight to the summit.
You wind at the top of the hill before you traverse a ridge at the
top of the hill and then make your way down the hill, where wise runners
err on the side of caution instead of risking a spill on the treacherously
steep decline. Once you're at the bottom of the hill, you move past
the starting line and cross the first mile mark.
Early into the second mile, you face the toughest midsection in Missouri
XC. A hill comparable to Manmaker awaits you soon after the mile mark.
You cross a road and begin to climb toward a blind right turn as you
run along the edge of a forest. As you make the turn you realize you're
still climbing, and when it seems like you're almost at the top, you're
wrong. A second turn on the hill directs you to the top, which is
followed by a steep downhill into a basin complemented by an equally
steep but shorter hill. After a couple turns and a flat section you
arrive at the 2nd mile mark and descend down the winding hill you
faced after the mile mark.
In the third mile, racers find themselves in a wooded section along
the base of Manmaker. As you emerge from the edge of the forest you
climb Manmaker for the second time. After scaling the beast your main
goal is to control your form enough to stay on your feet. Running
at the top of the hill the course shows mercy with a downhill, followed
by a quick pop hill and the finish along the ridge.
-Peter Schaefer, Saint Louis University High
Toughest Courses
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