discover the mountainback course
discovery training series
The Discovery Training Series is a set of weekend runs that progress along the 50 mile race course over eight Saturday mornings. For runners interested in training on the Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile Relay and Ultramarathons courses, or those who just some beautiful runs on rolling forest roads, these runs are for you. The 8-week schedule is provided below. There are no trails on these runs or on the 50-mile or 50K race course.
meeting times
The Discovery Series runs are held on Saturday mornings, and runners meet at various locations, as noted below. Runners meet at 7:30 a.m. and begin the run at 8:00 a.m. each week. We love to have people volunteer to shuttle runners from the meeting place to the starting location of each run, but this is something that is typically arranged by the participants that show up that day. Shuttles are NOT provided by the event organizer.
Refer to the 50 Mile course page for descriptions of each leg with elevation profiles.
2025 discovery series schedule
All runs begin at 8:00 am
August 30
Meeting Place: Tussey Mountain Ski
Distance: 6.2 miles
Legs run: 1 out and back
September 6
Meeting Place: Whipple Dam SP
Distance: 7.9 miles
Legs run: 2 & 3 one way, reverse course
September 13
Meeting Place: Whipple Dam SP
Distance: 8.9 miles
Legs run: 4 & 5 one way
September 20
Meeting Place: Alan Seeger Picnic Area
Distance: 7.8 miles
Legs run: 6 & 7 one way
September 27
Meeting Place: Penn-Roosevelt SP
Distance: 7.2 miles
Legs run: 8 & 9 one way, reverse course
October 4
Meeting Place: Colyer Lake south side
Distance: 5.5 miles
Legs run: 10 one way, reverse course
October 11
Meeting Place: Colyer Lake south side
Distance: 5.3 miles
Legs run: 11 one way
October 18
Meeting Place: Tussey Mountain Ski
Distance: 4.2 miles
Legs run: 12 one way, reverse course
October 26
Meeting Place: Tussey Mountain Ski
Distance: 50m
Legs run: All of them, it’s race day!
Meeting Places
Tussey Mountain Ski and Recreation
301 Bear Meadows Road, Boalsburg, PA 16827
Meet in lower parking lot near the go-kart track.
Whipple Dam State Park
3746 Laurel Run Rd, Petersburg, PA 16669
Meet on Beach Drive at the rest rooms.
Alan Seeger Picnic Area
Intersection of Stone Creek Road and Bear Meadows Road
See race map.
Meet near the rest rooms.
Penn-Roosevelt State Park
Penn-Roosevelt Park Road, Huntingdon, PA 16652
See race map.
Meet near the rest rooms.
Colyer Lake
Lake Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828
This is NOT the parking next to the spillway, but the south side of the lake.
Meet at the far end of the lot.