Madison County will host a high-altitude marathon, one organizers are calling the newest and highest in Montana, on Labor Day weekend.

In terms of elevation, the Madison Marathon will be the highest marathon in the Greater Northwest with an average elevation of well over 8,500 feet and one of the very highest races in the United States.

"We encourage both ultra and regular athletes to take part," said race director Sam Korsmoe. "For ultra athletes, it won't get much better than this. The course starts at over 8,000 feet and goes way over 9,000 feet in several locations. The chance to run a road marathon among such beauty and abundant wildlife will be a race to remember forever."

The Madison Marathon will be the seventh marathon in the state of Montana. The full, half, and team marathon course will be through the Gravelly Mountains in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

The Madison Marathon is a project of the Madison County Economic Development Council of which Korsmoe is executive director. The group is working with the U.S. Forest Service in Ennis to plot out the exact route. The race will be run on gravel roads along the Gravelly Range and not on trails like many other high altitude races. Runners who are accustomed to trail running in difficult environments as well as marathon enthusiasts who love running full marathon distances will be challenged by The Madison.

Every year, over 800 marathons are run throughout the world, an average of more than two per day. The world's major marathons (Boston, New York, London, Berlin, and Chicago) sell out months ahead of race day even though runners must qualify with low times to even sign up to run. In recent years, the extreme and unique runs such as the 20 Mile Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run in Bozeman or the Pikes Peak Marathon in Colorado quickly sell out. This year's Bridger Ridge Run, scheduled for Aug. 9, sold out in eight minutes.

The Madison is meant to combine the full length of a marathon (26.2 miles) with an extreme edge, running at well over 8,500 feet above sea level. For wildlife lovers, an added benefit is running on National Forest land that has abundant elk, moose, bears, antelope, deer and numerous species of birds. The Gravelly Range also has an extraordinary variety of wildflowers.

The race will be capped at 200 runners on a first apply-first pay basis. Online registration is available at www.madcoedc.org.

The fees for the race are: full marathon -- $65 before Aug. 10 and $70 after Aug. 10; half marathon, $35 before Aug. 10 and $40 after Aug. 10; team marathon (four runners maximum) -- $120 per team. Registration will close on Aug. 29. There will be no race day registration.

The Madison Marathon is operated under a special use permit with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The race is open to all with no discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. For more information, call Sam Korsmoe at 682-5923 or Robin Blazer at 682-5907.