I had a hard time believing that the 2018 Mine of Spain was the inaugural year of the event. It was so well organized, ran so smoothly, and had such great support that it seemed like a trail race event that has been around for years and is well established. I think the race director, Joshua Sun, has created something really special here and I'm excited to watch it grow and develop into its full potential. I dare say that I believe it could become a premier trail race in the Midwest.

The course is mostly trail, but also mostly runnable. The event offers 100k and 100 mile distances on a 20 mile course. The course is a mix of loops and out and backs with plenty of well stocked aid stations along the way. The scenery is diverse and much more scenic than I was expecting for a 20 mile course in Iowa. Having grown up in Iowa only about an one hour drive from where the course is and having never visited the area, I was shocked by the crazy rock walls of the old quarry that the course takes you through. And if your expecting a flat 100 miler in Iowa, the 14,000 feet of gain at Mines of Spain will also surprise you. The swag was pretty generous in my opinion, with a High Desert drop bag, shirt, collapsible cup, sticker, finisher medallion, and the biggest 100 mile finisher buckle I've ever received shaped like the state of Iowa!

If you're in the Midwest and are looking for a fun, well organized 100 miler or 100k, I would highly recommend checking out the Mines of Spain.

Read my full race report at:
https://scottcsnell.blogspot.com/2018/11/2018-mines-of-spain-100-mile-footrace.html