3 events in Spearfish, South Dakota

Leading Ladies & Dakota Spirit Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 10K

August 23rd,2026

What started out as a Women’s Marathon is now open to all but let’s face it; the women, in my opinion, are still in charge!

Picture this: a perfect place, a perfect pace, a perfect race…Knowing a downhill marathon is about speed, and that it’s going to be a fast run, I still encourage you to take the time to look around and savor the unique beauty only a Black Hills of South Dakota Marathon can provide.

The best the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota have to offer - Almost entirely downhill except for one tough hill from mile 2.00 to 2.56 miles with 169 ft gain. First 12 miles from Cement Ridge to Savoy are on very runnable improved gravel roads, covers scenic mountain meadows, valleys and canyons, and drops 1,606 ft. You will pass the winter film site for “Dances with Wolves” at mile 9.35! The remaining 14 miles is hardtop and descends Spearfish Canyon Hwy (Rt 14A, a National Scenic Byway) to Spearfish, a route shared by the Leading Ladies Marathon and a drop of another 1,364 ft. This extremely fast course will be 1 of only 2 USATF Certified Courses (=Boston Qualifying Course) in Wyoming and it counts for either Wyoming or South Dakota – Your Choice!