Sat, Sep 12, 2026

Mt. Baldhead Challenge

Saugatuck, MI

Registration openAnnual since at least 2015

10KHalf Marathon

About the Mt. Baldhead Challenge

The course starts at Oval Beach and works through wooded sand dunes, coastal terrain, and pavement before hitting the steps up Mt. Baldhead, a long climb that most runners feel in their legs well before the top. From there the route drops back down and finishes at a park in downtown Saugatuck. The terrain shifts constantly, so no two stretches feel alike.

Packet pickup runs the afternoon and evening before the race at a local church, with a short window on race morning as well. That same church serves as a parking hub, with shuttle buses running to the start at Oval Beach. After finishing, there is food, drinks, lawn games, and live music at the finish area in the park.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2025 results, this is a decent-sized field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

10K · 2025 results

465finishers

42:02winner

1:22:33median

2:21:09cutoff

Top 3: Ethan Barker (42:02) · Scott Kangas (42:35) · Colin Brand (47:53)

13.1 Miles · 2025 results

200finishers

1:21:13winner

2:11:26median

3:06:03cutoff

Top 3: Kevan Siebelink (1:21:13) · Samuel Ohland (1:25:35) · Jacob Hook (1:26:22)

The Mt. Baldhead Challenge has been held every year since at least 2015. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 10K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

10K9/12/2026 09:00$70

13.1 Miles9/12/2026 09:00$90

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

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Common Questions About the Mt. Baldhead Challenge

Will I finish last at the Mt. Baldhead Challenge?

Almost certainly not. Half the 10K field finished slower than 1:22:33, and the last recorded finisher came in around 2:21:09, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Mt. Baldhead Challenge a good first 10K?

A field of 465 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 10K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Mt. Baldhead Challenge?

The 10K winner ran 42:02 while the median finisher took 1:22:33. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.