⏵ Course guide · PA Wilds, Rocksylvania Series
The View is PA Trail Dogs\' new twist on the long-standing Hyner Challenge, about 3,000 feet of gain over 25K (1,800 for the 15K) on The View, Post Draft, SOB, and Huff Run trails at Western Clinton Sportsmans Club. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a late-season PA Wilds climb. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official PA Trail Dogs event page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
The 25K modifies the classic Hyner Challenge route to bypass Johnson Run while keeping the same core climb the Hyner name is known for, running The View, Post Draft, SOB, and Huff Run.
Runners in the 15K follow the first 5.5 miles of the 25K course alongside the 25K field, then branch off onto Spring Trail and down Huff Run to finish. It is described as "a great shorter distance option for runners not quite ready for a 25K but still interested in climbing to the View and hammering down Huff Run."
PA Trail Dogs is direct: "PLEASE... serious runners/hikers only. Do not sign up if you only plan on walking the course." With November daylight hours shorter than the summer Rocksylvania races, the organizers expect everyone finished within 6.5 hours, so pace with the fading light in mind.
Registration opens to the first 500 runners, and PA Trail Dogs enforces strict no-refund, no-deferral, no-bib-switch, no-bandit rules across their Rocksylvania Series races, this one included.
About 3,000 feet of gain over 25K with a 6.5 hour daylight-driven expectation means you cannot afford to burn too much time on the early climb to the view.
Both the 25K and 15K share the same demanding opening climb, so set your effort with a grade-adjusted pace target rather than a flat-ground guess. That early climb sets the tone for the rest of your race, whether you are splitting off onto Spring Trail or continuing the full 25K.
A vert-aware finish prediction, built off the roughly 3,000 feet of 25K gain, is a better guide than a flat 25K time here, and it matters more than usual with November daylight running out earlier than it would at a summer PA Trail Dogs race. Check your projection against the 6.5 hour expectation early.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
A November date in the PA Wilds means far cooler conditions than PA Trail Dogs\' summer Rocksylvania races, which shifts your fueling priorities.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Cool weather does not reduce the glycogen cost of 3,000 feet of climbing, so keep your intake consistent from the start rather than assuming the cooler day means you need less.
Sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range is a reasonable starting point for a cool November day, lower than you would run at a summer PA Trail Dogs race, since sweat losses drop with the temperature.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cool PA Wilds November day with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact climb-to-the-view profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for PA Wilds technical climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
PA Trail Dogs calls it "a new twist on the long-standing Hyner Challenge," slightly modified to bypass Johnson Run but still delivering the climbing the Hyner name is known for. About 3,000 feet of gain over 25K, on the same core trails (The View, Post Draft, SOB, and Huff Run) that made the original Hyner Challenge famous, keeps this a genuine test even though the organizers describe it as "slightly easier and even a little shorter" than the usual Hyner 25K.
The 25K carries about 3,000 feet of gain, and the 15K about 1,800 feet. The 15K follows the first 5.5 miles of the 25K route before branching off onto Spring Trail and down Huff Run, so both distances share the same demanding opening climb to the namesake view before splitting.
A November date in the PA Wilds means cooler conditions than PA Trail Dogs' summer races, but 3,000 feet of climbing on the 25K still demands real fueling. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range given the cooler fall temperatures. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
PA Trail Dogs does not publish a single hard cutoff clock the way some of their other races do, but states plainly that "daylight hours are shorter this time of year" and expects everyone to be done within 6.5 hours of the 9:00 AM start. Treat that as your working cutoff and plan accordingly, especially since this is billed for serious runners and hikers only.
The course runs on The View, Post Draft, SOB, and Huff Run, the same core trails that built the reputation of the original Hyner Challenge, based out of Western Clinton Sportsmans Club in Hyner, Pennsylvania. Expect the technical, root-and-rock PA Wilds singletrack typical of PA Trail Dogs' Rocksylvania Trail Series, with a real climb up to the namesake view early in both distances.
It is billed as "slightly easier and even a little shorter" than the usual Hyner 25K, which makes it one of the more approachable entries in the Rocksylvania Series, but 3,000 feet of gain is still real climbing. PA Trail Dogs is direct that this is for "serious runners/hikers only," not casual walkers, so come with some technical trail experience. The 15K, sharing the same opening climb before a shorter loop back, is a solid stepping stone if the full 25K feels ambitious.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/the-view-25k">The The View 25K & 15K course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and aid stations come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.