This is not your typical marathon.

The Whaleathon is a true test of physical and mental stamina, where runners tackle a relentless 0.04-mile loop around the “Out of the Blue” traffic roundabout.

That’s right – you’ll need to complete a staggering 630 laps to conquer the full marathon distance!

The idea for the Whaleathon came about in 2022 when Evan Service jokingly threw out the idea while training for the Salt Lake City Marathon… “What if we just ran the full marathon around the whale?”

The PocaFork route is the most direct trail route that connects the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center (near Cranberry Glades, Kennison Mountain, and the Highland Scenic Highway) and the Monongahela National Forest's Gauley Ranger District Station, just outside of the town of Richwood, WV. This trail passes through the drainage areas of the Greenbrier, Cranberry, South Fork of Cherry, and North Fork of Cherry Rivers and travels along the southern boundary of the Monongahela National Forest, generally paralleling WV State Route 39 that connects the two endpoints.