The Maah Daah Hey 110 | The Most Beautifully Brutal 100-Miler in the Midwest

Hello, my name is Nicholas Steel, and I’m on a mission to become the youngest person ever, and one of very few, to complete 30 100-mile foot races in a single calendar year! The Maah Daah Hey is a 100+ mile race, 110 miles for the 2026 race, held in Medora, North Dakota. In my opinion, this is one of the most grueling desert courses known to humankind. The course is an out & back consisting of hard packed dirt trail with occasional road crossings. The trail is never truly flat. It is constantly rolling, changing elevation, and almost always tilted in one direction or another. You will also encounter cattle tracks and potentially muddy creek crossings, depending on the weather leading up to race day. (Keep in mind you may also encounter actual cattle..) ——————————————— Even with all of that, there is one important thing to mention. This trail is incredibly well maintained. Every year, wonderful volunteers put in countless hours working through the hot summer days to trim and prepare the course. That work does not go unnoticed. ——————————————— This year, the temperatures climbed above 110°F on the second day (Some weather apps saying 113°F+), making it brutally difficult to keep the body cool. From late morning into the evening, it genuinely felt like we were being baked in an oven. If you are looking for a challenge like no other, I would highly recommend toeing the start line of the Maah Daah Hey. Huge thank you to Mike and Nick for the race discount that helped make this video possible. The love and support of the community here is incredibly strong. The race, however, is oh so tough. It will be very hard for me to come back… Unless somehow I can get the full race fee and travel covered. 😂 Then sure, why not.. pushing limits right! Next up: Badger trail 100. ———————————— For the comparison to Badwater 135, I have researched and tabled out each category of what makes a race tough. Out of all the difficulties each had, here are the main points on why each race would be tougher than the other: Badwater 135 Hotter Less Shade (0%) More Elevation Gain + Loss Goes up to 8,300ft compared to sea level Less Changing Scenery Maah Daah Hey Worse Weather (these have an impact on the course conditions) Much Worse Technicality No aid or Muling on Course, can go up to 10-11 miles without aid. Very Dangerous Wildlife Harder Time limit 35-50% finish rate What matched between the two were: The toughness of the ground conditions and running surface type. Badwater 135 is ran on an 100% paved asphalt highway, this means during the heat of the day, the asphalt will radiate heat upwards onto a runner. The Maah Daah Hey’s surface is composed of 98% single track dirt, clay, and scoria. If rain occurs before or during the race, the North Dakota clay turns into a thick, sticky paste known as bentonite. This sticks to shoes and is hard to go downhill or uphill with. Also, it is never even, the trail is always slanted & will be miserable to run on late race. Both look to be miserable trail conditions, but in their own way. (It’s also important to note that when refering to the finish rate, Badwater 135 is an invite only with experienced runners; anyone can sign up for the Maah Daah Hey. (Even then I’ve seen some experienced souls show up & get cooked out in the badlands) In my opinion the Maah Daah Hey is a tougher race here; just because we don’t have a crew to constantly cool us down, can get stuck without water, tougher physical trail conditions, and much more dangerous wildlife. Hope y'all like the breakdown. ‪@mounttocoast‬ Get me a Badwater 135 Bib & we'll put this question to the test. (: ———————————— Additional Sponsors: Down with Running: https://www.downwithrunning.com ———————————— If you’d like live news and updates throughout these races, feel free to shoot me a follow on instagram or Facebook! Instagram: @nicksteelruns Facebook: Nicholas Steel I hope ya'll have a great day! We'll catch ya on the flip! ———————————— Thumbnail Credit: ClaysCaptures + a bit of Pixlr Photo Editing touchups. https://clayscaptures.pixieset.com