2017 - Governor's Cup
2017 distances
Running
Fun Run
Those who register after May 26 will receive their shirt on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup on June 9 at Centennial Park. This is a non-timed, non-competitive 1-mile lap around Centennial Park, fun for kids and family. The event is sponsored by the YMCA. Please note that this specific event is on Friday, June 9, so plan ahead to ensure you pick up your race packet before 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Downtown to ensure you arrive at Centennial Park in time for the start of the Fun Run. **There are no refunds for cancellation** KIDS MARATHON ALERT: If your K-5 child is participating in a Kids Marathon training program at a Helena-area elementary school, there is no need to register them for the Fun Run here. Registration for the new Kids Marathon training program and run, which will be contested at the same time and place as the Fun Run, is only being conducted through participating area elementary schools. Kids Marathon participants will receive their T-shirt from their training coordinators and must wear their Kids Marathon T-shirt to the 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 10 event at Centennial Park to receive a unique finisher's medal.
Marathon
Those who register after May 26 will receive their shirt on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup on June 9 at Centennial Park. The marathon course is a USATF certified Boston Marathon qualifier and is home to the second-fastest men’s and fastest women’s times ever posted on Montana soil – 2 hours, 20 minutes, 35 seconds by Helena’s Jim Hatcher in 1982 and 2:45:59 by Helena’s Heather Lieberg in 2013. The course begins in the ghost town of Marysville at 5,293 feet of elevation and descends into the rural Helena valley, before finishing up historic Last Chance Gulch. The course features an elevation loss of 1,926 feet and an elevation gain of 760 feet for a total net loss of 1,166 feet. Many former participants say it's a good representation of what a runner will experience at the Boston Marathon. If you can qualify for Boston in Helena, you'll be setting yourself up for a solid performance in Beantown. Event web page, including course preview (video): http://www.govcupmt.com/marathon/ **There are no refunds for cancellation**
Marathon Relay
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT The marathon relay follows the traditional marathon course. The course begins in the ghost town of Marysville at 5,293 feet of elevation and descends into the rural Helena valley, before finishing up historic Last Chance Gulch. The relay features four distinct legs. Leg 1 (Gold Rush) begins with the marathoners just outside Marysville and descends roughly 1,000 vertical feet over the course of 6.1 miles. Leg 2 (Silver City High Roller) begins near the Silver City Saloon at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Birdseye road, and features rolling hills and a loss of 180 vertical feet over the course of 7 miles. Leg 3 (Iron Horse) begins at the start of the half marathon course, features a gradual decline and incline while twice crossing the railroad tracks and descending a net 350 vertical feet over 8 miles. Leg 4 (City Slicker) is the shortest leg at 5.1 miles, but also is the only one that features a net gain (300 feet), and takes runners from the intersection of Franklin Mine Road and Green Meadow Road into Helena and up Last Chance Gulch to the finish line. Information about the Marathon Relay is available at govcupmt.com. **There are no refunds for cancellation**
Half Marathon
Those who register after May 26 will receive their shirt on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup on June 9 at Centennial Park. The Half Marathon course begins at the halfway mark of the marathon and follows the marathon route to the finish line in historic downtown Helena. Runners enjoy a gradual downhill start in a scenic and rural setting to get the legs moving, and there are no major climbs or descents along the course. Throughout the race, runners get a clear view of iconic Mount Helena, which overlooks Last Chance Gulch - site of the finish. Event web page, including course preview (video): http://www.govcupmt.com/half-marathon/ **There are no refunds for cancellation**
10K
Those who register after May 26 will receive their shirt on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup on June 9 at Centennial Park. The Governor’s Cup 10K course starts in downtown Helena at the corner of Cruse and 6th and finishes on the Capital City’s historic Last Chance Gulch. The challenging course features stunning views of Mount Helena, the State Capitol and other historic sites in the Capital City. Event web page, including course preview (video): http://www.govcupmt.com/10k/ **There are no refunds for cancellation**
5k
Those who register after May 26 will receive their shirt on a first-come, first-served basis at packet pickup on June 9 at Centennial Park. The Governor’s Cup 5K course starts in downtown Helena at the corner of Cruse and 6th and finishes on the Capital City’s historic Last Chance Gulch. The challenging course features stunning views of Mount Helena, the State Capitol and other historic sites in the Capital City. Event web page, including course preview (video): http://www.govcupmt.com/5k/ **There are no refunds for cancellation**
Race-day weather
Conditions on June 9, 2017 — historical Open-Meteo data.
The sun rises at 5:34 AM and sets at 9:20 PM local time (MDT) in Helena on June 9, 2017 — 15h 45m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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2017 results — Governor's Cup
1,644 finishers across 5 distances · leading places in the Marathon
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Messmer | 2:33:46 | 5:52 /mi |
| 2 | Jimmy Grant | 2:35:52 | 5:57 /mi |
| 3 | Cesar Mireles | 2:40:54 | 6:08 /mi |
| 4 | Kory Cool | 2:42:27 | 6:12 /mi |
| 5 | Matt Roberts | 2:48:21 | 6:26 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
Other races near Helena
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Crossroads Fitness Turkey Trot
Helena Sun Run
Just for the Helena of It
Wolf Creek Canyon Relay
🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Helena
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Helena 5K Races 5 races
- 10K Run Events in Helena 3 races
- Helena Half Marathons 2 races
- Helena Running Calendar 2026 10 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 16 Helena events
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