General Course Description

The races will start and finish at Steele Creek Park, just north of Morganton, NC on Hwy 181. 50K starts at 7:00 a.m. and the 30K starts at 8:00 a.m. Note: the 30K is actually closer to 33K...

 

Aid stations will have at a minimum: Water, Gatorade (flavor varies by station,) and assorted soft drinks. Foods include: bananas, potato chips, pretzels, animal cookies, M&Ms, gummi bears, Goldfish, trail mix, PB&J. Expect a few additions as we go forward. NOTE: We're trying to minimize our trash and asking everyone to bring a water bottle (or two or bladder.) We will not have cups at the aid stations except for soft drinks. While you shouldn't need to go this route, there are a number of creek crossings on both courses, from which you could get water, but be sure to have a filter or some way to purify the water and keep in mind that some tablet purification methods take quite a bit of time to work.

 

Elevation gain should be around 4,000' for the 30K and 5,700' for the 50K. The highest point on the 50k course is (fittingly) the summit of Table Rock Mountain, where 50K runners reach approximately 4000' above sea level. For 30K runners, the second aid station is your high point. Expect a photographer or two out on the course on race day.

 

Please be prepared. This is a difficult course. There are water crossings, long, steep climbs, and much of the course is on technical trail, meaning one slightly wrong step can turn a good day into a DNF. We strongly encourage people to have some trail experience.

 

Aid Stations: Locations & Cutoffs

Our cutoffs are based on experience from prior years and are as fair as we can make them, while abiding by our agreement with the USFS. We want to see everyone finish and do not want to be the bad guys, but we will have to be strict on this.