Fifty out-and-back miles above 9,500 feet, with no pacer to share the climb.
Other trail races within 87 miles
An out-and-back 50-miler through the high country above Steamboat Springs, climbing from the ski area base to Mount Werner and on to the Continental Divide before turning around at Rabbit Ears Mountain. The course spends nearly all of its middle 40 miles above 9,500 feet, mixing rolling singletrack with rougher jeep-road climbs, and retraces the entire route back to the finish. It's the original Run Rabbit Run distance, predating the 100-mile companion race by five years, and shares the same Hares-and-Tortoises spirit without the pacer support of its longer sibling.
Experienced ultrarunners
Steamboat Springs, CO, United StatesSeptember 19, 2026
Moderate trail conditions with some technical sections
| Location | Mile | Elevation |
|---|---|---|
Start Start | 0.0 | 6,962 ft |
Mount Werner Aid Station | 6.4 | 10,338 ft |
Long Lake Aid Station | 13.2 | 9,875 ft |
Base Camp Trailhead Aid Station | 18.4 | 10,003 ft |
Dumont Aid Station | 22.3 | 9,580 ft |
Rabbit Ears Peak Turnaround Checkpoint | 25.0 | 10,568 ft |
Dumont Aid Station | 27.7 | 9,577 ft |
Base Camp Trailhead Aid Station | 31.6 | 9,892 ft |
Long Lake Aid Station | 36.8 | 9,875 ft |
Mount Werner Aid Station | 43.6 | 10,338 ft |
Finish Finish | 50.0 | 7,431 ft |
Sign in to see cutoffs, crew access, drop bags, and services for every aid station.
Camping is available at Dumont, right at the Dumont Aid Station (the 50-miler's only on-course crew-access point, mile 22.3/27.7). There is also limited overnight car-camping / rooftop-tent / van parking (no tents) at Upper Knolls near the ski-area start/finish, plus camping at Summit Lake and along Buffalo Pass Road. Options fill fast -- this coincides with hunting season in the area.
Race day (a Saturday in mid-to-late September) in Steamboat Springs typically sees highs in the low 70s°F and overnight lows near 40°F, but the course spends most of its distance above 9,500 feet, where temperatures run 20-30 degrees colder and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Conditions have swung to extremes in past years -- a 2011 blizzard with 40 mph winds and a 2022 edition with snow, fog, and mud -- so runners should be prepared for anything from midday heat on the lower singletrack to freezing, wet conditions on the exposed alpine sections after dark.
Course holds above 9,500 ft for roughly 40 of its 50 miles, cresting 10,534 ft at the Rabbit Ears turnaround.
September afternoons in the Routt National Forest bring frequent thunderstorms; race organizers have recorded blizzard conditions (2011) and snow/fog/mud (2022) on race weekend in past years.
Overnight and high-elevation temps can drop into the 30s°F or below; runners finishing near the 9 pm cutoff may face freezing conditions in the dark.
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