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⏵ Course guide · Lake Placid ultra

ADK 80K Course Guide

The ADK 80K runs a figure-eight course of repeated 20K loops on the actual 1980 Winter Olympics Nordic ski trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, right outside Lake Placid. Four loops for the 80K, two and a half for the 50K, on terrain that is runnable but still adds up in gain each time around. I will walk you through the course and the loop format first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeated climbing rather than one long grind. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

ADK 80K quick facts

Date
Late August (confirm the exact 2026 date on the official race site)
Location
Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, Lake Placid, Adirondacks, NY
Distances
80K (four 20K loops) · 50K (two and a half loops)
Elevation gain
About 1,000-plus ft per 20K loop; roughly 4,000-plus ft for the 80K is derived by multiplying loops, not an official course total
Cutoffs
Not published in verified form; confirm before you commit
Terrain
Figure-eight course on the 1980 Winter Olympics Nordic ski trails, roughly half singletrack, half doubletrack
Field
Historically capped around 200 runners; registration hosted on UltraSignup

The official race site was not reachable while researching this guide, so several details here are drawn from independent public sources and kept general where we could not verify them directly. Confirm the current date, cutoffs, entry price, and course details at adk80k.com before you commit.

The course: Olympic trails, run in loops

The race runs a figure-eight pattern over 20K loops at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, the same venue that hosted Nordic skiing at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The 80K covers four loops and the 50K covers two and a half. Roughly half the course is singletrack and half is old cross-country ski doubletrack.

A figure-eight built for crew, not for solitude

Because the course loops back through the same start-finish area every 20K, this is one of the more crew- and spectator-friendly ultras in New York. You are never more than 20K from your people, and the destination pull of Lake Placid itself, a genuine mountain town with a real Olympic legacy, adds to the appeal for a family or crew that wants somewhere worth visiting for the weekend.

That accessibility comes with a tradeoff: you also run past the same scenery and the same start-finish energy multiple times, which some runners love for the psychological boost and others find repetitive by lap three or four.

Runnable terrain that still adds up in vert

Each 20K loop climbs roughly 1,000-plus feet on a mix of singletrack and doubletrack that is far less technical than the Catskills or High Peaks courses elsewhere in the state. Multiply that out across four loops on the 80K and you get something in the neighborhood of 4,000-plus feet of total gain, though that total is our estimate from the per-loop number rather than a figure the race itself publishes, so treat it as a planning estimate, not gospel.

The lack of technical footing means your legs can actually run most of the climbing rather than hiking it, which changes the pacing math compared to a rockier New York ultra.

What we could not verify this season

The official adk80k.com site was not reachable while researching this guide, so the exact 2026 date, current cutoff times, and this year's entry price are not stated here with confidence. What is consistent across independent sources is the figure-eight, four-loop 80K format and the Mount Van Hoevenberg venue. Confirm the specifics directly on the official site or UltraSignup before you register.

Pacing strategy for repeated, runnable loops

With runnable terrain and about 1,000-plus feet of climbing repeating every 20K, the ADK 80K rewards a pace you can hold four times over, not a fast first loop that falls apart by the third.

Pace the early loops conservatively

Because the terrain is runnable, it is easy to go out faster than you should on lap one, since nothing forces you to hike like a technical Catskills climb would. Use a grade-adjusted pace to set an honest, sustainable effort for the rolling sections of each loop, and treat the first lap as a rehearsal for the ones that follow, not a race in itself.

Build a finish prediction around the derived vert

Since the 80K's total gain is a derived estimate built from the per-loop figure, not a confirmed course total, use it as a planning range rather than an exact number. A vert-aware finish prediction gives you a realistic window, and since the course loops back to the start-finish area every 20K, you get frequent checkpoints to confirm whether your actual pace is tracking with your plan.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a multi-lap Adirondack ultra

A runnable course means you can actually eat and drink on the move for more of the race than a technical one would allow, which is an advantage if you use it.

Carbs: lean on the runnable terrain

Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Since the footing here is more forgiving than the Catskills or High Peaks, you have more opportunity to actually consume and digest fuel on the move rather than waiting for flat, safe sections. Use each lap through the start-finish area to check in with your stomach and adjust before the next loop.

Sodium and fluid: plan for late-August Adirondack conditions

Keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on the day's heat and your sweat rate, and take advantage of the loop format to reassess your fluid needs every 20K instead of guessing once at the start. Weigh yourself before and after a similar-length training run to find your real sweat rate and build your plan around it.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and your goal time with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.

⏵ Train for it with Summit Line

Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this loop course's repeated climbs, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for lap-after-lap effort, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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ADK 80K FAQ

How hard is the ADK 80K?

The ADK 80K runs a figure-eight course of repeated 20K loops on the actual 1980 Winter Olympics Nordic ski trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, and it is less technical than New York's Catskills or Adirondack High Peaks races. Each loop climbs roughly 1,000-plus feet, so four loops for the 80K add up to something in the neighborhood of 4,000-plus feet by our arithmetic, though that total is a derived estimate rather than an official course figure. The terrain itself, a roughly even mix of singletrack and old cross-country ski doubletrack, is runnable. What makes it hard is doing that rolling terrain four times.

How much elevation gain is in the ADK 80K?

Each 20K loop climbs roughly 1,000-plus feet, which is the closest thing to a verified per-loop figure available. Multiplying that across the four loops of the 80K puts total gain in the neighborhood of 4,000-plus feet, but that is our estimate built from the per-loop number, not a published course total, so confirm the exact current-year figure on the official race site before you build detailed pacing math around it.

What is the course like at ADK 80K?

The course runs a figure-eight pattern of repeated 20K loops on the 1980 Olympic Nordic ski trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, with roughly an even split between singletrack and old cross-country ski doubletrack. It is more runnable and less technical than the Catskills or High Peaks races in New York, which makes it a good venue for runners who want real elevation gain without the rock scrambling.

What are the cutoff times for the ADK 80K?

Cutoff times were not published in a form we could independently verify this season. Confirm the current cutoffs for your distance on the official race site or UltraSignup before you register or start.

How should I fuel for the ADK 80K?

Treat the 80K as a multi-hour, multi-lap effort with repeated climbing. Most runners do well around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, with sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on late-August conditions in the Adirondacks. Because the course runs in loops, use the start-finish area to check in on your fueling and adjust between laps rather than committing to one plan for the whole race. Build your full plan with the free ultra fueling calculator.

Is the ADK 80K a good first ultra beyond 50K?

The runnable, less-technical terrain and the loop format, which keeps you close to crew and the start-finish area every lap, make it a reasonable step up for a runner who has finished a 50K and wants to try something longer. The main variable is pacing four repeated loops evenly, since going out too hard on lap one is the most common way runners struggle in a loop-format ultra.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The official race site was not reachable while researching this guide, so the exact date, current cutoffs, entry price, and some course details are stated generally here and should be confirmed at adk80k.com or on UltraSignup before you register or run. The 80K elevation total is derived from a per-loop figure and is not a published course total. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.