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⏵ Course guide · Oregon ultra

Autumn Leaves 50/50 Course Guide

The Autumn Leaves 50/50 is the Oregon Road Runners Club’s longtime fall ultra at Champoeg State Park near Saint Paul, and it is flat and fast: a 10K loop, mostly paved bike path along the Willamette, run 3, 5, or 8 times for the 30K, 50K, or 50 miler. This is a PR and first-ultra course, so the game is even pacing, steady fueling, and keeping your head together while you loop. I’ll walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan, with free calculators to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Autumn Leaves 50/50 quick facts

Date
Saturday, October 24, 2026 (late October each year)
Location
Champoeg State Park, Saint Paul, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Distances
50 Mile (8 loops), 50K (5 loops), 30K (3 loops) on a 10K loop
Elevation gain
Minimal: a flat, fast 10K loop with only small rollers
Start
Early morning (around 7:00 AM for the 50M/50K), dark start so a headlamp is needed for lap 1
Cutoff
Last lap must start by 3:45 PM; Aid Station 2 closes 4:30 PM; finish closes 5:00 PM
Surface
About 80% paved bike path, 20% dirt singletrack along the Willamette
Qualifier
Community, non-elite race; no Western States, UTMB, or Hardrock qualifier listed

These facts come from the official race site and UltraSignup. Check the current date, start time, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where Autumn Leaves is won and lost

Everything runs on a single 10K loop through Champoeg State Park, roughly 80 percent paved bike path and 20 percent dirt singletrack along the Willamette River. The 30K is 3 loops, the 50K is 5, and the 50 miler is 8. It is very flat with only small rollers, so this is a speed course, not a climbing course, and the way you win it is by not losing it early.

The loop: flat, runnable, and relentless

A flat course sounds easy until you realize there is no break in it. There is no long climb that forces you to hike and eat, and no big descent to coast on, so your legs run nonstop from the gun to the finish. That constant turnover is its own kind of fatigue, and it is why people who treat Autumn Leaves like a casual jog get humbled in the back half. The smart move is to run the early laps slower than feels right and bank patience instead of time.

The footing is friendly. Most of the loop is smooth bike path, with a short stretch of dirt singletrack along the river, so road shoes or light trail shoes are plenty. You start in the dark, so you will need a headlamp for that first lap, and the early-morning air in the Willamette Valley in late October is cold and often damp.

The looping game: the real challenge here

The honest difficulty of this race is mental, not physical. You cover the same ground 3, 5, or 8 times, so you get to know every turn, and the middle laps are where the day can quietly fall apart if you let the sameness get to you. Break the race into laps instead of one big distance: one loop at a time, one fuel stop at a time. Tick them off and the miles take care of themselves.

The flip side is that looping is a gift for logistics. You pass the start/finish every 10K, so you are never far from your drop bag, your spare bottle, dry gloves, or your crew. Use that. Set up a little station you hit every lap and the course basically hands you a rhythm.

Weather and the fall conditions

Late October at Champoeg means cool, often wet Pacific Northwest weather, with the red and yellow maples turning along the river. It can be a crisp, gorgeous fall morning or it can rain on you, and wet leaves on the path get slick, so do not get careless on the dirt sections. Dress for a cold, dark start that warms up a little once the sun is up, and plan to shed layers at your lap station rather than carrying everything.

Because the temps are usually cool, this is a forgiving day for fueling and hydration compared to a hot summer ultra. That is part of why it runs fast. You still need to drink and eat on a schedule, but you are not fighting the heat the way you would on an exposed mountain 50K.

Pacing strategy for a flat, fast loop course

With almost no climbing, Autumn Leaves is one of the few ultras where an actual pace chart works. The whole game is even, slightly negative splits: hold back over the first laps and let the people who went out hot come back to you late.

Run even laps, not hero laps

On a flat course your splits really mean something, so pick a goal pace you can hold deep into the race and lock it in for the early laps even though it feels too easy. The classic Autumn Leaves blowup is banking time in the first two or three loops because the flat ground feels free, then grinding to a walk in the final laps. Aim to run your last loop close to or faster than your first. A grade-adjusted pace check on the small rollers keeps your effort honest so you are not surging on the bumps and bleeding energy.

Build a realistic finish target

Because the course is flat, you can actually predict your finish off a recent road or flat-trail result instead of guessing. Use a realistic time projection to set your loop splits, then work backward into the clock: you know your last lap has to start by 3:45 PM, so you can see exactly how much cushion you have and run the early laps with confidence instead of fear. Set per-lap split targets and you will know lap by lap whether you are on track.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a nonstop running effort

The catch with a flat course is that you never stop running to eat, so fueling has to fit a continuous rhythm. The loop format makes that easy: you can restock your own food every 10K at the start/finish.

Carbs: eat on the move, every lap

Target roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and push toward the higher end only if your gut is trained for it. On a climby course you get hiking breaks to chew; here you do not, so practice taking gels, chews, and easy real food while running at goal pace on your long runs. Tie your eating to the loop: take something at every aid pass and refill at your station so you never go a full lap without calories. Steady beats heroic, especially in the back half when your stomach gets fussy.

Sodium and fluid: cool-day steady

A cool, damp late-October day is forgiving on hydration, so you can run more moderate sodium than you would in summer heat, often somewhere around 300 to 600 milligrams per liter of fluid, more if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Do not let the cool air trick you into skipping fluid, since you still sweat over a multi-hour effort. The loop means you can stash bottles and swap them every lap instead of carrying a heavy vest, which keeps you light and fast. Weigh yourself before and after a long run to find your real sweat rate and build from your own number.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cool fall day 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 flat Autumn Leaves loop, and your projected lap splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for an even, fast effort, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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Autumn Leaves 50/50 FAQ

How hard is the Autumn Leaves 50/50?

Autumn Leaves is one of the easier ultras on paper because the course is flat and fast, but that does not mean it is easy. The 10K loop is roughly 80 percent paved bike path with only small rollers, so there is nowhere to hide and no downhills to coast: you run the whole time, which beats up your legs in a different way than a climby mountain race. The real challenge is even pacing, the repetition of looping the same ground, and getting your fueling right over a long, steady effort. If you respect the distance and hold back early, it is a great place to chase a fast time or finish a first ultra.

How much climbing is in the Autumn Leaves 50/50?

Very little. The course is a flat 10K loop along the Willamette at Champoeg State Park with only small rollers for variety, which is exactly why it has a reputation as a PR and first-ultra course. There is no single big climb to plan around. That changes the whole strategy: you are managing even effort and your stomach over many flat miles, not pacing a long ascent.

How should I fuel for the Autumn Leaves 50/50?

Because the terrain is flat and runnable, you almost never get a forced hiking break to eat, so you have to build eating into a nonstop running rhythm. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning higher if your gut is trained for it, plus steady sodium and fluid for a cool fall day. The good news is the loop format means you pass the start/finish and aid often, so you can stash your own bottles, gels, and real food in a drop spot and refuel every lap. Run your own numbers for your weight and goal time with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for the Autumn Leaves 50/50?

The course closes on a clock, not a per-distance limit: your last lap must start by 3:45 PM, Aid Station 2 closes at 4:30 PM, and the finish area closes at 5:00 PM. Because everyone shares the same loop, you need to keep your lap times honest so you are not racing the cutoff at the end. Confirm the current start time and cutoff details with the official race before you toe the line, since logistics can shift year to year.

What is the terrain and weather like at Autumn Leaves?

The 10K loop is about 80 percent paved bike path and 20 percent dirt singletrack winding along the Willamette River through Champoeg State Park, very flat and built for speed. Most people run it in road shoes or light trail shoes. Late October in the Willamette Valley is cool and often damp, with fall maples turning red and yellow, so plan for chilly air at the dark start and the chance of rain and wet leaves underfoot. A headlamp is required for the first lap because you start before sunrise.

Is the Autumn Leaves 50/50 a good first 50K or first 50 miler?

Yes, it is one of the better first-ultra courses in the Pacific Northwest. The flat profile, the forgiving road shoes, the frequent aid, and the loop format (you are never far from your gear or your crew) all lower the stakes for a debut. The loop does test you mentally, since you cover the same ground several times, but that same repetition makes pacing and fueling simple to dial in. Treat the early laps as easy, eat every lap, and most prepared first-timers finish comfortably inside the cutoffs.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, start time, cutoffs, and aid stations come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.