⏵ Course guide · Northwest Arkansas
Back 40 Trail Races puts four distances, 40, 20, 13, and 5 miles, on over 80 miles of pure Arkansas singletrack in Bella Vista: dirt, rocks, roots, ravines, and specially built bridges through deep woods. I will walk you through the terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for whichever distance you pick, with free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official race page. Start time, cutoffs, exact elevation gain, and aid station spacing were not published there at the time of writing, so confirm those before race day.
The race draws on the Back 40 and Little Sugar trail systems, which together offer over 80 miles of pure Arkansas singletrack, dirt, rocks, roots, ravines, bridges, and waterfalls through deep woods with generous climbs.
The flagship 40 Mile distance means covering essentially the full character of the Back 40 and Little Sugar systems in one push, ravines, bluff lines, and the specially built bridges the trail is known for, all while managing generous climbing on real technical footing.
Both mid-distance options put you on the same terrain, dirt, rocks, roots, and stream crossings, without asking for the full 40 mile time commitment. They are a legitimate way to test whether the technical footing suits your race calendar before you commit to the longer distance in a future year.
The shortest distance keeps the same singletrack character in a package that works for a first trail race or a family outing, still on real dirt, rocks, and roots, just over a shorter, more forgiving window.
With roots, ravines, and generous climbs defining the terrain, pacing here is about effort management over technical ground, not hitting a flat per-mile number.
Ravines and root-covered singletrack punish overconfident downhill running late in a long race. Build in a conservative early pace, especially in the 40 Mile, so your legs and focus are still sharp when the technical sections matter most, later in the day when fatigue makes footing mistakes more likely.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
The 5, 13, and 20 Mile distances are short enough that a solid breakfast and race-day carbs usually cover it. The 40 Mile is where a real per-hour plan starts to matter.
Aim for roughly 50 to 75 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the move, with sodium in the 300 to 600 mg per liter range as a starting point, adjusted for mid-November Arkansas weather, which can swing from crisp mornings to warm afternoons. Since aid station spacing was not published for this race at the time of writing, carry more than you expect until you confirm the current-year support plan.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a mid-November Arkansas 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 training plan built around YOUR fitness for the technical, root-and-ravine singletrack Back 40 is known for. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the durability your chosen distance demands, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The race description itself sets expectations: "Dirt, rocks, roots, ravines, bridges, waterfalls," deep woods, and generous climbs. This is genuine technical Ozark singletrack, not a runnable gravel course, and the 40 mile option in particular is a serious day given that terrain description. Choose your distance based on how comfortable you are with roots and ravines at speed, not just raw mileage fitness.
Four: 40 Mile, 20 Mile, 13 Mile, and 5 Mile, all run on the Back 40 and Little Sugar trail systems in Bella Vista, Arkansas, which together offer over 80 miles of singletrack. The spread from 5 to 40 miles means the race genuinely works as a family or club outing as well as a serious ultra test.
The 20 Mile option sits just under standard ultra distance and is a reasonable step if you want a genuine taste of the terrain, deep woods, ravines, and technical bridges, before committing to the full 40 Mile. Since the official page did not publish cutoff times, confirm those directly with the race before you decide which distance to enter as a first-timer.
The official race page did not publish specific cutoff times at the time this guide was written. Reach out through the race’s registration page or the dbadracing contact page before you build a pacing plan around a specific time limit, especially for the 40 Mile.
The race itself describes trails that "meander through the woods, splash through streams, hug bluff lines and cross specially built breathtaking bridges," on a mix of dirt, rocks, roots, and ravines. Expect real technical footing throughout, plus generous climbing and genuinely scenic views as the tradeoff for the effort.
Registration is handled through the official race page at rushrunning.com/back-40, which links to the registration platform. The page lists phone contact only; the dbadracing contact page or wareaglerace@gmail.com, used for the organizer’s other event, likely reaches the same race director.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/back-40-trail-races">The Back 40 Trail Races course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/back-40-trail-races" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Back 40 Trail Races course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. Course, date, and logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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