Summit Line

⏵ Course guide · Free

Big Brad Ultras Course Guide

Big Brad Ultras, known around Maine as the Bradbury Badass, is a tough little 50K and 25K at Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, singletrack with tough hills, rocks, roots, and very little flat ground. The 50K climbs the same terrain twice. I will walk you through the course, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeated climbing on tired legs. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Big Brad Ultras quick facts

Date
Sunday, September 13, 2026 (has moved between late Sept and Oct in past years; verify before you register)
Location
Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal, Maine
Distances
50K "The Pounder" (two 15.5-mile laps) and 25K "The Half-Pint" (one lap)
Elevation gain
50K: about 4,500 ft (official) · 25K: about 2,000 ft
Start time
8:00 AM, both distances
Cutoff
6:00 PM overall (10 hours) for both distances
Entry style
UltraSignup, Trail Monster Running club race

These facts come from the official race site. The date has moved between late September and October in past years, so check the current date, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: two hard laps, three named climbs

The Pounder 50K is two 15.5-mile laps of the same course, about 4,500 feet of official elevation gain total, almost entirely singletrack with a short paved and dirt-road connector each loop. The Half-Pint 25K covers the same lap once, at about 2,000 feet of gain. Both climb the Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook.

Three named climbs, back to back to back

Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook are not spread out to give you recovery between them, they come in sequence on a course the race itself describes as tough hills, rocks, roots, and very little flat. That description is accurate. There is almost nowhere on this course to relax your legs, so the climbing and the technical footing both ask for constant attention.

For the Pounder, the second lap is where the race actually happens. The same three climbs that felt manageable fresh get considerably harder on legs that already did them once, and the rocky, rooty footing does not get any more forgiving the second time through.

Little flat ground means constant effort changes

With very little flat and a short paved connector as the only real break, you are almost always either climbing or descending on technical singletrack. That makes steady, predictable pacing hard to hold, so plan your effort in terms of climbs and descents rather than a single target pace for the whole lap.

Peak foliage season means the views are a real payoff for the climbing, but do not let the scenery slow your attention on the rocky, rooty footing. Quick feet matter as much as fitness on this course.

Pacing strategy for repeated technical climbing

With three named climbs on every lap and the Pounder asking you to do them twice, Big Brad Ultras rewards even effort across both laps far more than an aggressive first lap.

Pace the first lap like there is a second one coming

On the Pounder, whatever pace feels sustainable on a fresh lap one has to survive a second trip up Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook. A grade-adjusted pace target keeps you honest about what you can actually repeat, instead of running lap one at a pace only your fresh legs can hold.

Check your margin against the 10-hour cutoff

The 6:00 PM cutoff from an 8:00 AM start gives you 10 hours on the Pounder, which is enough if you pace both laps evenly but tight if the first lap runs long. A vert-aware finish estimate built for this course's climbing tells you honestly whether your goal pace holds up against the cutoff, so you can adjust before race day instead of during it.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a short, hard effort

The Pounder is short enough to be race-effort intense but long enough that fueling still matters, especially with three climbs repeated on the second lap.

Carbs: steady from the start

For a 4 to 10 hour effort, target roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour from early on rather than waiting until you feel low. The climbing is relentless enough that you do not get a lot of easy recovery miles to catch up on fueling later, so staying ahead of it from the gun matters more here than on a flatter course.

Sodium and fluid: use the lap break

Sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range covers most runners, and you can lean toward the higher end if peak foliage season turns out warmer than expected. Because the Pounder is two laps, you get one clean opportunity between laps to restock, adjust your fueling, or swap gear, so plan that lap-break stop deliberately instead of rushing through it.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and this course's climbing 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 exact Big Brad course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the repeated climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Big Brad Ultras FAQ

How hard is Big Brad Ultras?

Big Brad Ultras, also called the Bradbury Badass, is a genuinely tough New England 50K, not a warmup race. The Pounder covers two 15.5-mile laps of Bradbury Mountain State Park with about 4,500 feet of official elevation gain, on singletrack with tough hills, rocks, roots, and very little flat ground. You climb the Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook twice, so whatever wears you out on lap one is waiting for you again on lap two. It has a well-earned reputation among Maine trail runners for punching above its distance.

How much climbing is in Big Brad Ultras?

The Pounder 50K has about 4,500 feet of official elevation gain across two 15.5-mile laps, and the Half-Pint 25K has about 2,000 feet across one lap. Each loop climbs Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook, with only a short stretch of pavement and dirt road (about 0.5 miles paved, 0.25 miles dirt per loop) breaking up the singletrack. It is a small footprint with a lot of vertical packed into it.

How should I fuel for Big Brad Ultras?

Plan for a 4 to 10 hour effort depending on your pace and which distance you run. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range, scaled up if the day runs warm during peak foliage season. Since the course is laps, you get access to your own supplies at the start/finish between loops on the 50K, so use that to reset rather than carrying everything from the gun. Run your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for Big Brad Ultras?

Both the Pounder 50K and the Half-Pint 25K share a 6:00 PM overall cutoff from an 8:00 AM start, which is a 10-hour window. That is generous for the 25K but leaves less room on the 50K if the double-lap climbing slows you down, so pace your first lap with the cutoff in mind rather than assuming you have time to spare.

What is the terrain and weather like at Big Brad Ultras?

The course is almost entirely singletrack, described by the race itself as tough hills, rocks, roots, and very little flat, with a short paved and dirt-road connector each loop. It climbs the Bradbury summit, Tryon Mountain, and Chandler Brook. The race runs in mid-September during peak foliage, so expect cool, crisp New England fall weather, though conditions can still swing warm on a sunny day.

Is Big Brad Ultras a good first 50K?

It is a demanding choice for a first 50K given the technical singletrack and the repeated climbing on both laps, but it is a well-run, small, community-feel race through Trail Monster Running, with reusable cups required, a finisher glass, and handmade Adirondack chairs for the winners, plus proceeds going to trail conservation. If you have solid technical trail experience and can handle sustained climbing on tired legs, it is a strong goal race. If you are newer to technical singletrack, the Half-Pint 25K is a reasonable way to sample the terrain first.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and pricing come from public sources and can change year to year, and this race in particular has shifted between late September and October in past editions, 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.