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⏵ Course guide · Pennsylvania ultra

Black Forest Ultra 100K Course Guide

Black Forest Ultra starts at midnight, in total darkness, and runs with no crew, no pacers, and no spectators anywhere on the course. Add roughly 13,400 feet of climbing over extremely rocky Tiadaghton State Forest terrain and a loop direction that reverses every year, and you get one of the toughest 100Ks on the East Coast. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for the darkness and the self-reliance this race demands. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Black Forest Ultra quick facts

Date
Early October (2026: Sunday, October 4)
Location
Hyner Run State Park, Tiadaghton State Forest, on the Black Forest Trail, Pennsylvania
Distance
Single 100K (62.1 mi)
Elevation gain
About 13,400 ft or more (official)
Start time
Midnight, in total darkness
Cutoff
19-hour overall limit
Support rules
No crew, no pacers, no spectators, anywhere on course
Entry
$155 through February 1, then $180. Field capped at 200, opens January 1 at 6 PM.

These facts come from the official race site. Registration requires a 50K trail finish within the prior 3 years (timed races do not count). Check the current date, entry pricing, and loop direction in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: a lollipop that flips every year

The course is a lollipop shape, a Donut Hole loop with the T-Squared trail as the connecting stick back to the start/finish at Hyner Run State Park, on the Black Forest Trail through Tiadaghton State Forest. About 13,400 feet of climbing is packed into the 62.1 miles, much of it in steep 1,000-plus foot pitches in under a mile, alternating with rolling plateau running.

Midnight start: the first hours are the hardest to prepare for

You start at midnight, in total darkness, on some of the rockiest trail in Pennsylvania. There is no easing into this course with daylight. Your headlamp, your backup light, and your ability to move confidently over technical footing in the dark all get tested before you have any chance to warm into the effort.

Practicing technical trail at night, not just running with a headlamp on a road, is real preparation here. Footing decisions you would make instinctively in daylight take real focus in the dark, and that focus costs energy over the course of the night.

The climbs: steep, short, and relentless

The signature climbing here is not one long grind, it is repeated 1,000-plus foot pitches packed into under a mile, alternating with plateau sections that let you find a rhythm before the next wall. That rhythm of short, brutal climbs followed by rolling recovery ground is different from a course with one sustained mountain, and it rewards patience on every single pitch rather than pacing yourself against one big effort.

The terrain throughout Tiadaghton State Forest is extremely rocky. Quick feet and constant attention matter as much as raw climbing fitness, especially once fatigue and darkness combine late in the race.

No crew, no pacers, and a course that reverses direction

Here is the part that separates Black Forest Ultra from almost every other 100K: no crew, no pacers, no spectators anywhere on the course. Mandatory GPS tracking and a pre-loaded GPX file checked at packet pickup back that up. Whatever goes wrong out there, gear, fueling, navigation, morale, you handle it yourself between aid stations.

And the loop direction reverses every year. What was a long climb last year might be a long descent this year, so do not lean on old course notes or a previous year’s splits without checking which direction the Donut Hole loop runs in the current edition.

Pacing strategy for darkness, rock, and self-reliance

With about 13,400 feet of steep, repeated climbing and a 19-hour cutoff, Black Forest Ultra rewards controlled effort in the dark hours over any attempt to bank time early.

Pace by effort in the dark, not by pace in daylight

Technical, rocky terrain at night slows honest pace down in ways a flat-ground number will not predict. A grade-adjusted pace built around this course’s steep short pitches gives you a realistic climbing and descending target for the night hours, so you are not chasing a pace that only makes sense once the sun comes up.

Build in margin against the 19-hour cutoff

With no crew to bail you out of a slow patch, work out a realistic finish window against the 13,400-plus feet of climbing before race day, then check your projected splits against the 19-hour limit with an ultra cutoff calculator. Knowing your margin ahead of time matters more here than on a race where a crew can help you recover lost time.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a no-crew, all-night effort

With no crew allowed anywhere on the course, everything you eat and drink between aid stations comes from what you are carrying or what you planned in advance. That makes the fueling plan unusually load-bearing here.

Carbs: plan what you carry, since no one is handing you anything

Aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and think carefully about what you carry between aid stations since there is no crew to hand you a forgotten flask or a backup gel. Rehearse your exact race-day carry weight and refill rhythm on a long training day so it is second nature at 3 AM, not a decision you are making for the first time mid-race.

Sodium and self-sufficiency through the night

Scale sodium to your sweat rate and the overnight conditions, typically in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range. Because you are entirely self-supported between aid stations, err on the side of carrying slightly more than you think you need rather than cutting it close, especially across the longer, steep sections where you cannot easily bail to resupply.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a no-crew, midnight-start 100K 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 Black Forest course profile, and your projected splits through the night. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the steep repeated climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute alone with confidence, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Black Forest Ultra FAQ

How hard is the Black Forest Ultra 100K?

Black Forest Ultra is widely called one of the toughest 100Ks on the East Coast, and the difficulty is not just the roughly 13,400 feet of climbing over 62.1 miles. It starts at midnight, in total darkness, and you run with no crew, no pacers, and no spectators anywhere on the course. That combination, extremely rocky Tiadaghton State Forest terrain, climbs of 1,000-plus feet packed into under a mile alternating with plateau running, and total self-reliance for 19 hours, is what earns the reputation. This is not a race to take on as your first 100K.

Why does the Black Forest Ultra start at midnight?

The midnight start means every runner spends the first several hours of the race in total darkness on technical, extremely rocky trail, before the terrain and navigation get any easier with daylight. It changes how you have to prepare: your headlamp and backup light are not optional gear, they are the difference between finding your footing and turning an ankle in the dark on the steep, rocky sections that define this course.

Is crew or pacer support allowed at Black Forest Ultra?

No. Black Forest Ultra runs with no crew, no pacers, and no spectators anywhere on the course. Combined with mandatory GPS tracking and a pre-loaded GPX file checked at packet pickup, this is a race built around total self-sufficiency. You carry what you need between aid stations yourself, and you problem-solve alone when things go wrong, which is part of why it has the reputation it does.

Why does the Black Forest Ultra course change direction every year?

The course is a lollipop, a Donut Hole loop with the T-Squared trail as the stick connecting it to the start/finish, and the direction the loop is run reverses each year. That means even returning runners cannot fully rely on the previous year’s pacing plan or course notes, since a climb that was a grind one year becomes a descent the next. Confirm the current year’s direction before you build your splits.

How should I fuel for the Black Forest Ultra?

Plan for a 19-hour ceiling with no crew to hand you anything between aid stations, so you carry your own margin. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, with sodium scaled to your sweat rate, often in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range given the effort and duration. Because you cannot count on a crew bailing out a fueling mistake, rehearse your exact race-day plan, including what you carry between aid stations, well before race day. Run your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.

Can the Black Forest Ultra be a first 100K?

The race itself requires a 50K trail finish within the prior 3 years just to register (timed races do not count), which tells you how it is positioned. Between the midnight start in total darkness, the no-crew-no-pacer rule, roughly 13,400 feet of climbing with 1,000-plus foot pitches packed into under a mile, and extremely rocky footing throughout, this is not a beginner-friendly 100K even by ultra standards. Build real trail ultra experience first, then come here once you can navigate, fuel, and problem-solve entirely on your own in the dark.

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