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Bulldog 50K Course Guide

The Bulldog Ultra is Southern California's oldest 50K, two loops of fire road and single track through Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, and it is a real test. I will walk you through the route, the Bulldog climb, the cutoffs, and the heat, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for exactly this course. No fluff, just the stuff you actually need to know before you line up.

Quick facts

Confirm current details on the official race site before race day.
Race
The Bulldog Ultra (50K + 25K)
Next edition
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Location
Malibu Creek State Park, Calabasas / Agoura Hills, CA
Range
Santa Monica Mountains
50K distance
~29.4 miles (two loops)
25K distance
~14.8 miles (one loop)
50K vert
Roughly 5,500 to 5,800 ft of climbing
25K vert
Roughly 2,800 ft of climbing
50K start
7:00 AM (25K starts 8:00 AM)
50K finish cutoff
4:00 PM (9 hours)
Qualifier
Not listed as a WS / UTMB / Hardrock qualifier
Surface
Fire road and single track, very exposed

The course

Bulldog is a two-loop course. The 25K runs one loop of roughly 14.8 miles, and the 50K runs that same loop twice for about 29.4 miles and somewhere between 5,500 and 5,800 feet of climbing. The thing about two identical laps is that you find out exactly what is coming the second time around, which cuts both ways. You know the Bulldog climb is waiting, and the second time you get to it the sun is up and the canyons are baking.

The opening miles and the Bulldog climb

Each loop starts down low near Malibu Creek and works its way up. The big one is the Bulldog climb, a long, sustained dirt fire-road ascent that gains well over a thousand feet over several miles. It is steep enough that most of the field power-hikes big chunks of it, and that is the right call. This is the spot to keep yourself in check, because whatever you burn here on loop one you pay back with interest on loop two.

The footing is mostly hard-packed fire road with some rocky, loose sections, and there is barely any tree cover. Get up high and the views open out to ridgelines and, on a clear day, the ocean. But that same openness means almost no shade. Treat the first climb like a warm-up and not a race, and you set up your whole day.

The high traverse and the descents

Once you top out, the loop runs along the ridge and threads through sections of trail in the Santa Monica Mountains before dropping back toward the start. The descents are runnable but rocky in spots, and they come right after a big climb, so your quads take a beating, especially the second loop. People trip and fall here. Pick your feet up and keep your eyes down on the technical stuff.

The aid stations are spread around the loop instead of spaced out evenly by mile, so the gaps on the climbs can feel long when it is hot. On the 50K you hit a fully stocked transition at the start of the second loop (mile 14.7) with drop bags, pacers, and toilets, then Bulldog Lateral (18.7), Top of Bulldog (21), Top of Puerco (24.6), and Tapia (27.3). Plan what you carry so you never run dry between them.

50K aid stations

  • Start of 2nd loop (drop bags, pacers, toilets)mile 14.7
  • Bulldog Lateralmile 18.7
  • Top of Bulldogmile 21
  • Top of Puercomile 24.6
  • Tapiamile 27.3

50K cutoffs (2026)

  • Start of 2nd loop (mile 14.7)11:00 AM
  • Bulldog Lateral (mile 18.7)12:15 PM
  • Top of Bulldog (mile 21)1:30 PM
  • Top of Puerco (mile 24.6)2:45 PM
  • Tapia (mile 27.3)3:15 PM
  • Finish line4:00 PM

The aid-station mileages and cutoffs above are from the 2026 UltraSignup listing, and they can change year to year. Always double check the current numbers on the official race page before you toe the line.

Pacing strategy

Bulldog comes down to two things: how patient you are climbing on loop one, and how well you handle the heat into loop two. If you are chasing flat-50K splits the clock will lie to you, because this course spends huge chunks of time climbing and descending where your pace has almost nothing to do with how hard you are working.

Pace by effort, not by the watch

On a course with this much climbing, raw pace tells you nothing. A 12-minute mile up the Bulldog climb and an 8-minute mile on the ridge can be the exact same effort. Grade-adjusted pace is the number that actually tracks how hard you are working, so train by it and race by it. Hold a controlled, easy effort up the first climb, power-hike the steep pitches and do not feel bad about it, and save the running legs for the flatter traverse and the descents.

Our free grade-adjusted pace calculator shows you your flat-ground equivalent pace on a given climb, so you can practice the right effort in training and not blow up the first ascent.

Build the plan around two loops, not 31 miles

Think of Bulldog as two halves with two very different jobs. Loop one is about banking time the cheap way: run within yourself, eat and drink before you actually need it, and roll into the mile-14.7 transition feeling like you have barely started. Loop two is the real race, run in rising heat on tired legs, and that is exactly when an easy first loop pays off. Aim to run the second half on equal or harder effort, even if the clock splits slower because of the heat.

A vert-aware finish prediction beats a flat pace chart every time on this course. Use our race-time calculator to get a realistic Bulldog finish from your fitness and the course climbing, then work the cutoffs back from there so you know how much margin you actually have at each checkpoint.

⏵ Free tools for this course

Pace the climbs with the grade-adjusted pace calculator, get a vert-aware finish out of the race-time calculator, check your goal against past results with the race-equivalent calculator, and build a heat-aware fuel plan with the ultra fueling calculator. They are all on the free tools hub.

Fueling and heat strategy

August in the Santa Monica Mountains is the real opponent here. The canyons can reach triple digits and there is next to no shade, so at Bulldog your fluid and sodium plan matters just as much as your carbs. Under-fuel the heat and you will be walking that second Bulldog climb whether you planned to or not.

Hydrate and salt for the canyon heat

Plan for a higher fluid rate than you would use on a cool-weather 50K, and push your electrolytes toward the high end, roughly 500 to 700 milligrams of sodium per liter, because you will sweat hard and lose a lot of salt out in those exposed canyons. Carry enough between aid stations to get you up the climbs, where the gaps feel the longest. The drop-bag transition at the start of loop two is your shot to swap to fresh bottles, restock your salt, and reset before the hottest part of the day.

Factor the heat into how much you carry. A handheld that is plenty on a cool day can leave you bone dry on the second Bulldog climb. When in doubt on this course, carry more fluid.

Keep carbs steady and gut-rehearsed

Hold your carbs at a steady per-hour rate your stomach has actually practiced, instead of chasing some big number you have never trained on. Heat already beats up your gut, so race day is the wrong day to go find your ceiling. Eat on a schedule starting from the first climb, not once you already feel low, and keep eating on the descents while it is easy.

Our free ultra fueling calculator takes your body weight, goal time, and the August forecast and gives you a per-hour carb, sodium, and fluid number. It is a solid starting point that you then dial in during training.

⏵ Dial it to Bulldog

Drop your weight, goal time, and a hot August forecast into the fueling calculator and get a per-hour carb, sodium, and fluid plan built for these canyons.

Open the fueling calculator →

Train for Bulldog with Summit Line

The calculators give you the generic numbers. Summit Line builds a race-day plan dialed to YOUR fitness, this exact course, and your projected splits, so you get to the start line already knowing how to pace the Bulldog climb, what to eat in the heat, and where your cutoff margin sits. Pace pulled from your own runs, an AI race brief, and a fueling plan you have actually rehearsed.

Get started free →Explore the demo

Bulldog 50K FAQ

How hard is the Bulldog 50K?

Bulldog has a reputation as one of the toughest 50Ks in Southern California, and it earns it. The raw vert is not really what gets people. It is everything stacked together: roughly 5,500 to 5,800 feet of climbing packed into two loops, a long sustained fire-road climb you have to do twice, almost no shade, and August canyon temperatures that can hit triple digits by midday. A lot of experienced ultrarunners call it the hardest 50K they have done. Respect the heat and that second-loop climb and it is very doable. Treat it like a flat road 50K and it will humble you.

How much climbing is in the Bulldog 50K?

Listings put the 50K at roughly 5,500 to 5,800 feet of total gain over about 29.4 miles, run as two identical loops. The 25K is one loop with roughly 2,800 feet of gain. The big one is the Bulldog climb, a long sustained fire-road grind in the first half of each loop that gains well over a thousand feet. Because the course is two loops, you climb it twice. And the second time comes in the heat of the day.

What is the Bulldog climb?

The Bulldog climb is the centerpiece of the race and the reason the whole event is named for it. It is a long, sustained dirt fire-road ascent in the first part of each loop, climbing well over a thousand feet over several miles at a grade steep enough that most runners end up power-hiking it. On loop one it sets up your day. On loop two, in full sun and rising heat, it is where the race gets decided. Climbing that first ascent patiently is the biggest decision you make on this course.

How should I fuel and hydrate for Bulldog?

Fuel for the heat, not just the distance. Bulldog is an August race in exposed canyons where it can hit triple digits, so fluid and sodium matter as much as carbs. Plan for a higher fluid rate than you would use on a cool 50K, push your electrolytes toward the high end (think 500 to 700 mg of sodium per liter), and keep your carbs steady at a rate your gut has already practiced. Carry enough fluid to get you between aid stations on the climbs, and use the drop-bag stop at the start of the second loop to reset. Our free ultra fueling calculator takes your weight, goal time, and the forecast and turns it into a per-hour carb, sodium, and fluid plan.

What are the Bulldog 50K cutoff times?

For the 2026 edition the published 50K cutoffs are 11:00 AM at the start of the second loop (mile 14.7), 12:15 PM at Bulldog Lateral (mile 18.7), 1:30 PM at the top of Bulldog (mile 21), 2:45 PM at the top of Puerco (mile 24.6), 3:15 PM at Tapia (mile 27.3), and a 4:00 PM finish cutoff, which is about a nine-hour overall limit from the 7:00 AM start. Always confirm the current cutoffs on the official race page before race day, because they can change year to year.

Is the Bulldog 50K a qualifier for Western States or UTMB?

As of the 2026 listing, Bulldog is not advertised as a Western States, UTMB, or Hardrock qualifier. People run it for what it is: an honest, well-run, scenic mountain 50K that has been around for over three decades and is a real test of your heat tolerance and your climbing legs. If qualifier status matters to you, check the current year on the official site, because a race can add or drop qualifier affiliations.

This guide is an independent course resource, not the official race organization. The distances, elevation figures, aid stations, and cutoffs come from public race listings and can change year to year, so always confirm the current details on the official Bulldog Ultra page before you register or race.