⏵ Course guide · Gorham, Maine flat farm loop
Cherry Hill Farm Ultra keeps the terrain simple: a flat, non-technical loop around Shaw Cherry Hill Farm in Gorham, Maine, repeated 12 times for the 50K, 6 times for the 25K, or 2.5 times for the 10K. I will walk you through the loop format and a pacing and fueling plan built around a course that lets your fitness do the talking, with free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official event page. Start time, elevation, cutoffs, aid stations, and entry fee were not published there at the time of writing, so check the RunSignup registration page for those before you commit.
The race defines every distance directly in laps of the same farm loop: 50K is 12 laps, 25K is 6 laps, and 10K is 2.5 laps, which puts each lap at roughly 2.6 miles.
Shaw Cherry Hill Farm gives the course a flat, non-technical setting rather than rugged trail, which shifts the challenge toward pacing discipline and repetition over navigating tricky footing. That makes it a strong venue if you want a course where fitness and pacing decide your day more than terrain does.
12 laps for the 50K means you will see the same roughly 2.6 mile loop over and over, so by the second half of the race you know exactly what is coming, where to expect the next pass through the start/finish area, and how to break the remaining distance into manageable chunks.
Without hills or technical footing to slow you down, pacing here is mostly a discipline problem: it is easy to go out too fast on a flat loop and pay for it in the back third of your laps.
Because the loop is short and repeats many times (12 laps for the 50K), set a per-lap time goal before the race and check yourself against it every single pass through the start/finish. Small pace drift is easy to miss on a flat course until it has compounded across a dozen laps.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
Aid station details were not published on the event page, so plan to carry more of your own fueling than you might at a heavily aid-stocked race, and confirm the on-course support closer to race day.
Aim for roughly 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range as a baseline for the 50K distance, adjusting down for the shorter 25K and 10K options. Early September in Gorham, Maine can still run warm, so do not assume New England fall weather and underprepare your hydration.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and an early-September Maine effort 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 and 12 flat laps of Shaw Cherry Hill Farm. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the pacing discipline a repeating flat loop rewards, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Every distance is built from the same loop around Shaw Cherry Hill Farm in Gorham. The race states the 50K is 12 laps, the 25K is 6 laps, and the 10K is 2.5 laps, which puts each lap at roughly 2.6 miles. You will pass the start/finish area repeatedly no matter which distance you choose, which keeps the day simple to navigate.
The farm loop is flat and non-technical, so the physical demand here comes almost entirely from time on feet and repetition rather than climbing or difficult footing. That makes it a good venue to chase a fast 50K or 25K time, or to manage a first attempt at the distance without terrain working against you.
A flat, non-technical loop that repeats every roughly 2.6 miles is about as forgiving a first-ultra setup as exists: you are never far from the start area, your own gear, or a chance to reassess. The race itself says it aims to serve both novice and experienced runners, which matches a course built for approachability over technical challenge.
Cutoff times were not published on the official event page as of this writing. Check the RunSignup registration page for the current year for that detail before you commit to a distance.
The course runs on a flat, non-technical loop around Shaw Cherry Hill Farm, a working farm setting rather than a rugged trail. If you are coming from road racing and want a first taste of an ultra distance without technical trail skills required, this is a reasonable entry point.
Registration runs through RunSignup. Entry fee, start time, and aid station details are not listed on the event's own site, so check the RunSignup listing directly for the current year's pricing and race-morning logistics.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/cherry-hill-farm-ultra">The Cherry Hill Farm Ultra course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/cherry-hill-farm-ultra" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Cherry Hill Farm Ultra course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. Dates and course details come from the official race page and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the organizers before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
The timeline
Get the week-by-week countdown for this race: when to build, when to peak, when to taper.
One email with the timeline, plus training notes for this race. Unsubscribe any time.