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⏵ Course guide · Washington ultra

Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K Course Guide

The Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K is a rugged ridge loop in the Taneum drainage on the dry east side of the Cascades, and it has been around since 1995, which makes it one of Washington’s longest-running 50Ks. It packs a lot of vert into 31 miles, throws in one infamous river crossing and a pile of shallow stream crossings late, and rewards patient climbing. I’ll walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan that fits the climbing and the wet feet. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K quick facts

Date
Late September (typically the Saturday around Sep 23)
Location
Taneum drainage, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, near Cle Elum, Kittitas County, WA
Distances
50K (about 31 mi) and 25K
Elevation gain
50K: roughly 7,000 ft · 25K: roughly 3,900 ft
Start
9:00 AM, start and finish at Taneum Junction
Cutoff
50K: about 9 hr 30 min overall (around 4:30 PM), with earlier aid-station cutoffs
Qualifier
No Western States, Hardrock, or UTMB Running Stones status listed by the race
History
Run since 1995, one of Washington’s longest-running 50Ks

These facts come from the official race site, RunSignup, and UltraSignup. Check the current date, start time, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where Cle Elum Ridge is won and lost

The 50K is a backcountry loop out of Taneum Junction, about 31 miles and roughly 7,000 feet of climbing on the 1326 and 1377 trails. It is a mix of old jeep road, motorcycle track, and hiking trail, so the surface keeps changing under you. The 25K shares the start and finish but cuts the loop short by dropping down Forest Service Road 114 instead of doing the full high line.

The climbs: keep earning the ridge

This course is not built around one big climb. It is a series of long climbs and descents along the ridge, and you keep gaining and giving back elevation the whole loop. That is where Cle Elum gets won or lost. If you hike the steep pitches efficiently and hold an even effort, you get to the back half with legs left over. If you run the early climbs hard because you feel fresh and the morning is cool, you pay for it later when the crossings and the last climbs show up.

The footing changes constantly: smooth dirt road in places, then loose rock, ruts, and rougher singletrack. Quick feet and paying attention matter as much as raw fitness here, especially when you are tired.

The descents and the crossings: the back third

The descents are fast if you saved something for them, but long downhill on rough trail beats up your quads, and Cle Elum stacks several of them. The last third of the loop is also where the water lives: one infamous river crossing plus about a dozen shallow stream crossings in a row. Your feet are getting wet, so do not fight it, just keep moving and let your shoes drain.

This is exactly where badly paced people fall apart. If you trashed your legs on the early climbs or never trained the descents, those final miles with wet feet and tired quads turn into a slow shuffle to the finish. Practice controlled, runnable descending before race day so you can still turn your legs over late.

Aid, spacing, and self-support

The 50K runs through a handful of aid stations spread along the loop, with at least one that is water only, and the finish back at Taneum Junction. The gaps between them can be long out on the ridge, so carry enough fluid and calories to get yourself across instead of assuming the next aid is close. The exact aid locations, the mileages, and the cutoff times have moved between editions, so do not plan off an old race report.

This is a backcountry course in national forest, so treat it like one. Know roughly where the aid sits, know where the cutoffs are, and confirm the current setup in the race-day details before you start.

Pacing strategy for a big-vert, rough-trail 50K

With roughly 7,000 feet of gain spread across repeated climbs and descents, Cle Elum is about managing effort, not hitting a pace chart. Run the climbs by feel, not by your flat-ground splits, and keep a little in reserve for the wet, technical back third.

Pace the climbs by grade, not by the watch

Your flat-ground pace means nothing on these climbs. What matters is grade-adjusted effort, so hold a steady output you can sustain up the grade and power-hike the steep pitches without feeling bad about it. The classic mistake here is running the early climbs too hard because the morning is cool and you feel good, then unraveling on the descents and the crossings. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing and descending targets, and you will not cook the first half.

Build a vert-aware finish prediction

Do not guess your Cle Elum finish off a road 50K time. The 7,000 feet of climbing, the rough footing, and the dozen wet crossings all add real time. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this course’s climbing gives you a realistic window and lets you work back into the aid-station cutoffs, so you actually know how much buffer you have at each checkpoint instead of guessing on the fly.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for the climbing and the duration

Most runners are out on the Cle Elum Ridge 50K for somewhere around 6 to 9 hours, with long climbs and long gaps between aid. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid just as important as fitness.

Carbs: steady and trained

For a 6 to 9 hour effort, aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and only push the higher end if your gut is trained for it. Long climbing efforts have a way of killing your appetite, so keep your intake steady and easy to get down instead of gambling on big late doses you will not want to eat. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on hilly long runs so 80-plus grams an hour feels normal, not like an experiment you are running for the first time on race day.

Sodium and fluid: plan for the gaps and the cool air

Cool fall weather can trick you into under-drinking on the climbs, so do not skip your fluid just because you are not roasting. A common range is around 300 to 700 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid, leaning higher if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Just as important, carry enough fluid and calories to get yourself across the long stretches between aid instead of rationing to the next one and arriving empty. Weigh yourself before and after a long run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

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

Start free →Explore the demo

Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K FAQ

How hard is the Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K?

Cle Elum Ridge is a genuinely tough mountain 50K, not a rolling forest cruise. The 50K covers about 31 miles with somewhere around 7,000 feet of climbing on a loop that uses old jeep, motorcycle, and hiking trails in the Taneum drainage, so you are gaining and giving back elevation all day. Add an infamous river crossing and a string of shallow stream crossings in the last third and you have a course that asks for strong climbing legs, decent footing on rough trail, and patience. The overall cutoff sits around 9 hours 30 minutes, so steady hiking on the climbs and smart fueling matter more than flat-ground speed.

How much climbing is in the Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K?

The 50K has roughly 7,000 feet of total elevation gain over about 31 miles, which is a lot of vert for the distance. It is not one giant climb either: the loop on the 1326 and 1377 trails stacks up several long climbs and descents along the ridge, so you keep earning and spending elevation. The 25K is shorter and gentler at roughly 3,900 feet of gain because it takes a shortcut down Forest Service Road 114 instead of the full high loop. Treat the exact number as a guide and confirm the current course with the race, since gain estimates vary by GPS and the route gets tweaked over the years.

What is the river crossing at Cle Elum Ridge like?

The 50K has one infamous river crossing that is part of the race’s personality, plus about a dozen shallow stream crossings packed into the last third of the loop. None of it is whitewater, but your feet are going to get wet, so plan for it instead of fighting it. Run shoes and socks you know drain and dry well, think about a little anti-blister prep, and just accept the wet feet as part of the day. In a dry late September the flows are usually low, but water levels swing year to year, so check current conditions before the race.

What are the cutoff times for the Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K?

The 50K runs on roughly a 9 hour 30 minute overall limit, which with the 9:00 AM start puts the finish cutoff around 4:30 PM. There are earlier cutoffs at aid stations out on the course, so you cannot bank all your buffer for the end and you need to keep moving through the first climbs. The exact aid-station cutoffs and miles have shifted between editions, so do not memorize an old race report. Confirm the current intermediate cutoffs in the race-day details before you start.

What is the terrain and weather like at Cle Elum Ridge?

The course is a backcountry loop on the dry east side of the Cascades, mixing rugged jeep and motorcycle track with hiking trail, so the footing ranges from smooth to rocky and loose. You get real climbs, fast technical descents, the river crossing, and those shallow stream crossings late in the loop. Late September in the Central Cascades is usually cool and crisp in the morning and can warm up by afternoon, with a real shot at rain, wind, or even early snow up on the ridge. Dress for a swing in conditions and carry a layer, because mountain weather here is not guaranteed to be friendly.

Is the Cle Elum Ridge Run 50K a good first 50K?

It can be a strong goal race for a prepared first-time ultrarunner, but it is not a soft place to start. The 7,000 feet of climbing, the rough trail, the wet crossings, and the aid-station cutoffs all reward specific prep: time on technical and steep trail, practice power-hiking long climbs, and a fueling plan you have actually rehearsed. If you train the vert and your gut and you are comfortable with wet feet and a long day on your legs, the roughly 9.5-hour cutoff gives most committed runners room to finish. If you have never been on rocky mountain trail, get some of that under you first.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and aid stations come from public sources and can change year to year, 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.