⏵ Course guide · Louisville area, Kentucky
Crooked Creek Ultra Trail Race runs on a 12.7 mile loop through hardwood forest at Camp Crooked Creek near Louisville, Kentucky, with over 2,300 feet of elevation gain on every single lap. Distances range from a 5K to the full 100 Mile. I will walk you through what repeating that loop means for your race, then give you a pacing and fueling plan, with free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official RunSignup event page. Cutoff times and specific aid station locations were not published there at the time of writing, so confirm those with Central Kentucky Race Management (info@ckracemanagement.com) before race day.
The whole race is built on one loop: 12.7 miles through hardwood forest across 1,000 acres of rolling hills, with over 2,300 feet of elevation gain packed into every single lap.
A looped ultra rewards a different kind of pacing discipline than a point-to-point course. You will know exactly what climbing is coming on lap four because you already did it on lap one, which is either a comfort or a psychological weight depending on how you handle repetition. Use that predictability to your advantage: plan your effort per lap rather than guessing at unknown terrain.
At 12.7 miles per loop, the 50 Mile works out to roughly four laps and the 100 Mile roughly eight, each one carrying the same 2,300-plus feet of climbing. That means the 100 Mile alone totals somewhere north of 18,000 feet of gain across the full distance, a serious vertical demand on top of the raw mileage.
Shorter distances share the same loop in smaller doses: a Marathon is roughly two laps, a Half Marathon roughly one. The Triple Play options let you stack multiple time slots across the weekend if you want a bigger personal challenge without committing to the full ultra distances.
The same 2,300 feet of gain on every lap means your pacing mistakes compound. Get the effort right on lap one and you can hold it; get it wrong and every subsequent lap gets harder faster than the terrain alone would explain.
Track your time per lap rather than only your overall pace. A slowing lap split is your earliest warning sign of overreaching on the climbing, well before it shows up as a bonk or a missed cutoff further into the 50 or 100 Mile.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
A looped course is a genuine fueling advantage: you pass a central hub every 12.7 miles, so drop bags and crew access are far more frequent than on most 50 and 100 mile races.
Aim for roughly 50 to 75 grams of carbohydrate per hour for the 50 Mile or 100 Mile, with sodium in the 300 to 600 mg per liter range as a starting point, adjusted for early December Kentucky temperatures that can swing from cold mornings to milder afternoons. Build a drop bag rotation around your lap splits, swapping in fresh nutrition, layers, or a headlamp each time you come through, since you will pass the hub far more often than on a point-to-point course.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an early-December Kentucky day 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 the repeated 2,300 foot climb every Crooked Creek lap demands. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the climbing strength and durability your chosen distance needs, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The loop itself sets the bar: 12.7 miles with over 2,300 feet of elevation gain per lap, meaning the 50 Mile covers roughly four laps and the 100 Mile roughly eight, each one repeating the same climbing. That repetition is the defining challenge, the terrain does not change or get easier on lap six, only your legs do.
Seven options: 100 Mile, 50 Mile, Marathon (offered in three separate time slots), Half Marathon (also three time slots), a Marathon Triple Play, a Half Marathon Triple Play, and a 5K Challenge run both Saturday and Sunday. The range from 5K to 100 Mile makes this a genuinely flexible weekend for a crew or club, not just a single-distance ultra.
The official race page did not publish specific cutoff times at the time this guide was written. Contact Central Kentucky Race Management (info@ckracemanagement.com) directly for the current-year cutoffs before you build a lap-by-lap pacing plan.
The looped format is actually a friendly structure for a first 100: you pass a central hub every 12.7 miles, which means regular access to drop bags, crew, and a clear mental checkpoint rather than one long unbroken push. The over-2,300-foot climb per lap is real work, so build your long-run and vert fitness accordingly, but the loop’s repeatability is a genuine advantage for a first-timer over a fully point-to-point course.
Paid entries include race support, a t-shirt, a finisher medal described by the race as "awesome," and Friday night dinner tickets. Entry fees vary by distance, from $15 for the 5K Challenge up to $170 for the 100 Mile, with Triple Play options bundling several distances together.
Yes, the race lists pacer positions as a free entry option, which is worth arranging in advance if you plan to bring someone along for the later laps of the 50 Mile or 100 Mile, when the repeated 2,300 foot climb per lap starts to add up.
Registration for all distances is handled through RunSignup at the official event page. Contact the organizer, Central Kentucky Race Management, at info@ckracemanagement.com with any questions before you sign up.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/crooked-creek-ultra-trail-race">The Crooked Creek Ultra Trail Race course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/crooked-creek-ultra-trail-race" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Crooked Creek Ultra Trail Race course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. Course, date, and logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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