⏵ Course guide · Withlacoochee State Forest, Brooksville, Florida
Croom Fools Run puts you on single-track through the longleaf pine and scrub oak hills of the Croom Hiking Trail in the Withlacoochee State Forest, with 50 Mile, 50K, and 16 Mile loop options and 30 years of history behind it. I will walk you through the course and what the cutoffs ask of you, then give you a pacing and fueling plan with free calculators to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official race site. Check the current year details before you commit. Race logistics can change year to year.
The 50 Mile runs 3 loops, the 50K runs 2 loops, and the 16 Mile runs 1 loop, all on the same Croom Hiking Trail through longleaf pine and scrub oak hills.
This is not the flat, exposed Florida course you might expect. The Croom Hiking Trail rolls through pine and scrub oak covered hills, past creek bottoms and cypress ponds, mostly under canopy cover. That shade is a real asset if the day warms up, but the rolling terrain still asks for genuine hill fitness.
The 2026 edition marked the 30th annual running, organized by Event Operations Inc / TampaRaces.com. A race with that much history tends to have well-dialed logistics, aid, and course marking, which matters when you are relying on it for a long day on trail.
For the 2026 edition, the 50 Mile carried a 6:00 PM cutoff. Cutoffs for the shorter distances were not published, so confirm those directly with the race before you commit to a pacing plan.
With the 50 Mile built from 3 loops, your early-loop pace is a direct preview of what the later loops will feel like once fatigue and the day's heat add up.
Tree canopy covers most of the route, which helps regulate effort in the heat, but any exposed sandy stretches will still cost you more than they look like they should. Keep your early loops honest rather than banking time you will need later.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
Early April in central Florida can already bring real heat and humidity, and the canopy cover, while helpful, will not fully offset that over a 50 Mile effort.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning toward the higher end of both if the day runs warm and humid. Since the course repeats loops, use each pass through the start/finish area as a fixed checkpoint to reassess how you are handling the heat.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a warm April Florida 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 rolling, canopy-covered loops of Croom Fools Run. Summit Line reads your real training, builds toward the 50 Mile cutoff above, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The course runs on single-track through the Croom Hiking Trail's longleaf pine and scrub oak hills, with creek bottoms and cypress ponds along the way. Florida terrain like this is not mountainous, but the rolling hills, sandy patches, and tree canopy make for a genuinely different kind of grind than a flat course, and the 50 Mile repeats 3 loops of it, so any tough stretch comes back around.
For the 2026 edition, the 50 Mile carried a 6:00 PM cutoff. Cutoffs for the 50K and 16 Mile were not published on the official site, so check the current year listing directly, especially if you are running one of the shorter distances and want to confirm your own time limit.
No, they are two different races that happen to share the same Croom Tract trail system in the Withlacoochee State Forest. Croom Fools Run runs in early spring (the 2026 edition was April 4) and offers 50 Mile, 50K, and 16 Mile distances. The John Holmes Trail Run runs in fall and offers a different distance lineup. If you are searching for one and land on a page about the other, double-check the date and distances before you register.
The Croom Hiking Trail winds through longleaf pine and scrub oak covered hills, past creek bottoms and cypress ponds, mostly under tree canopy. It is single-track for most of the route, rolling rather than flat, and the canopy cover is a real advantage if race day turns warm.
The loop format, 2 loops for the 50K and 3 for the 50 Mile, means you return to the start/finish area regularly, which simplifies crewing, gear, and mental checkpoints for a first attempt at either distance. With 30 years of history behind it, this is a well-established, well-supported race for the region, a solid choice if you want real trail terrain without the logistics of a point-to-point course.
The race field is limited to 250 runners across all distances. Registering early is a good idea for a race with three decades of history and a capped field.
The race runs annually in early April. The most recently confirmed edition, the 30th annual, started Saturday, April 4, 2026. The next edition is expected in early April 2027, but as of this guide the official site has not published an exact date, so check fools50.com directly before you plan around it.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/croom-fools-run">The Croom Fools Run course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/croom-fools-run" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Croom Fools Run course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The format, date, and course 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.
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