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Finger Lakes 50s Course Guide

The Finger Lakes 50s runs the 50 mile, 50K, and 25K on the same repeating 16.5 mile loop through the Finger Lakes National Forest near Hector, New York, and the signature move is crossing working cattle pastures mid-race. I will walk you through the loop and the format first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built around running the same climbs more than once in July heat. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Finger Lakes 50s quick facts

Date
Around July 4th weekend (2026: July 4)
Location
Finger Lakes National Forest, Potomac Group Campground, Hector, NY
Distances
50 mile · 50K · 25K, on a repeating 16.5 mi loop
Elevation gain
About 1,300 ft per 16.5 mi loop (official); roughly 2,600 ft for the 50K and 3,900-plus ft for the 50 mile are derived by multiplying loops, not official course totals
Format
50 mile repeats the loop 3 times plus a half-mile "baby loop"; 50K repeats it twice; 25K is one loop
Cutoffs
Not published in verified form; confirm current cutoffs before you commit
History
Run annually since 1989, one of New York's longest-running ultras

These facts come from the Finger Lakes Runners Club race page. Check the current date, cutoffs, and aid station details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: one loop, run more than once

Every distance at the Finger Lakes 50s shares the same 16.5 mile loop out of the Potomac Group Campground, with six aid stations per lap. The 25K is a single trip around. The 50K repeats it twice. The 50 mile repeats it three times and tacks on a half-mile "baby loop" to hit the full distance.

Singletrack, dirt roads, and cattle pastures

The loop mixes forest singletrack with dirt access roads and, most memorably, working cattle pastures leased inside the national forest. You will pass through gates and open pasture with actual cattle grazing nearby, which is not something most East Coast ultras can say. Follow the marked route through the gates, mind your footing on the churned-up ground near water troughs, and give the cows the benefit of the doubt.

None of this is technical in the Catskills sense. There are no rock scrambles or exposed ledges here. The challenge is the rolling, unrelenting nature of the terrain, repeated two or three times depending on your distance.

About 1,300 feet of climbing per loop, stacked by lap

The official per-loop gain is about 1,300 feet. Multiply that out and the 50K works out to roughly 2,600 feet across its two loops, and the 50 mile to roughly 3,900-plus feet across three loops plus the baby loop, though those totals are our arithmetic off the per-loop figure, not numbers the race itself publishes as course totals. None of the climbs are long or steep individually. What adds up is doing the same rolling terrain again on legs that already did it once or twice.

That repetition is worth training for specifically. Rolling hill repeats on tired legs translate directly to this course in a way that one big mountain climb does not.

A loop format built for crew and pacing feedback

Because every lap returns to the same start-finish area, crew and spectators can see you far more often than on a point-to-point course, and you get a natural checkpoint to evaluate how the day is going. Use that. A loop course punishes runners who go out too hard on lap one and have nothing left for the repeat, more visibly than a course you only run once, because you feel exactly how much worse lap two or three is compared to lap one.

Pacing strategy for a repeating rolling loop

With the same 1,300 feet of rolling climbing coming back around every 16.5 miles, the Finger Lakes 50s rewards even pacing across laps far more than it rewards a fast first loop.

Run the first loop like there is a second (or third) one coming

Your first lap will feel easy. It is designed to. The rolling grades are runnable, the pastures are a novelty, and the legs are fresh. The mistake is banking time on lap one that you cannot hold on lap two or three. Pace the climbs by grade-adjusted effort rather than by how good you feel early, and hold something back for the repeat.

Build a finish prediction around the derived vert, then check it lap by lap

Because the 50K and 50-mile elevation totals here are derived by multiplying the per-loop figure, not published course totals, use them as a planning estimate rather than a promise. A vert-aware finish prediction gives you a realistic window for your distance, and because you pass the start-finish area every lap, you can check your actual splits against that prediction in real time instead of waiting until the very end to find out you are off pace.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a hot, multi-lap July ultra

Early July in the open Finger Lakes pastures gets hot, and the loop format gives you a built-in chance to adjust your fueling plan lap by lap instead of guessing once at the start.

Carbs: steady, and reset every lap

Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. The loop format is an advantage here: use the start-finish area at the end of each lap to check in with your stomach, restock what worked, and drop what did not, rather than committing to one plan for the whole race and hoping it holds.

Sodium and fluid: the pastures are exposed

The open cattle pasture sections have little shade, so lean toward the higher end of 300 to 700-plus mg of sodium per liter of fluid on a hot day, and more if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Weigh yourself before and after a hot training run to find your real sweat rate, and use your loop splits on race day to tell whether the heat is building faster than you planned for.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the July heat 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 loop course's repeating climbs, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the lap-by-lap grind, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Finger Lakes 50s FAQ

How hard is the Finger Lakes 50s?

The Finger Lakes 50s is a rolling, pastoral ultra built on a repeating 16.5 mile loop through the Finger Lakes National Forest, and it is not a mountain race. Each loop climbs about 1,300 feet on singletrack, dirt roads, and open cattle pasture, so the 50K covers roughly 2,600 feet of gain and the 50 mile roughly 3,900-plus feet across its laps, both figures derived from the per-loop number rather than official course totals. The terrain is friendlier than the Catskills or the Adirondacks, but running the same climbs two or three times in the heat is its own kind of hard.

Why does the course go through cattle pastures?

The Finger Lakes National Forest leases some of its land for grazing, and the race route crosses working cattle pastures as part of the loop. It is the signature quirk of this course: you are sharing the trail with actual cattle, so watch your footing, follow the marked route through gates, and expect the odd curious cow along the way.

How does the loop format work?

All three distances share the same 16.5 mile loop with six aid stations per lap. The 25K is a single loop, the 50K repeats it twice, and the 50 mile repeats it three times and adds a half-mile "baby loop" to round out the distance. Because you pass the same aid stations and the same start-finish area on every lap, crew and spectators can see you far more often than on a point-to-point course, and pacing yourself evenly loop to loop matters more than it does on a course you only see once.

What are the cutoff times for the Finger Lakes 50s?

Cutoff times were not published in a form we could verify this season. Confirm the current cutoffs for your distance on the Finger Lakes Runners Club race page before you register or start, since a loop-format ultra can enforce cutoffs at the start-finish area between laps rather than only at the very end.

How should I fuel for the Finger Lakes 50s?

Treat it as a multi-hour July effort with real heat exposure in the open pasture sections. Most runners do well around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700-plus mg per liter range depending on how hard the sun is working you that lap. The loop format is actually an advantage here: use the start-finish area each lap to restock, adjust your fluids for how the heat is trending, and catch problems early instead of hoping they fix themselves out on the course. Build your full plan with the free ultra fueling calculator.

Is the Finger Lakes 50s a good first ultra?

It is one of the friendlier ultras in New York for a first attempt at the distance. The terrain is rolling rather than mountainous, the loop format means you are never more than about 16.5 miles from help, and crew and spectator access is easy compared to a remote point-to-point course. The heat and the repeated climbing on tired legs are still real, so train the vert and the sun exposure, but the format itself is about as forgiving as an ultra gets.

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 Finger Lakes Runners Club before you register or run. The 50K and 50-mile elevation figures are derived from the official per-loop number and are not published course totals. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.