⏵ Course guide · North Georgia mountain trail race
Fire Tower Frenzy sends its 40 mile and 100K fields through the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area near Ellijay, Georgia, summiting Grassy Mountain to the fire tower, looping Lake Conasauga, and crossing Bear Creek and Pinhoti Trail sections 1 and 2. I will walk you through the fall foliage route first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for roughly 7,000 feet of North Georgia gain, plus free calculators to dial in your own numbers.
The official Coyote Ugly Racing site blocks automated access, so we could not pull the current 2026 date directly from the source. Race calendar listings point to Saturday, October 31, 2026, consistent with the race's recent late-October to early-November pattern (it ran November 2, 2024 and November 1, 2025), but this date is not independently confirmed here. Verify the current date at coyoteuglyracing.com before you register or build a training plan around it.
Course, distance, and cutoff details are confirmed from the most recently published race guide. The exact 2026 date is a race calendar estimate, not independently verified, so confirm everything with the official race before you commit.
Both distances start and finish at Mulberry Gap Adventure Basecamp and take on what the race itself calls the grand tour of the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area, in Gilmer and Murray counties near Ellijay.
The signature moment of the 40 miler is the climb to Grassy Mountain and its fire tower, paired with a loop around Lake Conasauga. The course then drops down Bear Creek and crosses Pinhoti Trail sections 1 and 2 on the way to about 40 miles and roughly 7,000 feet of climbing, with long-range fall foliage views from a couple of high points along the way.
Runners in the 100K follow the 40 mile route, then climb back to the top of Bear Creek, descend to the bottom trailhead, and cross Pinhoti sections 1 and 2 a second time on the way back to the finish. That extra loop brings the total to roughly 62 miles and 11,000 feet of gain, nearly double both the mileage and the climbing of the 40 miler.
Aid stations arrive roughly every 5 to 8 miles with Tailwind as the official on-course hydration sponsor, alongside water, soda, chips, pickles, PB&J, quesadillas, bacon, and other assorted goodies. As the day progresses, expect more substantial real food like ramen, potatoes, and broth to show up at the stops, useful given how long a 13 to 22 hour day at this elevation can run.
The organizers describe the 40 miler's 13 hour cutoff as generous at roughly 21 minutes per mile average, but that average hides real variation between the fire tower climb and the flatter connector sections.
With roughly 7,000 feet of gain packed into 40 miles, the Grassy Mountain and Bear Creek climbs deserve a grade-adjusted pace target rather than a single number borrowed from flatter terrain. Set your climbing effort honestly on these sections, and let the connector trail make up time instead of trying to force pace on the steep stuff.
The back half of the 100K repeats the Bear Creek climb and Pinhoti sections on tired legs, which is a very different proposition than running them fresh. A race-time estimate from your real training helps you judge honestly whether your fitness supports a second lap of that climbing within the 22 hour window, rather than assuming the back half will feel like the front half.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
A late October or early November date means cool mornings and colder nights if you are still out there after dark, especially on the 100K, with warmer stretches in between.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. With aid every 5 to 8 miles, you have reasonably frequent chances to resupply, and Tailwind is provided on course as the official sponsor if you plan to build your race around their products.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, and a long day on this course can swing from a cool, foggy morning through a warm midday climb to a cold night if you are chasing the 100K cutoff. Adjust your intake as conditions change rather than setting one number for the whole day.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a long North Georgia mountain 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 race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this course's roughly 7,000 foot North Georgia climbing profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for sustained mountain climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The 40 mile flagship distance packs in roughly 7,000 feet of climbing through the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area, summiting Grassy Mountain to the fire tower and looping Lake Conasauga before crossing Bear Creek and Pinhoti Trail sections 1 and 2. That is a genuinely mountainous day in North Georgia, and the 100K option adds a return trip up Bear Creek and back over the Pinhoti sections for a total of 62 miles and roughly 11,000 feet of gain, nearly doubling both the distance and the climbing.
Per the most recently published race guide, the 40 miler carries a 13 hour cutoff, which the organizers themselves describe as generous at roughly 21 minutes per mile average. The 100K carries a 22 hour cutoff. Confirm both against the current race guide before you finalize your pacing plan, since exact cutoffs can shift year to year.
With aid roughly every 5 to 8 miles and a course that spends most of the day climbing or descending, aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range for a fall North Georgia mountain day that can still run warm early and turn cold late. Tailwind is the official on-course hydration sponsor, and aid stations stock standard ultra fare including chips, pickles, PB&J, quesadillas, bacon, and candy, with more substantial food like ramen, potatoes, and broth appearing as the day progresses. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The Cohutta Wildlife Management Area delivers real North Georgia mountain trail: a summit climb to the Grassy Mountain fire tower, a loop around Lake Conasauga, and running through the Bear Creek and Pinhoti 1 & 2 sections. Expect long-range views from a couple of high points along the way and genuinely mountainous, technical footing throughout, not a groomed park course.
Race calendar aggregators list the 2026 edition for Saturday, October 31, 2026, and the race has run on a similar late-October to early-November schedule in recent years (November 2, 2024 and November 1, 2025). We could not independently confirm the exact 2026 date on the official Coyote Ugly Racing site, which blocks automated access, so treat October 31, 2026 as a strong estimate and confirm the current date directly at coyoteuglyracing.com before you register or build a training plan around it.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/fire-tower-frenzy">The Fire Tower Frenzy course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The official race site was not directly accessible when this guide was written, so the course details come from a cached copy of a prior edition plus corroborating listings, and the specific 2026 date is an estimate, not a confirmed fact. Confirm everything, especially the date, with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.