⏵ Course guide · Central Florida old-growth
Forgotten Florida runs 100, 50, 15, or 8 miles through Tosohatchee, Seminole Ranch, and Little Big Econ, palm groves and pine flatwoods that Run Bum Tours calls old Florida, terrain even locals have not seen. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for mostly runnable central Florida single track. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Run Bum Tours event page. Specific cutoffs, aid station counts, and elevation figures are published in the race\'s own Maps & Aid Charts and Runner Handbook, not repeated here since they are not independently verifiable from the public page. Check the current year details before you commit.
The route explores 99% of the trails in Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch, plus Charles Bronson State Forest and Little Big Econ State Forest, land Run Bum Tours describes as places "even locals have not been to."
The route is a mix of rarely traveled single track meandering through the Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch palm groves and pine flat woods, described as some of "the most beautiful miles of trail in the state." Run Bum Tours calls it a lot of very runnable sections, with a variety of challenges suited to both seasoned athletes and newer runners.
Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch are home to hundreds of bird species, from herons and cranes to bald eagles and spoonbills, and Run Bum Tours calls the setting "simply magical." They are equally direct that this is not a swamp run: expect some mud, grass, and roots here and there, which they say adds to the fun rather than defines the course.
The January 30-31 weekend offers 100 mile, 50 mile, 15 mile, and 8 mile options, so you can choose your level of commitment to the same central Florida terrain rather than an all-or-nothing single distance.
Without significant elevation change to manage, pacing here is more about heat, humidity, and time-on-feet discipline than climbing strategy.
With minimal elevation change, the main pacing risk on the longer distances is going out too fast simply because the course feels easy early. A steady, even-effort approach that accounts for the cumulative fatigue of 50 or 100 miles matters more here than climbing strategy.
Since the official cutoffs are not published on the public page, use a finish-time projection built from your own training and pace goals rather than assuming a generic ultra timeline. Pull the exact cutoffs from the Runner Handbook before race day and check your projected pace against them directly.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Late January is one of the milder times of year in central Florida, but with distances up to 100 miles, real fueling discipline still matters regardless of season.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50 and 100 mile distances. The shorter 15 and 8 mile options may not need a full ultra fueling plan, but treat anything past a couple of hours as an opportunity to practice your race-day nutrition.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, and Florida humidity can still push sweat rates up even on a cooler late-January day. Do not assume winter automatically means low sodium needs in this climate.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a central Florida January weekend 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 mostly-flat single track profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for long, sustained running with minimal climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Run Bum Tours pitches this as a race for both seasoned athletes and newer runners, describing a lot of very runnable sections through Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch palm groves and pine flatwoods. There is no major elevation to contend with, typical of central Florida, so the real challenges are the distance itself (up to 100 miles), warm-weather conditions even in late January, and the technical variety of rarely-traveled single track with some mud, grass, and roots.
No. Run Bum Tours is direct on this point: "rest assured that you will not be wading through a swamp with gators and snakes everywhere." There may be some mud, grass, and roots along the way, which the organizers frame as adding to the fun and challenge, but this is not a swamp-crossing race.
Central Florida in late January typically runs mild by Florida standards, cooler mornings and comfortable daytime temperatures, though conditions can still vary. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour for the longer distances, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting for the specific conditions on race weekend. The official Maps & Aid Charts and Runner Handbook, linked from the race site, publish the specific aid station and cutoff details this guide does not have verified numbers for, so pull those before race day. Build your general numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.
The route mixes rarely-traveled single track through the Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch palm groves and pine flatwoods, with the race also touching Charles Bronson State Forest and Little Big Econ State Forest. Run Bum Tours calls these woods "home to the most beautiful miles of trail in the state," with plentiful bird wildlife (herons, cranes, bald eagles, spoonbills) and mostly runnable footing, aside from occasional mud, grass, and roots.
100 mile, 50 mile, 15 mile, and 8 mile options run across the January 30-31 weekend, giving runners of different experience levels a way into the same central Florida terrain, from a short 8-mile sampler up to the full 100-mile distance.
The terrain itself, mostly runnable single track with minimal elevation change, is more approachable than a mountain 100. Run Bum Tours frames the race as suited to "seasoned athletes and newer runners alike." That said, 100 miles is 100 miles regardless of terrain, so make sure you have built the time-on-feet and fueling experience the distance demands, and pull the official Runner Handbook for exact cutoffs before committing.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/forgotten-florida">The Forgotten Florida course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics, including exact cutoffs and aid stations, with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.