⏵ Course guide · Mid-Atlantic ultra
HAT Run sends its field through Susquehanna State Park on a 3-mile opener followed by two identical 14-mile loops, nearly 4,300 feet of climbing and 4 stream crossings over 31 miles. One of the oldest 50Ks on the East Coast, run by the Harford County Running Club since the late 1980s. I will walk you through the course and cutoffs first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for a two-loop 50K, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official hatrun.com race site. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
HAT Run opens with a 3-mile loop back to Steppingstone, then sends you out on the same 14-mile loop twice, for 31 miles and nearly 4,300 feet of climbing total.
The course covers nearly every inch of Susquehanna State Park, mixing single-track trail with open fields, dirt road, and as little blacktop as the organizers can manage. Because the two 14-mile loops are identical, you get to learn the terrain on the first pass and put that knowledge to work, tired, on the second. That repetition is the real character of this race, not any single feature.
The official race page does not sugarcoat it: expect 4 stream crossings and plan on wet feet. Depending on spring water levels, some crossings can run higher than others. Pack for it, dry socks in a drop bag are cheap insurance, and do not let cold, wet feet at mile 20 rattle your pacing plan.
HAT Run runs a dense aid schedule: Picnic Area I and Picnic Area II on both loops, plus an unmanned water stop, for eight total aid touches over the day. The tradeoff is real cutoffs. You must clear 17 miles (the opener plus one full loop) by 1:00 PM, and later aid stations close at 2:20 PM and 3:50 PM. The whole race closes at 5:30 PM, 9 hours after the 8:30 AM start, so bank time on loop one rather than hoping to find it on loop two.
With a 9-hour overall cutoff and intermediate checkpoints along the way, HAT Run gives you clear, honest markers to check your pace against rather than a single finish-line guess.
Clearing 17 miles by 1:00 PM (4 hours 30 minutes) is your first real data point. A grade-adjusted pace target for the rolling single-track and stream crossings gives you a more honest number than a flat-course pace, and comparing your actual loop-one split against the 1:00 PM cutoff tells you immediately whether you have real margin or need to tighten up on loop two.
Fatigue, cumulative stream crossings, and warmer afternoon temperatures typically slow loop two relative to loop one, even on identical terrain. A vert-aware finish prediction built off your loop-one split, adjusted for that expected slowdown, is a better guide than assuming you can hold loop-one pace to the finish.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Late March in Maryland typically starts cool at 8:30 AM and warms through the day, so plan your carbs and sodium to shift as conditions change over the two loops.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. With full aid stations at Picnic Area I and Picnic Area II on both loops, plus an unmanned water stop, you have eight total touches over the day to stay steady on intake rather than gambling on long gaps between aid.
Start toward 300 to 500 mg of sodium per liter in the cooler morning miles, and push toward 500 to 700 mg per liter as the afternoon warms on loop two. The 4 stream crossings will not change your sodium math directly, but the extra effort of navigating them adds up over two loops, so do not let them catch your fueling plan off guard.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cool-to-warm March day in Maryland 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 exact two-loop HAT Run profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for repeated loop climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
HAT Run packs nearly 4,300 feet of climbing into 31 miles, spread across a 3-mile opener and two identical 14-mile loops through Susquehanna State Park. The terrain itself is mostly single-track with a mix of open fields and dirt road, not the steepest ground on the East Coast, but the repetition of the two big loops and 4 stream crossings wear on you by loop two. It is one of the oldest 50Ks on the East Coast, running since the late 1980s, and the 350-runner field fills fast every year.
The official course page lists nearly 4,300 feet of total climbing over the 31-mile course. That comes from a 3-mile starting loop followed by two identical 14-mile loops through Susquehanna State Park, so you climb the same terrain twice, which makes pacing the second loop honestly harder than the numbers alone suggest.
Late March in Maryland usually runs cool at an 8:30 AM start, warming through the afternoon. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. HAT Run has full aid stations at Picnic Area I and Picnic Area II on both loops, plus an unmanned water stop, so you get frequent chances to reset your intake rather than carrying huge reserves. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
You need to complete the first 17-mile section (the starting loop plus one full 14-mile loop) by 1:00 PM, 4 hours 30 minutes after the 8:30 AM start. Later aid stations close at 2:20 PM (21.6 miles) and 3:50 PM (25.7 miles), and the whole race closes at 5:30 PM, 9 hours after the start. Runners who miss a cutoff are asked to return to the finish and are marked a DNF.
The course is mostly single-track trail through Susquehanna State Park, mixed with open fields, dirt road, and as little pavement as the organizers can manage. There are 4 stream crossings on course, and the official race page is upfront about it: your feet will get wet. Expect a mix of runnable trail and rooty sections typical of Mid-Atlantic parkland, not high alpine terrain, but plenty of texture over two full loops.
The loop format helps: you pass through the start/finish at Steppingstone Farm Museum three times over the day, so crew access, drop bags, and mental checkpoints come easier than a point-to-point course. Nearly 4,300 feet of climbing over 31 miles is a real workout but not extreme by ultra standards, and the intermediate cutoffs give you clear checkpoints to gauge your pace against. If you can hold a steady effort over rolling single-track for 9 hours, HAT Run is a reasonable first 50K, especially if you register the moment the Black Friday window opens, since the 350-runner field goes fast.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/hat-run-50k">The HAT Run 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/hat-run-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="HAT Run 50K course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>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 official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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