⏵ Course guide · New River Gorge point-to-point
Highball to Thurmond runs point-to-point through New River Gorge National Park to the historic ghost town of Thurmond, West Virginia, where finishers board a train back to the start for a champagne toast. I will walk you through the course and the train-tied cutoffs first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for steep climbs on varied terrain, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Trivium Racing / RunSignup event page. Course markings and logistics can change year to year, so confirm the current details before you register or run.
The 50 Mile starts in Montgomery, West Virginia, and the 50K starts near Hawks Nest State Park; both finish point-to-point in the historic ghost town of Thurmond.
The 50 Mile mixes about 12 miles of paved road with mountain dirt roads and genuine singletrack through New River Gorge National Park, stacking roughly 5,000 feet of gain along the way. That surface variety means your effort and footing shift meaningfully across the day rather than settling into one rhythm.
The 50K runs as a full-daylight event, well-aided and extremely well-marked according to the organizer, with about 3,100 feet of gain along wild and scenic New River Gorge trails. It is explicitly framed as a beginner-friendly ultramarathon given its reasonable cutoff.
Both distances finish in Thurmond, once a thriving rail town and now home to just a handful of residents. After finishing, you board an Amtrak train back to Montgomery for a celebration and champagne toast, the "last call whistle" blows at 7:20 PM and the train departs at 7:39 PM, so your finish time directly determines whether you catch your ride.
The 50 Mile's 14-hour limit and the 50K's 12.5-hour cutoff are both tied to the same real-world deadline, the train departure, which makes them worth respecting exactly, not treating as soft suggestions.
A grade-adjusted pace target helps across the paved road, mountain dirt road, and trail sections of the 50 Mile, since each surface supports a different sustainable effort even at similar grades. Do not let the paved sections tempt you into an unsustainably fast pace before the trail climbing begins.
Because missing your cutoff also means missing your train, a finish-time projection checked against 7:20 PM (the last call whistle) rather than just the abstract cutoff gives you the real, tangible stakes. Check that projection early enough in the race to adjust your effort while you still can.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
The well-aided course gives you real support, but mid-May in the New River Gorge can bring both cool mountain mornings and genuinely warm afternoon exposure on the paved sections.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and take advantage of the organizer's own emphasis on well-stocked aid stations along the route, described as a genuine perk of registration rather than a minimum obligation.
Keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting upward if the paved road sections and afternoon sun push temperatures higher than the cool 5:30 AM start suggests. Layer for a genuine temperature swing across the day.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a mid-May day through the New River Gorge 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 mixed-surface Gorge crossing, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the train-tied cutoff, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The finish-line experience is genuinely unique: after finishing in the historic ghost town of Thurmond, West Virginia, once a thriving rail town and now home to just a handful of residents, finishers board an Amtrak train back to the start in Montgomery for a celebration and champagne toast. That "beat the train" framing, catch the last call whistle at 7:20 PM or miss your ride, adds a real logistical deadline on top of the standard race clock.
The 50 Mile stacks about 5,000 feet of gain across a mix of roughly 12 miles of paved road plus mountain dirt roads and trail through New River Gorge National Park, with spectacular views along the way. The organizer describes it as earning your finisher medal through "steep climbs, wild trails," which is an honest characterization, real vert on genuinely varied terrain rather than a single defining climb. The 50K, at about 3,100 feet of gain, is described by the organizer as "both manageable and challenging," and is explicitly framed as beginner-friendly given its 12.5-hour cutoff.
The 50 Mile starts at 5:30 AM in Montgomery with a 14-hour time limit, tied directly to catching the train, the last call whistle blows at 7:20 PM and the train leaves for Montgomery at 7:39 PM. The 50K, starting near Hawks Nest State Park in full daylight, has a 12.5-hour cutoff. Both cutoffs are built around the same train-departure logistics, so missing the cutoff also means missing your ride back to the start.
The race is well-aided along the course, with well-stocked aid stations described by the organizer as a real perk of registration. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, and plan for a mid-May West Virginia day that can range from cool mountain mornings to warm afternoon exposure on the paved road sections. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The relay allows teams of 2 to 4 people, and each team member must run at least one leg, though athletes can run as many legs as they want. Handoffs happen at any official aid station, and the organizer's own tradition is to yell "choo choo" at the handoff to make it official, a fun nod to the race's train theme.
The 50K is explicitly framed by the organizer as beginner-friendly, with a well-marked, well-aided course and a genuinely reasonable 12.5-hour cutoff for about 3,100 feet of gain. The 50 Mile is more demanding, roughly 5,000 feet of gain on varied terrain within a firmer 14-hour window tied to the train schedule, so it rewards some prior ultra experience. Either way, the unique train-ride finish and the New River Gorge scenery make this a memorable choice for a first serious West Virginia ultra.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/highball-to-thurmond">The Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/highball-to-thurmond" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay 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.