⏵ Course guide · Central Texas trail fest
Hippo Trail Fest runs a rolling 5 mile loop through wooded trail at the Hippo Social Club in Hutto, stacking laps up to a 50K, 20 mile, 10 mile, 10K, and 5K, plus ruck divisions and the Hippo Haul weight-carry race. I will walk you through the loop first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a repeated, runnable course, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Tejas Trails race page and the RunSignup event listing. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Every distance at Hippo Trail Fest builds off the same rolling 5 mile loop. The 50K opens with a short 1.1 mile lap before settling into 6 full laps; the 20 mile is 4 laps, the 10 mile is 2 laps, and the 5K and 10K use a shortcut version of the same loop.
The loop mostly winds through a pretty forest on soft trail, with a handful of exposed sections where you will feel the sun if it is out. The trails are built in and around small creeks, with bridges over the bigger gaps and easy hops over the thinner ones. There is not much elevation change, but there are tight turns and some short cross-country-style ups and downs that keep the loop interesting rather than monotonous.
You will pass a fully supported aid station at the start/finish/next-lap line and another a bit past the halfway point of every 5 mile loop, so even 50K runners get aid access roughly every 2.5 miles. Use that frequency to stage exactly what you need each lap instead of overloading your vest for the whole race.
If you want something different, the Hippo Haul is a competitive 5K where you carry a roughly 5 to 10 pound concrete hippo through mandatory functional-movement stations along the way. It runs on the same 5 mile loop system and stays open a long time, so it works as a fun standalone challenge or a warmup to watching the trail runs come through.
With minimal elevation change and a 4:00 PM final lap cutoff, this is a course where pacing discipline across many laps matters more than surviving any single climb.
Because the 50K breaks into 7 total laps (the short opener plus 6 full loops), a grade-adjusted pace target for the rolling terrain gives you a per-lap number you can hold honestly across all of them, rather than a flat-course pace that falls apart by lap 5.
The loop format hands you real pacing data fast. A vert-aware finish prediction built off your actual first-lap splits is far more useful than a generic ultra estimate, and checking that projection against the 4:00 PM final lap cutoff early gives you time to adjust effort instead of hoping.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
A 7:30 AM start in Hutto in March usually means a cool morning that warms up by the time longer-distance runners are working through their later laps.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K and 20 mile distances. With aid access roughly every 2.5 miles, you have plenty of chances to stay steady rather than gambling on carrying enough between stops.
Start around 300 to 500 mg of sodium per liter in the cooler morning laps, and push toward 500 to 700 mg per liter if the sun comes out through the exposed sections later in the day. Adjust lap by lap rather than locking in one number for the whole race.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and goal time 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 and this exact repeated-loop course profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for lap-based racing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is a runnable, forgiving 50K rather than a mountain test. The course loops a rolling 5 mile trail through a pretty forest with only occasional open sky, minimal elevation change, and nothing too technical if you have any trail running experience. The real work is repetition: six laps of the same 5 mile loop after a short 1.1 mile opener, so the challenge is managing pace and nutrition across a lot of laps rather than surviving one brutal climb.
The course is a 5 mile loop through wooded, rolling trail built around a series of small creeks, with a handful of open, exposed sections and some cross-country-style short ups and downs. There is not much elevation change, but there are tight turns at times. The 50K starts with a short 1.1 mile lap before settling into 6 laps of the full 5 mile loop; the 20 mile is 4 laps, the 10 mile is 2 laps, the 10K is 2 laps of a shortcut, and the 5K is 1 lap of that shortcut.
The Hippo Haul is a competitive 5K weight-carry race, separate from the regular trail runs. Each participant carries a roughly 5 to 10 pound concrete hippo through the 5K loop, with mandatory stations along the way (burpees, tire flips, and other functional movements) roughly every quarter to half mile. You can only move forward while carrying your hippo, and the course stays open a long time so anyone can give it a shot at their own pace.
A 7:30 AM start in mid-March in Central Texas usually means a cool morning warming into a mild afternoon. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K and 20 mile distances, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on how warm the day gets. The 5 mile loop puts you through the start/finish aid station and one more on-course station every lap, so use that frequency to keep your intake steady rather than carrying huge reserves.
The course has a final lap cutoff of 4:00 PM (you must be starting your last lap by then) and a hard course closure at 5:30 PM. With the 50K starting at 7:30 AM, that gives most runners around 8.5 to 10 hours depending on how quickly they clear each lap cutoff, which is generous for a rolling, non-technical loop like this one.
Yes, this is one of the more approachable 50K formats around. The repeated 5 mile loop means frequent aid access, easy crew and drop-bag logistics, and terrain that rewards steady effort over raw climbing strength. Add the built-in race weekend extras (art and wellness market, a Recharge Zone with cold plunge and sauna, live music) and it makes for a low-stress environment to attempt your first ultra distance.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/hippo-trail-fest">The Hippo Trail Fest course guide</a>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.