⏵ Course guide · Central Florida
Long Haul 100 sends its field around six 16.8 mile loops of Colt Creek State Park in Lakeland, Florida, Florida's only Western States lottery qualifier and a flat, heat-and-humidity test rather than a mountain one. I will walk you through the loop and aid setup first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for six repeated Florida loops, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official UltraSignup registration page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit; race logistics can change year to year.
The 100 miler covers six loops of 16.8 miles each through Colt Creek State Park, flat central Florida terrain shared with alligators, otters, gopher tortoises, and fox squirrels.
You will hit South Loop aid station twice per loop (mile 3.3 and mile 8.5), then Metal Mark Pond (mile 13.4), then finish back at Middle Lake (mile 0.5, the start-finish). All three are fully staffed with hot and cold food and beverages, and you get drop bag access every single loop, six chances to restock and reset over the race.
If you want to experience the Long Haul course without committing to 100 miles, the 100 Furlongs (12.5 miles) runs a single abbreviated loop starting at 10 AM, two fully-staffed aid stations along the way. It is a good option for crew, pacers, or anyone building toward a future 100 who wants to see the trail firsthand.
The gap between the race's 32-hour finish cutoff and the 30-hour Western States qualifying cutoff is the single most important number to know before you plan your day.
If a Western States lottery ticket is your goal, build your pacing plan around the 30-hour WSER cutoff, not the race's own 32-hour finish limit. That two-hour gap disappears fast across six loops if you do not respect it from loop one. A flat, even-effort pace target across all six laps, rather than an aggressive early pace that fades, gives you the most reliable shot at either cutoff.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-January in central Florida is milder than summer, but daytime heat and humidity plus overnight loops over up to 32 hours still demand a real plan.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning higher if daytime temperatures run warm. With three fully-staffed aid stations and drop bag access every loop, use that frequency to keep your intake steady rather than gambling on carrying large reserves.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a warm Florida day and night 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 six-loop Florida course, and your projected splits against both cutoffs. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for heat, humidity, and repeated flat loops, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Long Haul 100 runs six loops of 16.8 miles through Colt Creek State Park in Lakeland, Florida, flat terrain by mountain-ultra standards but real difficulty in its own right: Florida heat and humidity even in January, wildlife along the trail (alligators, otters, gopher tortoises, fox squirrels), and the mental grind of six laps of the same loop. It is billed as designed for both first-timers and seasoned ultrarunners, and it is Florida's only Western States 100 lottery qualifier, so the field includes runners chasing a very specific 30-hour split alongside runners just trying to finish inside the 32-hour cutoff.
Long Haul 100 is Florida's only Western States Endurance Run lottery qualifier. The overall race cutoff is 32 hours, but if you want a Western States lottery ticket, you need to finish within the WSER qualifying cutoff of 30 hours specifically, two hours tighter than the race's own finish cutoff. Know which number you are racing against before you start: the general 32-hour cutoff or the 30-hour WSER standard.
The 100 mile course has three fully-staffed aid stations per loop: South Loop (hit at mile 3.3 and again at mile 8.5), Metal Mark Pond (mile 13.4), and Middle Lake (mile 0.5, essentially the start-finish area). Each station is full-service with hot and cold food and beverages, and you get drop bag access every loop, so you can restock and adjust your kit six times over the course of the race.
Mid-January in central Florida is milder than summer but can still run warm and humid during the day, with cooler nights. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning higher if the day runs warm. With three fully-staffed aid stations and drop bag access every loop, you have frequent, predictable chances to reset your intake rather than carrying large reserves between stops. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Long Haul 100 markets itself as designed for both first-timers and seasoned ultrarunners, and the loop format supports that: six loops of 16.8 miles mean frequent access to aid, drop bags, and crew, plus real data on your pace after just one or two laps. The flat Colt Creek terrain removes the technical and elevation challenges of a mountain 100, leaving heat, humidity, and the mental repetition of six loops as the main obstacles. A well-prepared first-time 100 mile runner comfortable with heat and long, flat trail has real room to finish inside the 32-hour cutoff, and the option to earn a Western States qualifier along the way is a strong draw for the field's more competitive runners.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/long-haul-100">The Long Haul 100 course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/long-haul-100" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Long Haul 100 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.