⏵ Course guide · Long Hunter State Park, near Nashville
Long Hunter Trail Runs offers a 50K, Marathon, and Half Marathon at Long Hunter State Park, a few miles outside Nashville, on trail the race itself calls quite flat and only mildly technical, with a paved greenway stretch around Couchville Lake. I will walk you through the course and cutoffs first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan, with free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official race page. Entry fee was not published there at the time of writing, so confirm current pricing with Green Tunnel Events (greentunnelevents@gmail.com) before you register.
The race describes its own terrain plainly: quite flat and only mildly technical, a mix of natural trail and paved trail or asphalt, including a two-mile paved greenway section around Couchville Lake.
Elevation gain runs from 450 feet for the Half Marathon up to 850 feet for the Marathon and 1,100 feet for the 50K, a modest total for the mileage involved. That gentle profile, combined with the mildly technical trail, keeps the physical demand centered on endurance and time-on-feet rather than technical skill or steep climbing.
The two-mile Couchville Lake section runs on paved, greenway-type trail, a genuinely runnable stretch inside an otherwise natural-surface course. Use it to settle back into rhythm if the earlier trail sections have you working harder than expected.
Crew access is limited to the Couchville and Bryant Grove aid stations, so plan your support around those two locations specifically. The 50K allows a drop bag at Bryant Grove, worth using for a fresh layer, nutrition, or a headlamp if your pace pushes into the later hours of the 8-hour window.
With modest elevation and only mild technicality, pacing here is closer to a road-race mindset than a rugged mountain ultra, just with real trail surface for most of the distance.
A flatter, more consistent course rewards a steady, even effort rather than heavy conservation early. Use the paved Couchville Lake stretch as a natural checkpoint to reassess your pace and effort partway through, whichever distance you are running.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
The Half Marathon and Marathon distances are shorter and flatter events where a normal race-day fueling plan usually covers it. The 50K, with crew access limited to two aid stations, is where planning ahead matters most.
Aim for roughly 45 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the move for the 50K, with sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range as a starting point, adjusted for an early-October Middle Tennessee day. Since crew and drop bags are limited to Couchville and Bryant Grove, load your Bryant Grove drop bag with everything you would want mid-race, extra fuel, a fresh bottle, or a layer for the later hours.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an early-October Tennessee day 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 training plan built around YOUR fitness for whichever distance you pick at Long Hunter. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the endurance this flat, runnable course rewards, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The race itself describes the terrain as "quite flat and are only mildly technical," which makes this one of the more approachable trail ultras in the region, even at the 50K distance and its 1,100 feet of elevation gain. The two-mile Couchville Lake section is paved greenway, adding a genuinely runnable stretch inside an otherwise trail course.
All distances, the Half Marathon, Marathon, and 50K, share an "8 Hour Official Finish" cutoff. Given the flat, mildly technical terrain, 8 hours is a generous window for the shorter distances and a reasonable one for the 50K as well.
Yes, this is a strong candidate for a first 50K. The course is described directly by the race as quite flat and only mildly technical, elevation gain tops out around 1,100 feet for the full distance, and the 8-hour cutoff leaves real margin. The flat, runnable Couchville Lake greenway section is also a confidence-building stretch partway through.
Crew access is restricted to two locations only, the Couchville and Bryant Grove aid stations. Plan your crew logistics around those two spots specifically rather than assuming access anywhere else on course, and note that 50K runners may leave a drop bag at Bryant Grove.
Finisher awards are handmade clay arrowheads made by Domestic Craft Art, with the race noting each one is unique. It is a distinctive, locally made touch rather than a standard mass-produced medal.
Registration is through UltraSignUp, linked from the official race page at greentunnelevents.com/longhuntertrailruns. Contact the organizers, Green Tunnel Events (Scott & Emily), at greentunnelevents@gmail.com with any questions before you sign up.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/long-hunter-trail-runs">The Long Hunter Trail Runs course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/long-hunter-trail-runs" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Long Hunter Trail Runs course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. Course, date, and logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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