⏵ Course guide · Seward, Alaska
The Lost Lake Run sends its field on a roughly 15.75-mile cross-country point-to-point through Chugach National Forest above Seward, Alaska, climbing to a 2,100-foot peak with no medical aid on course. I will walk you through the course and its hazards first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a self-supported mountain trail day. Free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official race site's homepage and About the Run page. Check the current year registration window and course notes before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
The course runs point to point along a US Forest Service trail through the Lost Lake area of Chugach National Forest, starting at Primrose Campground (about 100 miles south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway) and finishing at Bear Creek Fire Department, climbing to a peak elevation of 2,100 feet along the way.
The official trail description calls the route well-marked overall, but is upfront that it "does have some hazardous areas." This is real Alaska alpine terrain, not a groomed park path, and the race's own trail-etiquette notes ask runners to stay on the main tread, avoid muddy shortcuts, and respect fragile ground that has seen decades of runners, hikers, and skiers.
There are no medical aid stations anywhere on course, and any emergency medevac is explicitly at the runner's own expense. Weather permitting, a single water station with emergency supplies sits at the halfway mark; beyond that, you are on your own for hydration and fuel. Water sources other than that one station are used at your own risk.
Runners get bused from Seward High School to the Primrose Campground start beginning at 6:30 AM, with the last bus leaving at 9:00 AM sharp, ahead of the 10:00 AM race start (8:00 AM for walkers). There is no parking allowed at Primrose, and once the race starts there is no transportation back to the start, so plan your morning around the bus schedule rather than driving yourself to the trailhead.
With no mile-by-mile aid and a peak elevation of 2,100 feet packed into under 16 miles, the smart approach is to respect the climb early and leave enough in reserve for hazardous, sometimes overgrown trail later on.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the climb to 2,100 feet gives you an honest number for the ascent, but the official trail notes also flag overgrown vegetation and hazardous sections beyond the climb itself. Treat those stretches as their own pacing challenge: slow down deliberately rather than losing time to a stumble on ground you did not see coming.
With only a single water station at the halfway mark, weather permitting, it makes sense to check your effort and fluid status right around that point rather than waiting until you feel the effects of under-fueling. A race-time prediction built off your real trail fitness, not a flat road pace, gives you a more honest read on when you will actually reach that halfway mark.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Treat this like a self-supported trail effort with one bonus water stop, not a fully aided race. What you carry from Primrose Campground is what you have until Bear Creek.
For most runners this is a 2 to 4 hour effort depending on pace and the technical sections. Aim for roughly 40 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 600 mg per liter range, and carry enough fluid to cover the full course rather than counting on the single halfway water station, which only operates weather permitting. This is one of the simpler fueling profiles in this guide series, but only if you actually carry what you need.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a mostly self-supported mountain trail 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 race-day plan built around YOUR fitness and this exact climb-and-descend profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a self-supported mountain trail day, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It punches above its roughly 15.75-mile distance. The course is genuinely cross-country, a US Forest Service trail through Lost Lake that the official site itself calls hazardous in places, climbing to a peak elevation of 2,100 feet with no medical aid stations along the way. Add in real Alaska hazards, rapid weather changes, moose and bears, unbridged creek crossings, and this becomes a serious mountain trail effort rather than a straightforward point-to-point.
The official course description gives a peak elevation of 2,100 feet along the roughly 15.75-mile point-to-point trail from Primrose Campground to Bear Creek Fire Department. A total elevation gain figure is not published, so plan around the peak height and the well-documented technical, sometimes hazardous trail conditions rather than a specific vert number.
With no medical aid stations and only a single water station at the halfway mark, weather permitting, this is closer to a self-supported mountain run than a typical aid-station race. Carry your own hydration and fuel for the full distance: for an effort in the 2 to 4 hour range depending on your pace, aim for roughly 40 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 600 mg per liter range, and treat the halfway water station as a bonus, not a plan. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The official race site lists them directly: rapid weather changes including precipitation, wind, and temperature swings along the trail; wildlife including bears, moose, and stinging insects; water sources other than the one aid station used at your own risk; and sections of trail overgrown by vegetation. There is no medical aid on course and any emergency medevac is at the runner's own expense, so come prepared, especially for weather and wildlife awareness.
The course follows a well-marked US Forest Service trail through the Lost Lake area of Chugach National Forest, described by the race itself as a spectacularly beautiful, easily accessible alpine area that still has hazardous sections. Runners start at Primrose Campground (about 100 miles south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway) and finish at Bear Creek Fire Department. Expect alpine terrain, exposed stretches near the 2,100-foot peak elevation, and the trail etiquette requests, stay on the main tread, avoid muddy shortcuts, that come with running through fragile alpine ground.
Entry runs through team registration and individual fundraiser registration rather than open sign-up, with team spots opening around March 1 and legendary "Lost Lakers" and past top performers invited to register by mid-March. The race benefits Cystic Fibrosis research and support and has run since 1968, and demand is real: the 2026 team registration filled all available slots in about 10 minutes. If you want in, watch the race's Facebook page and email list closely for the exact registration date each year.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/lost-lake-run">The Lost Lake Run course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, hazards, and registration process 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.