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⏵ Course guide · Western New York ultra

Many On The Genny Course Guide

Many On The Genny is an old-school ~45-mile ultra through Letchworth State Park, the "Grand Canyon of the East," crossing both rims of the Genesee River gorge on singletrack, fields, and bridle paths. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for the repeated climbing and the long gaps between aid. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Many On The Genny quick facts

Date
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Location
Letchworth State Park (Castile / Mount Morris), Genesee River gorge, New York
Distances
~45 mi marquee, plus a shorter "Many Lite" option and relay teams
Elevation gain
Not published by the race; expect sustained, repeated climbing in and out of the gorge ("quad busting climbs" per the race)
Cutoff
14.5 hours overall, plus cutoffs at individual aid stations
Aid stations
Five fully stocked aid stations plus two water stops, with up to 8 miles between some of them
Entry style
Registration opens January 1, field capped at 150 with a waitlist

These facts come from the official race site. Check the current date, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: both rims of the gorge

The ~45-mile route was designed by Eric and Sheila Eagan of TrailsRoc, who scouted every mile themselves in 2014. It runs roughly 90 percent off-road through Letchworth State Park, crossing and re-crossing the Genesee River gorge on singletrack, open fields, footbridges, and bridle paths.

The gorge crossings: where the climbing lives

There is no single named crux climb here the way there is on a mountain course. Instead, the challenge is repetition: the route works both sides of the Genesee River gorge, and every crossing means dropping down toward the river and climbing back out the other side. The race itself calls these "quad busting climbs," and with no published vert figure, the honest advice is to expect real, repeated elevation change rather than a flat park cruise.

Pace these climbs conservatively early. A course built on repeated short, steep efforts punishes anyone who treats the first few gorge crossings like a warmup sprint.

The long gaps: up to 8 miles between aid

This is where Many On The Genny earns its old-school reputation. Five fully stocked aid stations and two water stops cover the whole ~45-mile course, and some of the gaps between them stretch up to 8 miles. That is not a course where you can run light and top off constantly. Carry enough water and calories to bridge the longest gap comfortably, not just get by.

The field is intentionally small, capped at 150 with a waitlist, and the whole event leans into a self-sufficiency ethic the race calls "old school ultra." Plan your kit and your fueling accordingly.

Scenery and footing: waterfalls, gorge walls, and variety

Letchworth was voted America’s best state park in 2015, and the course earns that reputation: waterfalls, 600-foot gorge walls, and river views run alongside the trail for long stretches. Footing varies through fields, bridle paths, and footbridges as well as singletrack, so the technical demand comes and goes rather than staying constantly rocky.

All proceeds from the race go back to the park, and there is a local brewery at the finish, a nice touch after a long day on trail.

Pacing strategy for repeated gorge climbs

With no single crux climb and no published vert total, Many On The Genny rewards even effort across repeated ups and downs more than it rewards raw speed on any one section.

Even effort beats a hot start

Because the climbing here is repeated rather than concentrated in one place, the classic mistake is running the early gorge crossings hard because they feel short and manageable, then finding you have nothing left for the fifth or sixth one. Hold a steady, grade-adjusted effort rather than chasing flat-ground pace on each climb, and you arrive at the later crossings with legs that still work.

Build a realistic finish window against the 14.5-hour cutoff

A 14.5-hour cutoff sounds generous for ~45 miles, but repeated climbing and a small, spread-out aid network can eat more time than you expect if you are pacing off a flat-course PR. Build a finish prediction that accounts for this course’s climbing profile, then check it against the individual aid-station cutoffs, not just the final one, so you know your real buffer at each point.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for the long aid gaps

With aid gaps stretching up to 8 miles, fueling at Many On The Genny is as much about carrying capacity as it is about intake rate.

Carbs: dial in a rate you can carry

Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour for a race this long, and think in terms of what you can physically carry across an 8-mile gap, not just what you can eat if aid were closer together. Practice carrying and consuming a full gap’s worth of food on your long training runs so it feels routine on race day, not like a math problem you are solving mid-race.

Sodium and fluid: plan for late June heat and real distance between refills

Late June in western New York can run warm and humid, so lean toward the higher end of 300 to 700 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid, more if you are a heavy sweater. Because you cannot count on frequent aid, carry enough capacity, bottles, a bladder, whatever you use, to cover the longest gap with margin left over, not just enough to finish it running on empty.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Letchworth 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 Letchworth gorge profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the repeated climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Many On The Genny FAQ

How hard is Many On The Genny?

Many On The Genny is a rugged, old-school ~45-mile ultra through Letchworth State Park, on both sides of the Genesee River gorge. It is not a runnable, groomed course. Expect singletrack, fields, footbridges, and bridle paths, with quad-busting climbs in and out of the gorge and stretches of up to 8 miles between some aid stations. The 14.5-hour cutoff is generous for the distance, but the self-sufficiency the race asks for between aid, plus the repeated climbing, makes it harder than the mileage alone suggests.

How much climbing is in Many On The Genny?

The race does not publish an official elevation-gain figure. What they do say is that you should expect "quad busting climbs" across the course, since the route crosses and re-crosses the Genesee River gorge, which runs up to 600 feet deep in places. Treat the climbing as real and repeated rather than a one-time grind, and do not assume it is a flat park loop just because there is no official vert number.

How should I fuel for Many On The Genny?

Plan for a long day, likely somewhere in the 8 to 14 hour range depending on your pace, with real gaps between aid, up to 8 miles on some stretches. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range depending on the heat in late June. Carry enough to bridge the longest aid gaps rather than assuming the next station is close. Run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the forecast with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for Many On The Genny?

The race has a 14.5-hour overall cutoff, plus individual cutoffs at specific aid stations along the way. That means you cannot bank all your buffer for the finish. Confirm the exact intermediate cutoff times in the current race-day details before you start, since the race has not published the full splits.

What is the terrain like at Many On The Genny?

The course is roughly 90 percent off-road: singletrack, open fields, footbridges, and bridle paths, threading both rims of the Genesee River gorge inside Letchworth State Park, the "Grand Canyon of the East." Expect repeated climbs and descents down toward the river and back up, remote sections between aid, and waterfalls and 600-foot gorge walls as scenery. It is a course built by people who scouted every mile themselves, not a generic park loop.

Is Many On The Genny a good first ultra?

It can work for a well-prepared first-timer, but it leans old-school: a capped field of 150, long gaps between aid, and a course designed around self-sufficiency rather than hand-holding. If you have logged real trail miles, trained on repeated climbing, and are comfortable carrying enough water and calories to cover an 8-mile gap between aid stations, the 14.5-hour cutoff gives you room to work with. If you have only run supported races with aid every couple miles, this is a step up.

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.