Marys Peak Trail Run Course Guide

It is a genuine Oregon Coast Range mountain race, not a warm-up. Marys Peak is the highest point in the entire Coast Range at 4,101 feet, and the course climbs it through rugged terrain and dense fern-and-wildflower forest that the race director himself calls challenging for every distance. The 100K, added new in 2026, is the real bucket-list version, while the 50K and 25K let you take on the same peak and terrain in smaller bites. With aid station cutoffs that get tighter as the day goes on (Alpha by 9 AM, the summit by 12:30 PM, Charlie by 2:15 or 2:30 PM depending on distance), this is a course that rewards a steady, well-paced climber more than a fast starter.

The organizers do not publish a total elevation gain figure for the course, but the mountain itself gives you the shape of the day: Marys Peak rises to 4,101 feet, the tallest point in the Oregon Coast Range, and the Bravo aid station sits at the summit around mile 18 of the longer distances. Expect rugged, technical terrain and real sustained climbing on the way up, then a long trip back down, repeated further if you are running the 100K.

Mid-June in the Oregon Coast Range usually runs mild rather than brutally hot, but a long day on an exposed summit can still turn warm by afternoon. 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 warms up. Three named aid stations (Alpha, Bravo at the summit, and Charlie) give you regular chances to restock rather than carrying everything from the start. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.

The 50K is scored to roughly a 9 hour pace, and Charlie aid station at mile 24.7 closes at 2:15 PM for 50K runners. The 25K has an easier evening cutoff at 6:30. The 100K gets more time throughout, with the same Charlie aid station closing later, at 2:30 PM, for 100K and other longer-distance runners. Earlier checkpoints matter too: Alpha at mile 4.9 closes at 9 AM and the summit (Bravo, mile 18) closes at 12:30 PM, so a slow start on the first climb eats into your buffer for the rest of the day. Always confirm the current cutoff sheet with Oregon Trail Runs before race day.

Marys Peak was known to the native Kalapuya people as a place of spiritual power, and the trail run crosses rugged terrain through dense forest, ferns, and wildflowers on the way to Oregon's tallest Coast Range summit. The mountain also supplies roughly 40 percent of Corvallis's drinking water, so you are running through genuinely protected, unspoiled watershed forest. Expect uneven footing and real vertical character rather than smooth, buffed singletrack.

The 25K is a reasonable low-stakes entry point if you want a taste of the Coast Range without the full commitment, with an evening cutoff that gives you real room. The 50K is more serious, scored to roughly a 9 hour pace with tightening aid station cutoffs along the way, so go in with real climbing fitness. The 100K, new for 2026, is squarely a bucket-list distance for an experienced ultra runner rather than a first-timer's race. Whichever distance you pick, this is real mountain terrain on Oregon's tallest Coast Range peak, so train on hills, not just flat miles.