⏵ Course guide · Park City point-to-point ultra
Mid Mountain 50K starts with a loop at Deer Valley, then follows Park City's famed Mid Mountain Trail for nearly 20 miles before one last climb and a long, winding descent through the Utah Olympic Park trail system. The nonprofit that puts it on, Mountain Trails Foundation, is the same organization that builds and maintains these trails year round. I will walk you through the point-to-point course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a high-elevation Wasatch Back traverse. Free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Mountain Trails Foundation site and the runttc.com registration page. Race logistics change year to year, so confirm the current specifics before you commit.
The race opens with a loop at Deer Valley before joining the Mid Mountain Trail, which carries the field for nearly 20 miles across the mountainsides above Park City.
The Mid Mountain Trail is a defining piece of Park City's trail network, a long traverse that Mountain Trails Foundation itself helped build and continues to maintain. Running most of a 50K along it means sustained singletrack at elevation, with the terrain and views changing as the trail winds across different mountainsides rather than a single defined climb.
Near the end of the Mid Mountain Trail's run, the course delivers one final uphill push before turning into a long, winding descent through the Utah Olympic Park trail system to the finish. That closing climb arrives with real accumulated fatigue already in your legs, so it is worth knowing it is coming rather than being surprised by it late in the race.
Because this is a point-to-point race, start and finish sit in different locations, so plan parking, drop-off, or shuttle logistics ahead of time. It is also worth knowing that your entry fee supports Mountain Trails Foundation's ongoing work building and maintaining the exact trails you are running on, a nonprofit-run event in the truest sense.
Running most of the race along a single long trail at Wasatch Back elevation means altitude, not any one climb, is often the biggest pacing factor for visiting runners.
If you are not acclimated to Park City's elevation, your effective effort at a given pace runs harder than it would at sea level. Use a grade-adjusted pace target for the climbing sections, but also build in a conservative first few miles to gauge how your legs and lungs are actually responding to the altitude that day.
Because the course's last real test comes after nearly 20 miles of Mid Mountain Trail, a finish estimate built off your actual fitness helps you plan effort so that final uphill push does not catch you empty. Check your projected pace against the field cap and course logistics early enough to adjust if the day is running long.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Elevation increases fluid needs for most runners even before accounting for effort, and mid-August in Park City can still bring real afternoon heat on exposed sections of trail.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. With most of the race spent on one continuous trail rather than distinct loop segments, set a time- or mileage-based reminder to keep fueling consistent rather than waiting for a lap marker to prompt you.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, and if you are not used to Park City's elevation, plan for higher baseline fluid needs than you would expect at sea level, independent of how hot the day feels.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a high-elevation Utah 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 Mid Mountain Trail profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the elevation-ready legs a Wasatch Back traverse demands, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is a genuine mountain 50K, not a rolling foothill loop. The course begins with a loop at Deer Valley before joining the Mid Mountain Trail for nearly 20 miles to its terminus, then closes with one last uphill push before a long, winding descent through the Utah Olympic Park trail system. Point-to-point courses at Park City elevation, typically 6,500 to 8,500 feet along the Wasatch Back, add real difficulty beyond what the mileage alone suggests.
The race starts with a loop at Deer Valley, then settles into the iconic Mid Mountain Trail, a long-running singletrack corridor that traverses the mountainsides above Park City for nearly 20 miles. Near the end, the course delivers one final climb before a long, winding downhill through the Utah Olympic Park trail system to the finish. It is a point-to-point course, so plan your logistics around a start and finish in different locations.
A mid-August start at Park City elevation means cool mornings that can warm quickly once the sun is fully up over exposed sections of the Mid Mountain Trail. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting upward if the day runs warm. Altitude alone increases fluid needs for most runners coming from lower elevation, so factor that into your plan even before accounting for effort. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Mountain Trails Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building, maintaining, and protecting non-motorized trails in the Park City area, organizes the race as the anchor event of its Triple Trail Challenge series. Proceeds support the same trail network the race runs on, which is a rare case of an ultra directly funding the ground it covers.
It is a reasonable option if you have some mountain trail experience and altitude exposure, since the point-to-point Mid Mountain Trail traverse and the final climb-then-descend finish demand more than flat or rolling terrain would. If you live at elevation or have banked some altitude training, and you want a scenic Wasatch Back course that also supports the nonprofit maintaining the trails, this is a solid first-ultra choice with a well-organized, capped field.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/mid-mountain-50k">The Mid Mountain 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/mid-mountain-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Mid Mountain 50K course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and logistics 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.
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