⏵ Course guide · Charlotte-area technical trail 50K
Mill Stone 50K runs three loops of technical single-track and creek crossings at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina, just outside Charlotte. I will walk you through the course and what recent editions have looked like first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a repeated-loop, likely-muddy day. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official registration listing and Rock Hill Striders. The 2026 edition runs a new course, so confirm current details before you register.
In recent editions, Mill Stone has run three 10.5-mile loops at ASC Greenway. The 2026 edition uses a new course, so treat the shape below as recent history and confirm the current layout before race day.
The trail is described as mostly single-track, technical trail, with some gravel road and dirt trail mixed in. Expect roots, uneven footing, and a course that rewards careful foot placement over raw speed, especially by your third lap.
At least two creek crossings show up per recent-edition course descriptions, and the trail is called most likely muddy. Wet feet are close to guaranteed here, so plan your shoe and sock choice around that rather than hoping to stay dry.
Aid stations sit at approximately the 4 and 8 mile marks of each loop, fluids only, plus a full aid station at start/finish. The race requires runners to carry at least one water bottle between stops, so come with your own carry system rather than relying on aid alone.
Technical footing punishes fatigue harder than flat, smooth trail does, so an even effort across all three loops matters more than a fast first lap.
Roots and uneven footing get more dangerous as your legs tire, so run the early loops at an effort you can hold with the same attentiveness on lap three. Use the race-time calculator to see what a sustainable per-loop pace does to your total finish time.
With cutoffs not yet finalized for the new 2026 course, build a pacing plan around a realistic finish time rather than racing against an unknown deadline. Once Rock Hill Striders publishes current cutoffs, check your planned splits against them directly.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
With only fluid-only aid mid-loop and full aid at start/finish, plan your carbohydrate intake around what you carry, not just what the course provides.
The mid-loop stops offer fluids only, so bring your own gels, chews, or real food to cover the roughly 4 to 5 mile stretches between them. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while moving and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusted for an early February morning in the South Carolina Piedmont.
Since creek crossings and mud are likely, factor in a possible shoe or sock change at start/finish between loops if that is part of your normal race routine, on top of your regular fueling and hydration plan.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and your goal finish time 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 technical, three-loop course profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the durability repeated technical trail demands, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
In recent editions the course has run three 10.5-mile loops of mostly single-track, technical trail, with some gravel road and dirt, at least two creek crossings, and roughly 2,500 feet of gain and loss over the full 50K. That is a moderate, honest ultra test rather than a mountain race: no single brutal climb, but three repeated loops of technical footing and wet crossings that add up. The 2026 edition runs a new course, so treat these figures as recent-history context and confirm the current layout before you commit to a goal time.
As of this writing, the official 2026 registration listing states cutoffs are still being finalized for the new course. If you are planning around a tight finish window, check back with Rock Hill Striders closer to race day rather than assuming a prior year's cutoff still applies.
At Anne Springs Close Greenway (ASC Greenway) in Fort Mill, South Carolina, a private green space in the suburban Charlotte area. The 50K starts at 8:00 AM with a companion 10 Mile race starting an hour later at 9:00 AM.
Aid stations sit at approximately the 4 and 8 mile marks of each loop, with fluids only at those two spots and full aid at start/finish, so you will want to carry at least one water bottle between stops, which the race itself requires. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while moving and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, and build your own numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator around your expected finish time.
Likely, at least in parts. Recent-edition course descriptions call out creek crossings and note the trail is most likely muddy, on top of technical single-track footing. Plan for wet feet and pack accordingly rather than counting on dry trail.
It can be, if you have solid technical-trail experience and are comfortable with repeated laps. The looped format means you return to the same aid access and can gauge your pace against your own prior lap, and the terrain is described as technical but not mountainous. Come prepared for creek crossings and mud, and confirm the current cutoff situation before you register, since it was not finalized as of this writing.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/mill-stone-50k">The Mill Stone 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/mill-stone-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Mill Stone 50K course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and cutoffs come from public sources and can change year to year (the 2026 edition runs a new course), so confirm the current specifics with Rock Hill Striders before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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