⏵ Course guide · Pinhoti Trail Series flagship
The Mount Cheaha 50K runs point-to-point through Talladega National Forest, roughly 80 percent single-track, and finishes at the 2,407-foot summit of Cheaha Mountain, the highest point in Alabama. I will walk you through the course and terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for sustained climbing to a summit finish, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Pinhoti Trail Series event page. Start time, exact cutoffs, and entry fee are published in the race's own Runner's Handbook and aid station document rather than the main page copy, so download those directly before race day.
This is a one-way route through Talladega National Forest, building toward a genuine mountain summit rather than looping back to a lower-elevation start.
Roughly 80 percent of the course is single-track, weaving through mixed hardwood and pine forest with scenic overlooks, creek crossings, lakes, and waterfalls along the way. That variety keeps the 31 miles from feeling like one long climb, even though the destination is a summit.
You finish inside Cheaha State Park, at the summit of Cheaha Mountain, 2,407 feet and the highest point anywhere in Alabama. Point-to-point ultras that end on a real summit are rare, and this one uses that geography as the centerpiece of the whole race.
The race provides a dedicated aid station mileage and cutoff document alongside its official Runner's Handbook and a CalTopo GPX file. Read both closely well before race week so you know your checkpoint targets on a point-to-point course where there is no shortcut back to the start.
A point-to-point course that finishes on a mountain summit rewards pacing that respects the climbing ahead rather than spending too much on the early, gentler miles.
With roughly 80 percent single-track and a summit finish, flat-pace targets will mislead you. A grade-adjusted pace target accounts for the sustained climbing toward Cheaha Mountain, so you arrive at the final push with something left rather than running the early miles too hard on feel alone.
Because the race's aid station cutoff document lays out specific checkpoint deadlines, pull those numbers before race day and build a real buffer into your early splits. A point-to-point course gives you no way to cut the difference short if you fall behind late.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Climbing toward a 2,407-foot summit finish in mid-February means planning for effort-driven carbohydrate needs and real temperature swings between the valley and the summit.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while moving and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. Sustained climbing burns through glycogen faster than flat miles at the same pace, so treat the later, steeper sections as a cue to stay disciplined about intake rather than easing off as you get tired.
Mid-February in the Alabama mountains can start mild in the lower valleys and turn genuinely cold at a 2,407-foot summit, especially with wind exposure near the top. Plan a layer you can add before the final push, and adjust your fluid intake if the temperature swing catches you off guard.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a mid-February climb to Cheaha Mountain 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 training plan built around YOUR fitness and the sustained climbing this summit finish demands. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the vert-specific durability the course needs, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
You finish at the summit of Cheaha Mountain, 2,407 feet up and the highest point in the entire state of Alabama. Point-to-point races that end on a genuine summit are rare, and finishing atop the state high point after 31 miles of Talladega National Forest singletrack is a real payoff most 50Ks cannot offer.
With roughly 80 percent of the course on single-track and a point-to-point route that finishes at the state's highest elevation, this is a genuinely demanding Alabama trail 50K rather than a flat road-adjacent one. Expect creek crossings and sustained climbing built into a route that passes scenic overlooks, lakes, and waterfalls along the way. Exact elevation gain and cutoff numbers are published in the race's own Runner's Handbook and aid station document, worth reading closely before you commit to a goal time.
Roughly 80 percent single-track through Talladega National Forest, with the remainder likely forest road or connector sections. Along the way you pass scenic overlooks, cross creeks, and move through mixed hardwood and pine forest with lakes and waterfalls, a genuinely varied 31 miles that builds toward the summit finish.
The race publishes an aid station mileage and cutoff document directly on its official event page rather than listing every cutoff in the page copy itself. Download and read that document, along with the official Runner's Handbook, before race day so you know your checkpoint targets heading into a point-to-point course with a summit finish.
With sustained climbing toward a 2,407-foot summit finish, plan your carbohydrate and hydration intake around the effort of climbing, not just the mileage. 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 a mid-February Alabama day in the mountains that can run cold at elevation even if the valleys start mild. Build your own numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.
This is the Pinhoti Trail Series flagship 50K and now in its 22nd year, which means well-established course marking and aid infrastructure, but the roughly 80 percent single-track terrain and sustained climbing to a state-high-point finish make it a genuinely serious first ultra rather than an easy one. If you have some technical trail experience and want your first 50K to end with a real summit, this is a strong pick, but read the official Runner's Handbook and cutoff document closely first.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/mount-cheaha-50k">The Mount Cheaha 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/mount-cheaha-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Mount Cheaha 50K course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The format, date, and course 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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