⏵ Course guide · Sam Houston Jones State Park, Louisiana
No Man's Land Trail Run repeats a roughly 8-mile perimeter loop of Sam Houston Jones State Park near Lake Charles, Louisiana, roots, twists and turns, and water crossings along the Calcasieu River. I will walk you through the loop and aid setup first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeated technical Louisiana trail, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official UltraSignup registration page. Check the current year details and course changes before you commit; race logistics can change year to year.
The loop starts on the Riverwalk Trail, continues on the Eagle Scout and Purple Haze Extension trails, turns onto the Nature Conservancy Trail through Bailey's Bender and Old Blue, then the Blue Connector to the Cabin Trail, and follows the river back to the boardwalk at the start.
The course has roughly 125 feet of gain and descent per loop, mostly on the rolling Blue Trail, and the terrain description is direct: many roots, continuous twists and turns, and water crossings and bridges. Even though the elevation is modest, the technicality keeps this from ever feeling like a flat cruise.
The race ran under the "Danimal" name from 2016 to 2019 on a slightly different course, then paused entirely from 2020 to 2023 due to hurricane damage and park renovations. The 2026 course eliminated the old road portion in favor of more trail, a change worth noting if you have run this course in past years and expect the older layout.
The 50K covers roughly four loops within the shared 10-hour time limit, so even pacing across all loops matters more than a fast start on fresh legs.
A grade-adjusted pace target for rooty, twisting singletrack gives you a more honest number than a flat-ground estimate, even with only 125 feet of elevation change per loop. Pacers are allowed for the 50K only, starting on the final two loops, so plan your solo pacing discipline for the earlier laps.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-October in southwest Louisiana usually runs warm during the day, with humidity still a real factor along the Calcasieu River.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on the day's heat. The mile-4 aid station closes at 5 PM because of its remote location, and it has no restroom access, so plan your loop timing and fluid carry with that closure in mind on your later laps.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and your goal 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, this rooty Louisiana perimeter loop, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for technical repeated-loop trail, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
No Man's Land repeats a roughly 8-mile perimeter loop of Sam Houston Jones State Park near Lake Charles, Louisiana, with about 125 feet of gain and descent per loop, mostly rolling on the Blue Trail. The race's own description calls it a great trail for people just coming into trail running while still offering many challenges for veterans, thanks to plenty of roots, continuous twists and turns, and water crossings. It is not a mountain course, but the technicality is real and the 10-hour cutoff for the 50K (about four loops) rewards steady pacing.
The loop begins on the Riverwalk Trail, continues on the Eagle Scout and Purple Haze Extension trails, turns onto the Nature Conservancy Trail until it crosses Bailey's Bender and then Old Blue directly ahead, continues on the Old Blue Trail and the Blue Connector to the Cabin Trail, then follows the river back to the boardwalk at the start. The course is well marked with flag confidence markers and turn arrows, and the 2026 edition changed slightly from prior years due to trail changes in the park, with the old road portion eliminated in favor of more trail.
Mid-October in southwest Louisiana usually runs warm during the day with humidity still a factor. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on conditions. The mile-4 aid station closes at 5 PM and has no restroom due to its remote location, so plan accordingly on your later loops. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
All distances share a 10-hour time limit from the 8 AM start, a 6 PM finish cutoff. For the 50K, that works out to roughly 8 miles per loop across about four loops, so an even pace across all your laps gives you more margin than a fast start followed by a fade. If you drop to a shorter distance mid-race without notifying race officials first, you will still get a finisher medal for the distance completed but will not be eligible for podium awards.
Race organizers describe it as a great trail for people just coming into trail running, and the roughly 8-mile loop format gets you back to the Start/Finish Pavilion (full aid, restrooms) after every lap, simplifying drop bags and any crew support. The technical roots and water crossings are real, but modest 125-foot-per-loop elevation change keeps this well short of a mountain ultra in difficulty. A well-prepared first-time 50K runner with some technical trail experience has real room to finish inside the 10-hour cutoff.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/no-mans-land-trail-run">The No Man's Land Trail Run course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/no-mans-land-trail-run" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="No Man's Land Trail Run course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>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.