⏵ Course guide · Deep Olympic National Forest
The Olympic Mountains 50K climbs both Mount Townsend and Mount Zion for 8,600 feet of gain, deep in Olympic National Forest between Quilcene and Sequim, and the 100K nearly doubles that demand as a continuous, mostly non-repeating course. Mountain Peaks Racing calls the 50K a graduate-level mountain race, and it earns that. I will walk you through the climbs first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for sustained mountain vertical, with free calculators along the way.
These facts come from the official Mountain Peaks Racing event page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
The 50K opens with 1.5 miles of forest road before turning onto trail, then climbs to the Buckhorn Wilderness boundary on the shoulder of Mount Townsend, a 3,700 foot gain in 3.5 miles, and later grinds up to the summit of Mount Zion. The second half is harder than the first.
After 9.3 miles of fun singletrack with creek crossings, the course heads up the Little Quilcene trail toward Dirty Face Ridge, gaining 3,700 feet in 3.5 miles to the Buckhorn Wilderness boundary. Dramatic views of Taylor, Baldy, and Grey Wolf Ridge reward the effort, then a fast singletrack descent drops you to the Rhodies Aid Station at mile 16.3. Do not linger, because the second big climb is still ahead.
After a mostly downhill 5.2 mile forest road stretch to the Deadfall Creek Aid Station to regroup, the course takes on its second major climb to the summit of Mount Zion via the Deadfall Trail. Steep pitches make this a genuine lung-burner, but the payoff is the best downhill singletrack of the day on the way to the Zion Aid Station at mile 26.72.
The 100K is built as a continuous course rather than an out-and-back or loop format, with ten aid stations and very few repeat sections across the full 62.65 miles. That means less mental relief from familiar terrain but also less of the repetitive fatigue that loop courses create. Prize money is offered for the top men and women, doubled if the field reaches 100 or more starters.
With the second half harder than the first on the 50K, and a continuous, non-repeating course on the 100K, this is a race where you cannot pace off feel alone.
The Dirty Face Ridge climb comes relatively early and feels great with fresh legs, which is exactly the trap. A grade-adjusted pace target for both the Townsend and Zion climbs gives you an honest number for what effort you can hold on the second grind, not just the first. Runners who blow up here almost always paid for an aggressive effort on Dirty Face Ridge with a slow, painful climb to Mount Zion.
With aid stations roughly 3.62 to 6.76 miles apart after the first 10.15 mile stretch, you get frequent checkpoints to sanity-check your pace. A vert-aware finish prediction built off your early splits, checked against the 14 hour (50K) or 21 hour (100K) cutoff, gives you real margin to adjust effort while there is still time to do so.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
The 50K's 9:00 AM start and 14 hour cutoff can carry you into the evening, and the 100K's 5:00 AM start with a 21 hour cutoff means a full day and part of a night on trail.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Gold Creek and Buckhorn are light aid stations with just Skratch Labs hydration, water, and GUs, while the other stations carry full aid with salty, sweet, and savory snacks, soda, and hot food starting at 4 PM at Rhodies. Plan your carries between the light stations accordingly rather than assuming every stop has the same spread.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners on this course, and the sustained steep climbing on both Townsend and Zion raises your sweat rate more than the mild coastal Washington temperatures might suggest. Do not under-salt just because it is not a hot-weather race.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a long Olympic National Forest 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 two-mountain climbing profile, whether you are running the 50K or the 100K. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for sustained mountain vertical, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It earns its reputation as a graduate-level mountain race: 8,600 feet of climbing over 31.7 miles, with two significant grinds up Mount Townsend and Mount Zion, on 74% singletrack. The opening climb alone gains about 3,700 feet in 3.5 miles to the Buckhorn Wilderness boundary on Dirty Face Ridge, and the second big climb to the summit of Mount Zion comes after your legs are already worked. A 14 hour cutoff is real but not generous given the terrain.
The 50K carries 8,600 feet of gain to a 5,800 foot high point, climbing both Mount Townsend and Mount Zion. The 100K roughly doubles that demand at 14,300 feet of gain to a 5,820 foot high point, run as a continuous course with very few repeated sections and ten aid stations rather than an out-and-back or loop format. Both distances draw their difficulty from steep, sustained singletrack climbing, not just raw mileage.
For the 50K, plan around 12 to 14 hours on rugged mountain terrain, and for the 100K, plan for a full day and a night. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. Aid stations alternate between light aid (Skratch Labs hydration, water, GUs at Gold Creek and Buckhorn) and full aid with salty, sweet, and savory snacks, soda, and hot food starting at 4 PM at the Rhodies station, so know which stations carry what before you rely on them. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 50K has a 14 hour cutoff from its 9:00 AM start (new for 2025), finishing at 11:00 PM. The 100K has a 21 hour cutoff from its 5:00 AM start, finishing at 2:00 AM the next day. Given 8,600 feet of gain on the 50K and 14,300 feet on the 100K, both cutoffs demand steady, sustainable climbing rather than a fast start you cannot hold.
Expect stunning Pacific Northwest singletrack: creek crossings, dense forest, and the Buckhorn Wilderness boundary reached twice on different sections, including via Dirty Face Ridge, where you get breathtaking views of the Olympic Range from the course high point. The second half of the 50K is harder than the first, and the 100K, run as a continuous course rather than loops, offers very few repeated sections across its full distance.
Mountain Peaks Racing itself calls the 50K a graduate-level mountain race, and 8,600 feet of gain over two named-mountain climbs backs that up. This is not an entry-level ultra. If you are considering it as a first 50K, come in with real vertical training under your belt, respect the 14 hour cutoff as a genuine limit rather than a cushion, and treat the steep opening climb to Dirty Face Ridge as a preview of what the rest of the course demands.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/olympic-mountains-trail-races">The Olympic Mountains Trail Races course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/olympic-mountains-trail-races" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Olympic Mountains Trail Races 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.
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