⏵ Course guide · New England technical trail
Pisgah sends its 50K and 23K fields through the roadless interior of 13,000-acre Pisgah State Park in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, a rugged, technical New England classic that benefits NH Special Olympics. I will walk you through the setting and terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for rooty, remote southern New Hampshire trail, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official runpisgah.com race site. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Pisgah State Park spans 13,000 roadless acres in southwestern New Hampshire, and the race routes both distances through its interior on rugged, technical trail.
No roads cut through the park's interior, which is exactly what makes it a classic New England trail test: real remoteness, real self-reliance between aid stations, and terrain that has not been softened by nearby access roads. Plan your gear and pacing accordingly.
The 50K and 23K share the same Pisgah State Park terrain, just different distances through it. Without a published elevation figure, treat both as rugged, technical New England trail races rather than assuming a specific vert target, and lean on your own experience with rooty, rocky Northeast singletrack to gauge effort.
All proceeds go to New Hampshire Special Olympics, and the event runs under an official state park permit. It is a well-supported, sponsor-backed race (Tailwind, LMNT, and Untapped all provide on-course fuel) built around a genuine cause, which is part of why it has become a beloved fixture on the New England trail calendar.
Without a published elevation total, your pacing plan should lean on grade-adjusted effort and honest terrain expectations rather than a single number.
A grade-adjusted pace target built for rugged, technical New England singletrack gives you a more honest number than a flat-course pace, especially through a roadless interior where footing quality can vary a lot mile to mile.
Without a confirmed total elevation figure to plan against, use your early-race pace on the actual terrain to build a real finish estimate rather than trusting a generic 50K or 23K benchmark. A vert-aware finish prediction, updated as you learn the trail underfoot, is more useful here than a pre-race guess.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-September in southwestern New Hampshire usually runs cool to mild, comfortable running weather that still deserves a real fueling plan.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Tailwind, LMNT, and Untapped products are available on course, which covers your bases if you run out, but build a per-hour plan around your own tested products rather than relying entirely on what is at the aid table.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners in mild September weather. Adjust up if race-week forecasts run warmer or more humid than typical for the region, and down if the day comes in cool and comfortable.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a mild New Hampshire September 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, this rugged New England terrain, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for technical, rooty trail, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Pisgah runs through the roadless interior of 13,000-acre Pisgah State Park in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, and has a reputation as a classic, rugged New England technical trail race. The official site does not publish a total elevation figure, so treat any specific vert number you see elsewhere with skepticism and expect the rooty, rocky footing typical of southern New Hampshire trail terrain rather than a number-driven mountain profile.
The official race site does not publish a total elevation-gain figure for either the 50K or the 23K. What is confirmed is the setting: the roadless interior of 13,000-acre Pisgah State Park, known for rugged, technical New England trail. Without a verified number, plan for rolling, technical terrain rather than a specific target.
A mid-September race in southern New Hampshire typically runs cool to mild. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range as a baseline. The race is sponsored by Tailwind, LMNT, and Untapped, with their products available on course, but build your own per-hour plan rather than relying on whatever happens to be at the aid table. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Pisgah State Park covers 13,000 roadless acres in southwestern New Hampshire, and the race runs through its interior on rugged, technical New England trail. Roadless means aid and support logistics matter more here than on a road-adjacent course, and it means real remoteness once you are out on the course between aid stations.
All proceeds from the race benefit New Hampshire Special Olympics. The event runs under an official permit from the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, which governs access to the roadless park interior.
Rugged, technical New England trail through a roadless park interior is a real test even without a published elevation number attached to it, so prior experience on rooty, rocky Northeast singletrack will serve you well. If you have logged real technical trail training and want a well-supported race (sponsored aid from Tailwind, LMNT, and Untapped) that benefits a good cause, Pisgah is a reasonable target, but it rewards trail-savvy legs over road-marathon fitness.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/pisgah-mountain-trail-races">The Pisgah Mountain Trail Races course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/pisgah-mountain-trail-races" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Pisgah Mountain 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.
The timeline
Get the week-by-week countdown for this race: when to build, when to peak, when to taper.
One email with the timeline, plus training notes for this race. Unsubscribe any time.