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⏵ Course guide · Utah ultra

Pony Express Trail 100 Course Guide

The Pony Express Trail 100 is a fast, flat, 100% dirt-road 100 (and 50) miler across Utah’s West Desert, run on the historic 1860 Pony Express route, with crews leapfrogging you the whole way instead of aid stations. It is one of the most popular places to chase a first 50, a first 100, or a buckle PR, because the terrain is forgiving and there is almost nothing to walk. I will walk you through the course first, then give you pacing and fueling strategy built for a near-constant run in the remote desert, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Pony Express Trail 100 quick facts

Date
Friday, October 16, 2026
Location
West Desert, Utah, starting at Lookout Campground west of Faust
Distances
100 mile and 50 mile
Elevation gain
Only about 3,000 ft of total gain/loss, on 100% dirt road
Start
Staggered, 5:00 AM to 6:30 AM in 30 min waves (assigned by the RD); 4:00 AM early start for 60+
Cutoff
100 mile: 30 hr from your start (32 hr for 60+ on the early start) · 50 mile: finish by 12:30 AM
Format
Crew required, no traditional aid stations (your crew leapfrogs you the whole way)
Qualifier
Not a Western States, Hardrock, or UTMB qualifier

These facts come from the official race site, its handbook, and UltraSignup. The staggered start waves, exact cutoffs, required checkpoints, and crew rules can change year to year, so confirm the current race-day details before you commit.

The course: where Pony Express is won and lost

This is a point-to-point on dirt road across the West Desert, run on the old 1860 Pony Express mail route. It starts at Lookout Campground west of Faust. The 100 mile heads out about 58 miles to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, turns around, and comes back, finishing at Simpson Springs. The 50 mile runs the same opening and finishes at the Blackrock Pony Express station site. About 3,000 feet of total gain and loss across the whole thing, so the profile is basically a flat line with gentle rollers.

A flat, fast road where the real challenge is restraint

There are no big climbs and no technical trail to manage here, which sounds easy and is exactly the trap. On a course this flat and this runnable, the temptation is to bank time early because every mile feels effortless on fresh legs. That is how this race gets you. Near-constant running with almost no walking breaks loads your quads, calves, and feet in a way a mountain 100 never does, and the damage shows up late.

Treat the first half as a discipline test. Hold an easy, sustainable rhythm, take walk breaks on purpose even when you do not feel like you need them, and keep something in reserve. The runners who finish strong here are the ones who ran the early miles slower than they wanted to.

The remote high desert: exposure, footing, and the swing

The West Desert is big, open, and remote. The road surface is generally smooth and fast, but it can be loose, washboarded, or dusty in spots, and there is no shade to speak of. The afternoon sun is exposed and can get hot, then the desert night cools off hard, so you will likely run through a real temperature swing in a single day out there.

Out to Fish Springs and back you pass historic Pony Express stations and check in with the timer at points like Simpson Springs, Dugway Topaz Well, Blackrock, and Fish Springs. There is a long, quiet, lonely quality to the middle of this race, especially overnight, so going in expecting that headspace (and leaning on your crew at every stop) matters as much as the legs do.

Your crew is the course

This is the part that makes Pony Express different. There are no traditional aid stations. A support crew is required, and they drive the same dirt road, leapfrog ahead of you, and hand off your fluid, food, gear, lights, and anything else for the entire race. Everything you eat and drink comes from them, so the race is only as good as your crew plan.

Stage your fueling and gear in advance so every stop is fast and predictable. The 50 mile finish at Blackrock has a big barbeque for runners and crews, and there are bathrooms at Simpson Springs and Fish Springs, but otherwise plan to be fully self-supported through the people in your car. A crew that knows the splits, has your bottles ready, and keeps you moving is worth more than any extra fitness here.

Pacing strategy for a flat, fast, run-the-whole-thing 100

With almost no vert and almost nothing to walk, Pony Express is about holding an honest, even effort for a very long time without trashing your legs early. The flat profile gives you no natural brakes, so you have to build them in.

Pace the early miles slower than feels right

On a flat dirt road, a goal pace that feels easy at mile 10 will quietly destroy you by mile 70. The single biggest mistake here is running the first half too fast because the terrain lets you. Use a grade-adjusted pace to translate your real fitness into a sustainable, mostly-flat target, then deliberately run under it early. Plan walk breaks on a schedule (a minute or two every so often, or through each crew stop) to save your legs and feet for the back half, even though the course never forces you to walk.

Build a realistic finish prediction and work back to the cutoff

Do not just assume a road-marathon pace and multiply. A flat 100 still slows down a lot in the back half once fatigue sets in, and the desert heat and night add time. A finish prediction that accounts for distance and the realistic late-race fade gives you an honest window, and lets you work backward into your 30 hour cutoff (and the 50 mile’s hard 12:30 AM finish) so you know how much buffer you actually have at each timed checkpoint instead of guessing.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

  • Grade-adjusted pace calculator to turn your fitness into an honest, sustainable target for a flat, fast road where it is easy to go out too hot.
  • Race-time calculator for a realistic finish prediction you can plan against the 30 hour cutoff and the timed checkpoints.
  • Race-equivalent calculator to turn a recent race result into a Pony Express goal you can actually hold for 100 miles.

Fueling strategy when there are no aid stations

With no aid stations and a long day (or day-plus) in the dry, exposed desert, your fueling lives entirely on you and your crew. That makes a rehearsed hourly plan, staged at every stop, just as important as fitness.

Carbs: steady, trained, and handed to you on schedule

For an effort this long, aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning to the high end only if your gut is trained for it. The catch is there is no aid table to graze, so your crew has to hand you that fuel every single stop, ready to go. Build a clear hourly plan, rehearse it on long runs so 80-plus grams an hour feels normal, and keep eating overnight when your appetite drops but your engine still needs it. A glucose-plus-fructose mix lets you absorb more than a single sugar can.

Sodium and fluid: plan for the dry, exposed desert

The high desert is dry and the afternoon sun pulls more out of you than you would expect, so bias sodium toward the high end, often 500 to 700 mg per liter of fluid, and more if you are a heavy or salty sweater. Carry enough between crew stops that you never ration to empty in the heat. Weigh yourself before and after a hot long run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number instead of a generic one, and adjust it down as the desert cools off overnight.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the desert conditions with the free ultra fueling calculator, then hand your crew the exact stop-by-stop list. 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 exact flat, fast Pony Express profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a near-constant run, and rehearses your crew-fed fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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Pony Express Trail 100 FAQ

How hard is the Pony Express Trail 100?

It is hard in a completely different way than a mountain 100. The terrain is easy: 100% dirt road across Utah’s West Desert with only about 3,000 feet of total climbing, so there is almost nothing to walk and no technical footing to slow you down. What makes it hard is exactly that. You are running, or trying to, for nearly the whole thing, which beats up your legs and your feet in a way that constant power-hiking never does, and the high desert is remote, exposed, and can swing from hot afternoon sun to a cold night. There are no traditional aid stations, so a crew is required and your whole race runs on what they hand you. Get the pacing and the fueling right and it is one of the more achievable buckles out there. Get greedy early and the flat road will still break you.

How much climbing is in the Pony Express Trail 100?

Very little by 100 mile standards. The official course is a fast, flat, point-to-point dirt road with only about 3,000 feet of total gain and loss across the full distance, and the 50 mile shares the same opening. There are no real climbs to manage and no technical descents, which is the whole appeal: this is a course built for steady running and a buckle PR, not for vert. The flip side is that there is nowhere to hide and almost no excuse to stop running, so your pacing discipline and your legs’ ability to absorb that much continuous road running become the real limiters.

How should I fuel for the Pony Express Trail 100?

Because there are no aid stations, fueling is 100% on you and your crew, and that is the part people underestimate. Plan your hourly intake in advance and have your crew stage it at every leapfrog so you never go hunting for calories. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning to the high end once your gut is trained, with sodium that climbs in the desert heat (often the upper end of 500 to 700 mg per liter of fluid, more if you are a salty sweater). Carry enough fluid and food to comfortably cover the stretch to your next crew stop, since the desert is dry and exposed and there is no backup. Run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the forecast with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for the Pony Express Trail 100?

The 100 mile cutoff is 30 hours from your assigned start time, and 32 hours for runners 60 and older who take the special 4:00 AM early start. The 50 mile has a hard finish of 12:30 AM regardless of when you started, which works out to about 19.5 hours off a 5:00 AM start. Because the start is staggered in 30 minute waves between 5:00 AM and 6:30 AM, your personal clock depends on the wave the race director puts you in. There are also required check-ins with the timer at points like Simpson Springs, Dugway Topaz Well, Blackrock, and Fish Springs, so confirm the exact current cutoffs and checkpoints in the race handbook before you start.

How does the crew and no-aid-station format work?

This is the defining feature of the race. The course is very remote, there are no traditional aid stations, and a support crew is required. Your family or friends drive the same dirt road and leapfrog ahead of you, handing off fluid, food, gear, and anything else you need for the entire race, which makes it one of the more crew-friendly and social 100 milers around. The 50 mile finishes at the Blackrock Pony Express station site (where there is a big barbeque for runners and crews), and the 100 mile runs out to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge and back, finishing at Simpson Springs. There are bathrooms at Simpson Springs and Fish Springs, but otherwise plan to be fully self-supported through your crew.

Is the Pony Express Trail 100 a good first 100 (or first 50)?

Yes, it is one of the more popular places to attempt a first 50 or first 100, precisely because the terrain is forgiving and the format lets your crew support you the whole way. There is no scary vert, no technical trail, and no long unsupported wilderness stretch where a bad patch ends your day alone. That said, do not mistake forgiving for easy. The flat dirt road means near-constant running, which is its own kind of hard on the legs and feet, and the desert is exposed with a real day-to-night temperature swing. If you train your fueling, line up a committed crew, and pace the early miles with restraint, it gives a prepared first-timer a genuine shot at a buckle.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, start waves, cutoffs, checkpoints, and crew rules 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.