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⏵ Course guide · New Hampshire stage race

Ragged 75 Stage Race and 50K Course Guide

The Ragged 75 is a 3-day, roughly 75-mile stage race across Danbury, Sunapee, and Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire's Lake Sunapee region, with about 15,500 feet of climbing spread over three separate stages. There is also a standalone "50K," which is worth flagging up front: it is really Stage 3 run alone, about 33 miles, not 50 kilometers. I will walk you through all three stages, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for multi-day racing, not a single long effort.

⏵ At a glance

Ragged 75 quick facts

Date
Friday to Sunday, July 31 to August 2, 2026
Location
Danbury to Sunapee to Ragged Mountain, NH, on the SRKG Greenway, Lake Sunapee region
Distances
75-mile, 3-day stage race (Stage 1: 24 mi/4,900 ft · Stage 2: 23 mi/4,375 ft · Stage 3: 33 mi/6,300 ft) · standalone "50K" (actually Stage 3 alone, about 33 miles)
Elevation gain
About 15,500 ft total across the 3-day race · Stage 3 alone: 6,300 ft
Cutoff
12 hours per stage
Entry style
Online registration, overnight camping required between stages (Wadleigh State Park, Sunapee school, bring your own tent)

These facts come from the official race site. Check the current date, cutoffs, and camping logistics in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: three stages, one accumulating effort

The Ragged 75 runs point-to-point across three days: Danbury toward Sunapee, then on to Ragged Mountain, summiting Ragged Mountain, Mount Kearsarge, and Mount Sunapee along the way on the SRKG Greenway. Each stage carries its own 12-hour cutoff, and the terrain is very technical singletrack mixed with doubletrack, fire roads, and short paved stretches.

Stage 1: 24 miles, 4,900 feet, setting the tone

Stage 1 is the shortest of the three but still carries about 4,900 feet of climbing over 24 miles, and how you run it sets up (or undermines) the rest of your week. Racing this stage like a standalone event is the classic mistake. You have two more full days coming, so run it at an effort you can repeat, not an effort that empties the tank.

Expect steep, technical climbs from the start. This region is not the White Mountains, but the singletrack here is demanding enough on its own, and doing it three days in a row changes the math on how hard to push.

Stage 2: 23 miles, 4,300 feet, running on yesterday's legs

Stage 2 is slightly shorter and slightly less vert than Stage 1, but you are running it on legs that already did 24 miles and nearly 5,000 feet the day before. This is where overnight recovery, real food, sleep, and getting off your feet, starts to matter as much as fitness. Manage the technical footing carefully here; tired legs make mistakes on rocky doubletrack.

Stage 3: 33 miles, 6,300 feet, and the "50K" that is not one

Stage 3 is the biggest day of the race at about 33 miles and 6,300 feet of climbing, run on legs carrying two prior days of fatigue. This same stage, run alone, is sold as the standalone "50K," and it is worth saying plainly: 33 miles is not 50 kilometers. The name is a legacy holdover from the race, and if you sign up expecting a 31-mile day you will be off by two miles and real time. Plan and fuel for the actual distance, not the label.

Whether you are finishing the full 75 or running Stage 3 fresh as the standalone race, this is the longest single day on the course, and it deserves the most conservative pacing of the three.

Pacing strategy across three days

Pacing a stage race is a different problem than pacing a single ultra. The question every stage is not just "how fast can I go today" but "what does today's effort cost me tomorrow."

Pace each stage by grade, and bank recovery, not time

A grade-adjusted pace matters even more here than in a single-day race, because effort that feels sustainable on Stage 1 has to still be sustainable on Stage 3. Use a grade-adjusted pace to hold honest climbing and descending effort each day, and resist the urge to bank time on the easier stages at the cost of your legs the next morning.

Build a per-stage finish window, especially for Stage 3

Do not estimate your Ragged 75 splits off a single-day 50-mile time. Each stage has its own vert profile, and Stage 3's 33 miles and 6,300 feet is a bigger day than the "50K" name suggests. A vert-aware finish prediction for each stage gives you a realistic window against the 12-hour cutoff and helps you decide, honestly, how hard to push on Stage 1 and 2 with Stage 3 still ahead.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a multi-day stage race

Fueling the Ragged 75 is really two problems: fueling each stage while you run it, and fueling your recovery overnight so you can do it again the next morning.

During each stage: carbs and sodium like any long trail effort

Within a stage, treat it like any long trail race: aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and scale sodium up with the heat, generally somewhere in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range. Stage 3 at 33 miles and 6,300 feet is the longest single fueling window of the three, so make sure your plan covers the full distance, not just the "50K" label.

Overnight: real recovery food, not just race nutrition

Between stages you are camping (Wadleigh State Park, then the Sunapee school, bring your own tent), which means your overnight recovery meals are on you. Prioritize real food with enough total calories, protein, sodium, and fluid to replace what each stage cost you. Skimping on overnight recovery is a common way people who handle Stage 1 fine end up struggling on Stage 3.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and each stage's terrain 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 exact three-stage course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the climbing across all three days, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

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Ragged 75 Stage Race and 50K FAQ

How hard is the Ragged 75 Stage Race?

The Ragged 75 is a genuine 3-day test: about 75 miles and roughly 15,500 feet of climbing over Danbury, Sunapee, and Ragged Mountain on very technical New Hampshire singletrack. Each stage has its own 12-hour cutoff, so you cannot save your legs for one big effort, you have to manage recovery overnight and show up ready to climb again the next morning. The terrain (steep climbs, doubletrack, fire roads, a little pavement) and the accumulated fatigue across three days are what make this hard, more than any single stage.

Is the Ragged 50K actually 50 kilometers?

No, and this is worth knowing before you sign up. The standalone "50K" is Stage 3 of the stage race run on its own, and it actually covers about 33 miles with roughly 6,300 feet of climbing, not the 31 miles (50 kilometers) the name implies. The "50K" label is a legacy name from the race, not an accurate distance. Plan and fuel for a 33-mile mountain day, not a 50K.

How much climbing is in the Ragged 75?

The full 3-day stage race totals about 15,500 feet of climbing: Stage 1 brings about 4,900 feet over 24 miles, Stage 2 about 4,300 feet over 23 miles, and Stage 3 the biggest day at about 6,300 feet over roughly 33 miles. The route summits Ragged Mountain, Mount Kearsarge, and Mount Sunapee across the three days.

How should I fuel for a multi-day stage race like the Ragged 75?

Fueling here is a 3-day problem, not a single race-day problem. Within each stage, aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium scaled to the heat, same as any long trail effort. But you also need a recovery-eating plan for the overnight camping between stages: real food, enough total calories, and enough sodium and fluid to show up to the next morning able to climb again. Run your per-stage numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator and plan your overnight recovery meals separately.

What are the cutoff times for the Ragged 75?

Each stage carries its own 12-hour cutoff. That is generous for the mileage on any single day, but it means you need to finish, recover, and be ready to start again the next morning within the overnight window, whatever that turns out to be at camp. Confirm the exact stage start times and any intermediate cutoffs in the current race-day details before you go.

What is the terrain like on the Ragged 75?

Expect very technical singletrack, steep climbs, doubletrack, fire roads, and short stretches of pavement across a point-to-point route through the Lake Sunapee region on the SRKG Greenway. This is not the White Mountains, but it is not easy rolling forest either. The climbing is real on all three stages, and the technical footing adds up over three days of accumulated fatigue.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and camping logistics 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.