⏵ Course guide · Georgetown river trail race
River's Edge Trail Race hugs the San Gabriel River through the middle of historic downtown Georgetown, building a 50K, 25K, 10 mile, and 5 mile out of flowing 5 mile and 10 mile singletrack loops. I will walk you through the loop structure first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for a rolling, tighter-cutoff course, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Tejas Trails race page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Every trail run distance is built from the same 5 mile and 10 mile loops out of the Katy Crossing Trailhead. The 25K runs the 5 mile loop then the 10 mile loop, and the 50K repeats the 10 mile loop three times.
Thanks to the Georgetown Trails Foundation, the course delivers well-built, scenic single track that hugs the banks of the San Gabriel River, linking multiple parks together despite sitting right in the middle of downtown Georgetown. Terrain mixes hard-packed, flowy sections with some genuinely technical stretches, shaded dirt roads, and open fields, rolling with short climbs and descents but no sustained elevation gain.
The 50K is straightforward in structure: the same 10 mile loop, three times. That repetition means you get real pacing feedback after your first lap, and the course is laid out in a figure-eight through San Gabriel Park with two-way traffic in the middle, so you will see other runners often, which helps keep the laps from feeling isolating.
After the trail runs wrap up around midday, Tejas Trails runs a separate cross-country mountain bike race on an 11 mile loop starting at 5:00 PM, with 1-lap and 2-lap options plus an e-bike wave. It is its own event with its own start line and cutoffs, but if you are picking a hotel or planning your Saturday, know the venue stays busy well into the evening.
The 50K's 8 hour window (7:30 AM start, 3:30 PM close) is tighter than a lot of rural 50Ks, so pacing discipline across the three laps matters more than it might elsewhere.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the rolling terrain helps you set a realistic per-lap number, but the number that actually matters is whether you are on track to start your final lap by 11:30 AM. Build your early-race pacing around protecting that checkpoint rather than banking on a fast finish to save a slow start.
A vert-aware finish prediction built off your real first-lap split, projected across all three laps, gives you a far more honest read than a flat-course pace estimate. Check that projection against the 3:30 PM course closure while you still have time to adjust your effort.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Late May in Central Texas can already run warm by mid-morning, and every distance requires carrying enough water for up to 5 miles between aid points.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K and 25K. Because the course requires you to carry water for stretches of up to 5 miles, plan your carried nutrition the same way rather than assuming aid is always close.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, leaning toward the higher end as the day warms up through late morning. Late May heat in Central Texas can build fast, so do not wait until you feel behind to increase your intake.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and a warm Texas 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 river-loop course profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a tighter-cutoff repeated-loop 50K, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is a genuinely fun, flowing 50K rather than a mountain test. The course mixes hard-packed, flowy singletrack with a few technical sections, shaded dirt roads, and open fields, rolling with short climbs and descents but no sustained elevation gain. The 50K repeats the 10 mile loop three times, so the real work is holding pace and fueling steady across three laps of the same terrain, not surviving one brutal climb.
The race starts at the Katy Crossing Trailhead across the San Gabriel Park bridge in downtown Georgetown, and builds off 5 mile and 10 mile loops linking multiple parks along the San Gabriel River, largely thanks to trail work by the Georgetown Trails Foundation. The 5 mile covers the Katy Crossing section, the 10 mile adds beautiful single track in between, the 25K runs the 5 mile loop then the 10 mile loop, and the 50K repeats the 10 mile loop three times. Terrain mixes hard-packed, flowy singletrack with some technical sections, shaded dirt roads, and fields.
Late May in Central Texas can already run warm by mid-morning, and for all distances you need to be able to carry enough water for up to 5 miles at a time between aid points. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K and 25K, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning higher as the day heats up. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Trail runners face an 11:30 AM final lap cutoff (you must be starting your last lap by then) and a hard course closure at 3:30 PM. With the 50K starting at 7:30 AM, that gives 8 hours total, which is a tighter window than many rural 50Ks, so respect the final lap cutoff and do not bank on a slow first loop.
Yes. On Saturday evening, after the trail runs finish and the course reopens to bikes, Tejas Trails runs a separate cross-country mountain bike race on an 11 mile loop, either 1 lap (about 11 miles, no e-bikes, plus a separate e-bike wave) or 2 laps (about 22 miles). It shares the venue and weekend but runs on its own schedule and course, entirely separate from the trail run field.
Yes, with one caveat: the 3:30 PM cutoff is tighter than some rural 50Ks, so you want a realistic pace plan rather than assuming an easy day. That said, the rolling, non-technical-heavy terrain, the loop format's frequent aid access, and the urban Georgetown setting (with easy crew logistics) make this a genuinely approachable first ultra if your fitness supports finishing inside 8 hours.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/rivers-edge-trail-race">The River's Edge Trail Race course guide</a>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.