Rock Bridge Revenge Course Guide

Rock Bridge Revenge runs mostly singletrack through the karst country of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, mixing a variety of terrain with creek crossings along the way. The 50K is two full loops of the 25K course, one lap through the Devil's Ice Box Trails and two laps of the High Ridge Trails per loop, so you see the same terrain twice with tired legs the second time through. No official elevation gain figure is published, but the karst terrain, creek crossings, and single track combine to make this more demanding than the mileage alone suggests, and the 8-hour time limit keeps real pressure on a slow start.

The 25K is built from two trail systems: one loop of the Devil's Ice Box Trails, then a crossing of Highway 163, then two loops of the High Ridge Trails. The 50K is simply two full loops of that entire 25K course. Because the 50K repeats the same combined loop, you get real data after your first lap, use it to gauge whether your pace and effort are sustainable for a second identical loop rather than guessing.

This is a cup-free event, so you must carry a water bottle, hydration pack, or a collapsible cup for anything you don't want poured straight into your gear at aid. Aid stations sit at Grasslands and High Ridge, hit twice per loop, plus the start/finish at the end of the first 50K loop, and 50K runners can leave a drop bag at the start to access before their second loop. Aim for roughly 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour given the shorter overall time on course, and keep sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range, adjusting up if the day runs warm. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.

The overall time limit to complete the course is 8 hours for both the 25K and the 50K, measured from each distance's own start time (7:00 AM for the 50K, 8:00 AM for the 25K). Because the 50K is two loops of the same course, that works out to roughly 4 hours per loop on average if you want to split the effort evenly, though most runners will want to bank some buffer on the first loop for the second.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park sits in mid-Missouri's karst country, known for sinkholes, caves, and the natural rock bridge the park is named for. The course is mostly singletrack with a variety of terrain and creek crossings, running through the Devil's Ice Box Trails and the High Ridge Trails. Expect uneven, technical footing typical of Ozark-adjacent Missouri trail rather than smooth, wide paths.

It is a reasonable option for a first 50K if you have some trail experience and are comfortable with a two-loop format. Running the same 25K course twice means you know exactly what is coming on your second loop, which takes some of the uncertainty out of a first ultra, and the club-run, well-organized nature of the event (packet pickup, post-race lunch, chip timing) keeps the logistics simple. The 8-hour cutoff is workable for a well-prepared first-timer, but respect the technical, creek-crossing terrain and do not assume this is an easy, flat course just because the vert is not published.