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⏵ Course guide · Hudson Valley ultra

Rock the Ridge Course Guide

Rock the Ridge is a 50 mile ultra run on the Mohonk Preserve’s old carriage roads across the Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz, and it is the most runnable of the big Hudson Valley ultras, four legs of rolling climbing with a generous 18-hour cutoff. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built around a long day of repeated climbing rather than one big crux. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Rock the Ridge quick facts

Date
Early May (2026 exact date not yet published)
Location
Mohonk Preserve, Shawangunk Ridge, New Paltz, NY
Distances
50 mile marquee, 26.2 mile trail marathon, 2/3/4-person relays
Elevation gain
50 mile: sources conflict, roughly 4,700-4,720 ft on one accounting and closer to 6,700 ft on another. Confirm on the official site
Cutoff
18 hours overall for the 50 mile, generous by ultra standards
Entry style
Open registration, run as a Mohonk Preserve fundraiser, 130+ volunteers on course

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

The course: four legs across the Gunks

Rock the Ridge is run in four legs across the Shawangunk Ridge, mostly on the Preserve’s well-maintained 1800s carriage roads with sections of singletrack. It is a rolling course, not a single big climb, and it is notably more runnable than the rock-strewn Catskills ultras a short drive north.

Repeated climbing, not one crux

There is no single defining climb here the way there is on a lot of NY mountain ultras. Instead you get four legs of rolling terrain with climbing stacked up over and over, and depending on which source you trust that adds up to somewhere between roughly 4,700 and 6,700 feet of gain across the 50 miles. Treat the true number as a range and pace off effort, not off a single figure you saw on one site.

The carriage roads make the climbing more manageable than singletrack would, wide and graded rather than root-and-rock technical, so you can hold a steady hiking effort on the ups without fighting the surface at the same time.

The Gunks as scenery, not obstacle

The Shawangunk Ridge’s white conglomerate cliffs are the backdrop for most of the day, and unlike a lot of ultras where the terrain itself is the main character, here the surface mostly gets out of your way and lets you look at where you are. That does not mean it is flat. It means the difficulty comes from cumulative climbing and distance, not from technical footing you have to fight mile after mile.

Aid is closely spaced across the course, more so than most Hudson Valley ultras, backed by 130-plus volunteers. That changes your fueling math: you can run leaner between stops here than you would on a race with long isolated stretches.

A generous clock, if you respect the distance

The 18-hour cutoff is generous for a 50 miler, and it is part of why Rock the Ridge works as a first-50 option for a lot of runners. But generous does not mean easy. Fifty miles and thousands of feet of repeated climbing still take a real toll late, and the runners who struggle here are usually the ones who treated the forgiving cutoff as permission to under-train the climbing legs.

Because the race also funds the Mohonk Preserve’s 8,200-plus acres, the closely spaced aid and volunteer support are part of the deal, not an accident. Use it. Take what the aid stations give you and move.

Pacing strategy for a long, rolling 50

With gain estimates ranging from roughly 4,700 to 6,700 feet spread over four rolling legs, Rock the Ridge rewards even effort across the whole day more than it rewards an aggressive early pace.

Even effort across four legs, not one hard push

Because the climbing repeats leg after leg instead of stacking into one crux, the runners who fall apart here are usually the ones who ran the early carriage roads too fast because the surface felt easy. Hold a grade-adjusted effort on every climb, even the small rolling ones, and you keep the legs you need for legs three and four.

Build a finish window you can trust

With an 18-hour cutoff and a vert figure that depends on who you ask, do not guess your Rock the Ridge finish off a flat 50-mile time. A vert-aware finish prediction that leans toward the higher end of the elevation range gives you a more honest window, and it lets you see how much of that generous cutoff you actually have in hand at each point in the race.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for the closely spaced aid

Rock the Ridge’s aid stations are closer together than most Hudson Valley ultras, which changes how you should think about carrying calories and fluid over a day that could run 8 to 17-plus hours depending on your pace.

Carbs: steady, and easier to manage with close aid

Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and use the closely spaced aid stations to your advantage: you can run leaner between stops and top off more often instead of carrying a big reserve. Practice your target rate on long training runs so it feels routine well before race day.

Sodium and fluid: build around your own sweat rate

Sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range covers most runners, scaled up toward the higher end in heat or if you are a heavy sweater. Weigh yourself before and after a long training run to find your real sweat rate, then build your fluid plan around that number instead of guessing. Even with closely spaced aid, a long day of repeated climbing adds up fast if you are behind on fluid.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and your goal time 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 course’s rolling climb profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for repeated climbing across a long day, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Rock the Ridge FAQ

How hard is Rock the Ridge?

Rock the Ridge is a real 50 miler, but it is the most runnable of the big Hudson Valley ultras. The course is built on the Preserve’s old 1800s carriage roads with sections of singletrack, run in four legs across the Shawangunk Ridge, and it is nowhere near as technical as its Catskills neighbors. The generous 18-hour cutoff gives most prepared runners real room to finish, so the challenge is more about managing 50 miles of rolling terrain and repeated climbing than surviving constant technical footing.

How much climbing is in Rock the Ridge?

This is genuinely unsettled. One official accounting puts the 50 mile’s elevation gain at roughly 4,700 to 4,720 feet, while another widely cited figure runs closer to 6,700 feet. Both numbers describe the same course, run in four legs with repeated climbing on the carriage roads and singletrack of the Shawangunk Ridge, so treat the true number as somewhere in that range and confirm the current course profile before you race off it.

How should I fuel for Rock the Ridge?

Plan for an effort that, with the 18-hour cutoff, could run anywhere from around 8 to 17-plus hours depending on your pace. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range depending on the heat and your sweat rate. Aid is closely spaced on this course compared to a lot of NY ultras, which makes it easier to fuel little and often instead of carrying huge reserves. Run your own numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for Rock the Ridge?

The 50 mile has an 18-hour overall cutoff, which is generous compared to most 50-mile trail races and gives a wide range of paces a real shot at finishing. Confirm any intermediate aid station cutoffs in the current race-day details, since those can be added or adjusted year to year even when the overall limit stays the same.

What is the terrain like at Rock the Ridge?

The course runs on the Mohonk Preserve’s well-maintained carriage roads, laid out in the 1800s, mixed with sections of singletrack, across four legs of the Shawangunk Ridge. Expect rolling, repeated climbing rather than one long grind, with the Gunks’ white conglomerate cliffs as scenery along the way. It is a notably more runnable surface than the rock-strewn Catskills races nearby, which is part of why the cutoff can afford to be generous.

Is Rock the Ridge a good first 50 miler?

It is one of the more approachable first 50s in the Northeast. The carriage-road-heavy course, the closely spaced aid, and the 18-hour cutoff all lower the bar compared to a technical Catskills ultra, while still asking for real climbing legs given the four-leg, repeated-climb profile. If you have put in the long runs and back-to-back long run training, this is a reasonable place to try your first 50, and the race doubles as a major fundraiser for the 8,200-plus acre Preserve it runs through.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and elevation figures come from public sources and can change or vary year to year, and this course in particular has conflicting published elevation gain figures, 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.