⏵ Course guide · Lake Grapevine fall trail race
The Rockledge Rumble runs the North Shore Trail along Lake Grapevine, soft dirt near the start giving way to technical, rocky singletrack further out, with a 50K, 30K, and 15K sharing the same course. I will walk you through the 50K's 7-leg structure first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for this DFW-area classic, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Rockledge Rumble site. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
All distances run out of Jackson Pavilion along the North Shore Trail. The 50K covers 7 legs and 31.5 miles between three aid points (Jackson Pavilion, Murrell Park, and Twin Coves), while the 30K (19.3mi) and 15K (9.6mi) cover shorter subsets of the same route.
The North Shore Trail starts on soft dirt paths close to Jackson Pavilion and gets more technical and rocky as you move toward Twin Coves. This means your first and last legs run faster and easier than the middle of the course, so do not judge your overall pace off the early miles.
The 50K's 7-leg structure is genuinely an out-and-back-and-back: Jackson Pavilion to Murrell Park to Twin Coves, a short 2.6 mile out-and-back near Twin Coves, then Twin Coves back to Murrell Park to Jackson Pavilion, and finally Jackson Pavilion back out to Murrell Park and to the finish. You will see the Murrell Park and Jackson Pavilion aid stations multiple times, which is useful for planning your fueling and gear.
The race finishes along the bank of Lake Grapevine before runners are sent up a steep wooden staircase to the finish line. After 31.5 miles, this is a genuinely tough final push, so save something for it rather than emptying the tank on the last flat stretch along the water.
The published cutoffs sit at mile 21.9 (1:30 PM) and mile 26.7 (2:30 PM), so your pacing plan needs real waypoints to check against, not just a finish-line goal.
Use a race-time calculator to set your overall target pace, then check it specifically against the mile 21.9 and mile 26.7 cutoffs. Since these are the only two intermediate deadlines published, treat them as your key checkpoints for deciding whether to push or ease off through the middle legs.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the more technical trail near Twin Coves gives you an honest number for what effort you can sustain there, rather than pacing off the easier dirt sections near Jackson Pavilion. Since you cover some of this technical ground more than once, consistent footing awareness matters more than a single fast pass.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-November in the DFW area usually runs cool and mild, typical fall conditions for a full day of racing along Lake Grapevine.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K. Because the course structure brings you back through the Jackson Pavilion and Murrell Park aid stations multiple times, you have more resupply opportunities than a single-pass course, so plan to lean on that access rather than carrying everything from the start.
Sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range covers most runners in typical mid-November North Texas weather. Bring your own preferred electrolyte source as a backup, since the official site does not publish specific aid station food and drink details.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cool November DFW 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, this exact 7-leg North Shore Trail course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a technical out-and-back-and-back course, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The North Shore Trail varies between soft dirt paths near the start/finish and more technical, rocky sections further from Jackson Pavilion. The 50K's out-and-back-and-back structure across 7 legs means you cover some ground more than once, and the race finishes with a distinctive climb up a steep wooden staircase along the bank of the lake. No overall elevation gain figure is published, but this is a rolling, moderately technical DFW-area course rather than a mountain race.
The 50K runs 7 legs totaling 31.5 miles: Jackson Pavilion to Murrell Park (4.8mi), Murrell Park to Twin Coves (5mi), a 2.6mi out-and-back near Twin Coves, Twin Coves back to Murrell Park (4.7mi), Murrell Park to Jackson Pavilion (4.8mi), Jackson Pavilion back out to Murrell Park (4.8mi), and Murrell Park to the finish at Jackson Pavilion (4.8mi). You pass through the Jackson Pavilion and Murrell Park aid stations multiple times over the course of the race.
The official site does not publish specific aid station food details, so plan to carry what you typically need and confirm current aid offerings closer to race day. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the 50K, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range given mid-November North Texas conditions. Drop bags for the 50K can be left at Jackson Pavilion (start/finish, mile 0 and again at the finish) and at the Jackson Pavilion aid station at mile 21.9, both marked "YES" on the official mileage chart. Build your own numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The official aid station chart publishes two intermediate cutoffs for the 50K: mile 21.9 (the Jackson Pavilion aid station on your return) by 1:30 PM, and mile 26.7 (Murrell Park) by 2:30 PM. No separate overall finish-line cutoff time is published on the site, so confirm the current year's full cutoff schedule with the race before you commit to a goal time.
The North Shore Trail along Lake Grapevine mixes soft dirt paths close to the start/finish with more technical and rocky sections as you move away from Jackson Pavilion. The race finishes along the bank of the lake before runners climb a steep wooden staircase to the finish line, a memorable, if leg-testing, final obstacle after 31.5 miles.
The course passes through the Jackson Pavilion and Murrell Park aid stations multiple times across its 7 legs, which gives you more frequent support and crew access than a single-loop or point-to-point course would. Combined with moderate, non-mountainous terrain, this makes Rockledge Rumble a reasonable choice for a first 50K attempt in the DFW area, as long as you plan your pacing against the published mile 21.9 and 26.7 intermediate cutoffs.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/rockledge-rumble">The Rockledge Rumble course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/rockledge-rumble" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Rockledge Rumble course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>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.
The timeline
Get the week-by-week countdown for this race: when to build, when to peak, when to taper.
One email with the timeline, plus training notes for this race. Unsubscribe any time.