⏵ Course guide · Coastal Virginia ultra
The Seashore 50K sends its field on two loops through First Landing State Park's maritime forest in Virginia Beach, a flat, fast, late-season ultra put on by a volunteer running club with a brewery party waiting at the finish. I will walk you through the two-loop course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a cool December day on the coast. Free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official RunSignup event page. Race logistics change year to year, so confirm the current specifics before you commit.
The 50K starts and finishes at the First Landing State Park boat ramp, running two loops through the park's maritime forest singletrack.
Running the course as two loops rather than a single long point-to-point means you pass back through the start-finish area partway through, giving you a natural checkpoint for gear, fuel, or a mental reset. It also means the two aid stations at 64th St and Bald Cypress get hit multiple times each across the full 50K.
First Landing State Park sits on Virginia Beach's barrier-island terrain, maritime forest with live oaks, cypress, and sandy dune features, and the course stays on singletrack with essentially no significant elevation change. This is a course built for holding pace, not managing climbs.
Both aid stations run cupless, so plan to carry your own refillable water bottles and a collapsible cup rather than expecting cups at the tables. Aid includes water and Tailwind alongside various food options.
With an 8-hour cutoff on flat, non-technical terrain, most trained ultra runners have real room here, but a flat course still invites an overly fast start.
Set a sustainable pace target ahead of time using your recent fitness, then use your loop-one split as an honest checkpoint for whether that target is holding up. A grade-adjusted pace target matters less here than on hilly courses, but discipline on the flat still separates a good finish from a faded one.
A race-time prediction gives you a target you can check against your actual loop-one split, and comparing that to the 8-hour cutoff early in loop two tells you whether you have room to ease off or need to hold effort through the final miles.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Coastal Virginia in mid-December usually runs cool, sometimes cold at an 8 AM start, which changes how thirst and sweat cues work compared to a warm-weather ultra.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and use the two-loop structure to keep intake on a schedule rather than waiting for hunger cues, which run less reliably in cold weather than in heat.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, and since cold starts can mask fluid loss, do not assume a lower December temperature means you need less. Plan a layering strategy around the two aid stations, since afternoon temperatures may warm enough to shed a layer by the second loop.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a cool coastal Virginia 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 a flat, fast, two-loop 50K. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the pace discipline this course rewards, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
This is one of the gentler ultras on the calendar. The course runs through First Landing State Park's maritime forest on two loops, with no significant elevation change, the kind of terrain coastal Virginia is known for. The main challenges are late-season chill, a cupless aid setup that requires carrying your own bottles, and simply holding pace for 31 miles on singletrack, not any technical or vertical demand.
The 50K runs two loops through First Landing State Park, starting and finishing at the boat ramp. First Landing is a maritime forest, coastal live oaks, cypress swamp, and sandy dune terrain typical of Virginia Beach's barrier-island parks, and the course stays on the park's singletrack trail network for both loops.
A December start in coastal Virginia usually means cool, sometimes cold, morning temperatures that can warm modestly by afternoon. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. This is a cupless race, so bring your own bottles and plan around the two aid stations at 64th St and Bald Cypress, which you pass multiple times across the two loops. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The race starts at 8:00 AM with an 8-hour cutoff, giving you until 4:00 PM to finish. On flat, non-technical maritime-forest trail, that is a generous window for most trained ultra runners, though cutoff restrictions apply throughout the race, not just at the finish.
Yes, this is a strong first-ultra option. Flat, non-technical, two-loop terrain with a generous 8-hour cutoff removes most of the variables that intimidate first-time ultra runners, and the two-loop layout means you pass through the start-finish area partway through, simplifying drop bags and mental math. A volunteer-club atmosphere and a post-race party with beer and pizza at a local brewery make the whole day feel more like a community event than a grind.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/seashore-nature-trail-50k">The Mel Williams Memorial Seashore 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/seashore-nature-trail-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Mel Williams Memorial Seashore 50K 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.
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