⏵ Course guide · Riverside State Park, Spokane
Switchback Sorrows sends its 50K field through the very best of Spokane's backyard, Riverside State Park, mixing fast prairies, technical rocky stretches, and the winding switchbacks the race is named for, all for roughly 3,100 feet of climbing. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a mixed-terrain grassroots 50K, with free calculators along the way.
These facts come from the official UltraSignup registration page. Some third-party calendars list a different November date for what appears to be the same race; this guide follows the registration page runners actually use to sign up. Confirm the current year's specifics before you commit.
The 31 mile loop takes in the rushing Spokane River, the iconic CCC Suspension Bridge, rugged volcanic "haystack" rock formations, and ponderosa pine forests, all in one of Riverside State Park's most scenic corners.
The terrain genuinely shifts across the loop: open, fast prairie sections give way to technical, rocky stretches that demand more attention to footing. That mix, plus the namesake switchbacks, is what earns this course its name. Do not expect a uniformly runnable 50K; treat the technical sections with respect even when your legs feel fresh.
The race is built to be crew-friendly, with the accessible layout of Riverside State Park letting your support squad meet you at multiple designated points to swap gear, offer encouragement, and help push through the later miles. Take advantage of that access to run lighter and refuel more often than you might on a more remote course.
Riverside State Park requires a Discover Pass for every vehicle, available as a $10 day pass or $45 annual pass at automated pay stations in the park or online. Make sure your crew and any spectators have one displayed, since this is easy to overlook when you are focused on race logistics.
A 10 hour window for 31 miles and 3,100 feet of gain is generous on paper, but the technical rocky stretches eat more time than flat-course math suggests.
A grade-adjusted pace target accounts for the climbing, but the technical, rocky stretches slow you down independent of grade. Use your fast prairie sections to move efficiently, but treat the rocky and switchback sections as their own pacing zone rather than assuming a flat average holds across the whole loop.
With crew access at multiple points around the course, use those stops to check a finish prediction against the 6:00 PM cutoff. Adjusting early, while you still have fast prairie miles ahead of you, beats discovering you are behind schedule deep in the technical terrain.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
An 8:00 AM October start in eastern Washington usually means a cool morning that can warm through the exposed prairie sections by midday.
Aim for roughly 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. Because the course is crew-friendly with multiple access points, plan specific refuel stops rather than carrying everything for all 31 miles, and use those checkpoints to reset your intake if you have fallen behind.
The open prairie sections can warm up quickly under October sun even with a cool start. Lean toward the higher end of your sodium range if conditions turn warm, and keep hydration steady through the technical, shaded sections where it is easy to forget to drink while focused on footing.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an eastern Washington October 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 mixed prairie-and-rock course profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for varied technical terrain, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The name is honest about what you are in for: roughly 3,100 feet of gain over 31 miles of Riverside State Park, mixing fast prairie sections with technical, rocky stretches and the winding switchbacks the race is named for. It is not a mountain-scale 50K, but the technical footing and repeated switchbacks make it a genuine test rather than a flat, fast course.
The official race description lists roughly 3,100 feet of elevation gain across the 31 mile loop, run as a single loop rather than a multi-lap course. The gain is spread across a mix of fast prairies and technical rocky sections, so it is more about accumulated up-and-down through varied terrain than one sustained climb.
With an 8 AM start and up to 10 hours on trail, aim for roughly 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting up if the day turns warm in the exposed prairie sections. The race is described as crew-friendly with multiple designated points along the accessible layout of Riverside State Park, so plan your crew stops to top off fueling rather than carrying everything from the start. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The race gives you a full 10 hours: an 8:00 AM start with a 6:00 PM course close. Given the mix of technical, rocky stretches and roughly 3,100 feet of gain, that cutoff is designed to be inclusive for both power-hikers and speedsters, per the official race description, but the technical footing means you should not assume flat-course pace will get you through comfortably.
The course runs through the best of Riverside State Park: the rushing Spokane River, the iconic CCC Suspension Bridge, rugged volcanic "haystack" rock formations, and ponderosa pine forests. Expect a genuine mix of fast, runnable prairie and technical, rocky singletrack, with the namesake switchbacks testing your legs and your patience in the later miles.
Some third-party race calendars list a different date in early November for what appears to be the same event. This guide follows the official UltraSignup registration page, which is where runners actually sign up and which lists October 10, 2026, 8:00 AM. If you see a different date elsewhere, confirm directly with the registration page or the organizer before you build a training plan around it.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/switchback-sorrows-50k">The Switchback Sorrows 50K course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/switchback-sorrows-50k" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Switchback Sorrows 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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