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⏵ Course guide · Wyoming ultra

Teton Mountain Runs Course Guide

The Teton Mountain Runs is a summer trail festival at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and the headline Cody Peak 50K is a monster: about 9,700 feet of climbing on rocky alpine singletrack that tops out at 10,770 feet, with a 30K and a 15K stacked alongside it. This is real high-country running, thin air, big climbs, and a scree descent off the summit. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for the vert and the altitude. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Teton Mountain Runs quick facts

Date
Saturday and Sunday, July 11 to 12, 2026
Location
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Teton Village, Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY
Distances
Cody Peak 50K (about 31 mi) · Cirque 30K (about 18.6 mi) · Wild 15K
Elevation gain
50K: about 9,700 ft (tops out 10,770 ft) · 30K: about 5,538 ft · 15K: about 1,800 ft
Start
30K: Sat 7:00 AM · 50K: Sun 6:00 AM · 15K: Sun 7:00 AM
Cutoff
50K: 11 hr (5:00 PM) with intermediate cutoffs · 30K: 7 hr (2:00 PM) · 15K: 2 hr 45 min to halfway
Qualifier
No Western States, UTMB, or Hardrock qualifier status listed by the race

These facts come from the official race site and RunSignup. Check the current dates, cutoffs, and aid stations in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: where the Teton Mountain Runs is won and lost

All three races run on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort terrain in the Bridger-Teton, a mix of alpine singletrack and service roads that climbs hard and rewards you with Grand Teton views and wildflowers up top. The Cody Peak 50K is the big one at roughly 31 miles and 9,700 feet of gain. The Cirque 30K covers about 18.6 miles and 5,538 feet, and the Wild 15K climbs for the first half and drops back to the village on the second.

The climbs: this is a vertical race

On the Cody Peak 50K you are basically climbing all day, with about 9,700 feet of gain packed into 31 miles, which is a brutal ratio. The course works its way up through the resort, hitting aid at Casper and Bridger before the long pull to Top of the World near the Rendezvous Mountain peak, then on toward the Cody Peak high point at 10,770 feet. This is where the race is decided. Hike the steep grades efficiently, keep your heart rate honest, and do not let the early climbs feel easy and tempt you into burning matches you will want later.

The 30K shares the same DNA, climbing past Casper and Bridger up to Top of the World around 10,455 feet before turning for home. The 15K is the friendliest of the three, but it still grinds up roughly 1,800 feet over its first half. On every one of these, the climb is the race. If you have not trained steep, sustained vert, this course will expose it fast.

The Cody Peak descent: scree, then a long way down

Coming off Cody Peak you drop into loose scree and rocky, technical terrain, and it demands real attention with tired legs and thin air. This is not a place to bomb blindly. Pick your line, stay light on your feet, and respect that a rolled ankle up here ends your day a long way from the finish.

After the high country the 50K still has a lot of descending to give back, and long downhill on rocky trail beats up your quads in a hurry. The back half is where badly paced runners come apart. If you trashed your legs on the climbs or never trained the downs, those final miles into Teton Village turn into a slow, painful shuffle. Practice controlled, runnable descending before race day so you can still move late when everything hurts.

Altitude, exposure, and the cutoffs

The thing that makes this course punch above a normal 50K is the altitude. You spend real time between 9,000 and 10,770 feet, and the thin air slows your pace, spikes your heart rate, and flattens your appetite even if you are fit. If you live low, plan to climb slower than your training says, and get to Jackson a few days early to acclimate if you can.

The cutoffs are firm and they are not generous given the terrain. The 50K gives you 11 hours overall but pins you with intermediate cutoffs: Top of the World by 10:30 AM, Casper by 2:00 PM and again by 4:00 PM. The 30K has a 7-hour limit with its own checkpoints, and the 15K wants you at Casper inside 2 hours and 45 minutes. You cannot save your buffer for the end here, so you have to keep climbing steadily from the start. Carry enough fluid and food for the exposed stretches above treeline, and pack a layer in case an afternoon mountain storm rolls through.

Pacing strategy for a high-altitude, vert-heavy course

With nearly 10,000 feet of climbing on the 50K and most of it above 8,000 feet, the Teton Mountain Runs is about managing effort and altitude, not chasing a pace chart. Run the climbs by feel, hike the steep pitches without guilt, and let your splits come to you.

Pace the climbs by grade, not by the watch

Your flat-ground pace is meaningless on these climbs. What matters is grade-adjusted effort, so settle into an output you can hold up the grade and power-hike the steep stuff instead of forcing a run that wrecks you. The classic blunder here is running the early resort climbs too hard because the legs feel fresh, then falling apart up high where the air is thin. Use a grade-adjusted pace to turn your real fitness into honest climbing targets, and you will reach Cody Peak with something left for the way down.

Build a vert-aware finish prediction

Do not guess your Teton finish off a road 50K time, because it will be wildly optimistic. The 9,700 feet of climbing, the altitude, and the technical footing all add real time. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for this course profile gives you a realistic window and lets you work backward into the intermediate cutoffs, so you actually know how much buffer you have at Top of the World and Casper instead of guessing and getting pulled.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for altitude and a long day

The Cody Peak 50K can keep you out there anywhere from about 6 to 11 hours, much of it above 9,000 feet where your gut works against you. That makes carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid every bit as important as your climbing legs.

Carbs: steady, trained, and easy to swallow

For an effort this long, aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, only pushing the high end if your gut is trained for it. Altitude blunts appetite and slows digestion, so keep your intake steady and simple rather than gambling on big doses late when nausea creeps in. Practice your exact race-day carb rate on long climbing runs so 80-plus grams an hour feels routine, not like an experiment you are trying for the first time at 10,000 feet.

Sodium and fluid: plan for sun, sweat, and the gaps

The July sun up high is strong even when the air feels cool, so lean toward the high end on sodium, often around 500 to 700 milligrams per liter of fluid, and more if you sweat heavy or salty. Just as important, carry enough fluid to cover the exposed stretches between aid instead of rationing to the next station and arriving empty. Weigh yourself before and after a long mountain run to find your real sweat rate, then build the plan around your own number rather than a generic guess.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the Teton altitude 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 Teton course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for the big climbs and the altitude, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Teton Mountain Runs FAQ

How hard is the Teton Mountain Runs Cody Peak 50K?

The Cody Peak 50K is one of the hardest 50Ks in the country, full stop. You cover about 31 miles with roughly 9,700 feet of climbing on rocky alpine resort singletrack and service roads, topping out at 10,770 feet on Cody Peak, which is more vert than most 50-milers carry. Add real altitude and a scree descent off the summit and you get a course that rewards strong climbing and patience over flat-ground speed. The overall cutoff is 11 hours with intermediate cutoffs along the way, so you have to keep moving from the gun.

How much climbing is in the Teton Mountain Runs?

It depends on your distance. The Cody Peak 50K has about 9,700 feet of vertical gain and tops out at 10,770 feet. The Cirque 30K has about 5,538 feet of gain with a high point around 10,455 feet, and the Wild 15K has about 1,800 feet, climbing for the first half and descending the second half. All three are real mountain courses on rocky alpine terrain, not rolling foothills.

What are the cutoff times for the Teton Mountain Runs?

The Cody Peak 50K has an 11-hour overall cutoff (a 5:00 PM finish off the 6:00 AM start) with hard intermediate cutoffs, including Top of the World by 10:30 AM and Casper by 2:00 PM and again by 4:00 PM, so you cannot bank all your time for the end. The Cirque 30K has a 7-hour overall cutoff (2:00 PM) with its own checkpoints, and the Wild 15K gives you 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach the Casper aid station at the halfway point. Always confirm the current intermediate cutoffs in the race-day details before you start.

How should I fuel for the Cody Peak 50K?

Treat it as a long, high-altitude effort that can run anywhere from roughly 6 to 11 hours depending on your fitness. Most runners do well on about 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, leaning higher if your gut is trained for it, but altitude tends to blunt your appetite, so keep intake steady and easy to swallow. Sodium matters in the July sun, often the high end of 300 to 700 mg per liter of fluid, more if you sweat heavy. Run your own numbers for your weight, goal time, and the heat with the free ultra fueling calculator.

How does the altitude affect the race?

A lot. The Cody Peak 50K spends serious time between 9,000 and 10,770 feet, and the air up there is thin enough to slow your pace, raise your heart rate, and kill your appetite even if you are fit. If you live at sea level, expect to climb slower than your training suggests and plan your effort and fueling around that. Getting to Jackson a few days early to acclimate helps, and so does pacing the early climbs conservatively so the altitude does not compound a bad start.

What is the terrain and weather like at the Teton Mountain Runs?

The courses run on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort singletrack and service roads through the Bridger-Teton high country, with rocky, technical footing and a loose scree descent off Cody Peak on the 50K. Expect alpine wildflowers, big Grand Teton views, and long exposed stretches above treeline. Mid-July in Jackson tends to bring chilly mornings in the upper 50s and afternoon highs in the mid-80s down low, plus strong high-elevation sun and the chance of an afternoon mountain storm, so pack for both cold and heat.

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.