⏵ Course guide · Daley Ranch, San Diego County
Second Wind Trail Running opens its season with The Ranch 50K, a 25K loop through Daley Ranch run twice for 6,318 feet of total gain, plus a single-loop Half Marathon. I will walk you through the two-loop format first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeatable climbing. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Second Wind Trail Running event page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
The 50K runs a 25K loop through Daley Ranch two times, each lap carrying 3,159 feet of gain for a 6,318-foot total. The Half Marathon runs a single, separate loop with 2,706 feet of gain.
On the 50K course, La Honda aid station sits at roughly 5.4 and 21.25 miles, Cougar Pass at roughly 10.8 and 26.3 miles, and the Dixon Lake start/finish aid station at roughly 15.5 and 31.1 miles. That means three fuel and hydration touches every loop, giving you frequent chances to check in on your intake rather than guessing across long gaps.
The Half Marathon does not simply run half of the 50K loop; it follows its own single-loop route past La Honda (4.75 miles), Lilac Hill (9.5 miles), and back to Dixon Lake (13.1 miles), with 2,706 feet of gain packed into that one loop.
Daley Ranch is a large City of Escondido open-space preserve, and this race has run here since at least 2020. As the first race of Second Wind's season, it draws a field still building winter fitness, which is worth keeping in mind when you set your own pacing expectations rather than comparing to a peak-fitness effort later in the year.
With 4.75 hours to complete the first loop and 9.5 hours total, the two-loop format rewards even effort across both laps over an aggressive first loop.
Because the 50K is the same 3,159-foot loop run twice, an honest grade-adjusted pace target on loop one tells you almost exactly what to expect on loop two, minus whatever fatigue has set in. Runners who blow up here usually pushed loop one too hard because the climb felt manageable the first time through.
The first-loop cutoff of 4.75 hours is your clearest early signal. A vert-aware finish prediction built off your actual loop-one pace, checked against that checkpoint, tells you honestly whether your second loop needs to speed up or whether you have real margin.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
A 7:00 AM start means cool conditions early, with the second loop likely running warmer as the sun climbs, especially through exposed ranch terrain.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and use the La Honda, Cougar Pass, and Dixon Lake aid stations, hit twice each on the 50K, to keep your intake steady rather than skipping a stop because you feel fine in the moment.
Sodium in the 300 to 500 mg per liter range often covers a cool loop one, but push toward 500 to 700 mg per liter for loop two if the day has warmed up, adjusting rather than setting one number for the whole race.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a February Daley Ranch 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 two-loop climbing profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for repeated climbing, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Running the same 3,159-foot climbing loop twice back to back is the whole challenge here. The 50K totals 6,318 feet of gain over 31 miles at Daley Ranch, a real Southern California climbing test with a 9.5 hour cutoff to complete both loops. As Second Wind's season opener, it also tends to be run on fitness carried over from winter base training rather than a fully sharpened peak, which is worth factoring into your pacing expectations.
Each 25K loop carries 3,159 feet of gain, so the 50K, which runs that same loop twice, totals 6,318 feet over 31 miles. The Half Marathon runs a single, different loop with 2,706 feet of gain. Both numbers are real climbing for the distance, concentrated in a repeatable loop rather than spread across a point-to-point route.
A 7:00 AM February start in Escondido usually means cool morning temperatures that can warm up by the second loop, especially through exposed sections. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. The 50K passes through the La Honda, Cougar Pass, and Dixon Lake aid stations twice each (once per loop), so use that repeatable structure to plan consistent refuels rather than carrying excess between loops. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 50K has two checkpoints: you need to complete the first loop within 4.75 hours, and the full 50K within 9.5 hours from the 7:00 AM start. The Half Marathon carries a single 9 hour cutoff from its 7:30 AM start. There is no day-of registration, so plan your packet pickup ahead of race morning.
Daley Ranch is a large open-space preserve near Escondido, and the course starts and finishes at the Dixon Lake Picnic Area. Expect classic inland San Diego County terrain: rolling to steep singletrack and fire road climbing with 3,159 feet packed into each 25K loop. February usually brings cool, comfortable mornings to this part of Southern California, with the chance of warming up by afternoon on the second loop.
It is a solid choice if you have trained specifically for real climbing, since 6,318 feet over 31 miles is not a flat introduction to the distance. The two-loop format is genuinely beginner-friendly in one way: you pass through the start/finish area at Dixon Lake at the halfway point, so crew access, gear swaps, and the mental math of "just one more loop" are simpler than a point-to-point course. If your training has included real vert, the generous 9.5 hour cutoff gives a prepared first-timer real room to finish.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/the-ranch-50k">The The Ranch 50K course guide</a>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.