⏵ Course guide · Lake Somerville trail race
The Trailway Trail Race hugs the shoreline of Lake Somerville State Park on a lollipop-style course, stacking a 13.1 mile route up to a 26.2 mile marathon and a 50K. I will walk you through the course layout first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for a mostly flat but sandy, rooted shoreline trail, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Tejas Trails race page. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Lake Somerville State Park is actually two parks linked by a gorgeous connecting path called The Trailway, and the race builds its distances by extending the same westward route further and further before turning back.
Much of the course hugs the shoreline of Lake Somerville, alternating between miles exposed to open sky right next to the water and miles fully shaded under a forest canopy. The terrain gently rolls and stays mostly flat, but expect hard-packed rooted sections and a fair bit of sand and loose soil that slow you down more than the elevation chart implies. If it rains, plan on running through some standing water.
The marathon runs the half marathon route twice, turning around at the finish line before heading back out for an identical second lap. The 50K does the same thing as the marathon but goes an extra mile and change past Wolf Pond Aid Station, further beyond the half and full marathon turnaround spot, before coming back.
The start/finish sits at a sweet spot on the edge of Lake Somerville with a big grass lawn, and if the day turns sunny, the beach at the finish is exactly where you will want to be once you are done. Plan your post-race recovery around a lake dip if the weather cooperates.
The 10 hour window (7:00 AM start, 5:00 PM close) is generous for the terrain, but sand and roots eat into flat-ground pace expectations more than most runners plan for.
A grade-adjusted pace target accounts for the gentle rolling terrain, but the real pace-killers here are the sandy and rooted stretches that a flat elevation profile will not show you. Build in a buffer for those sections rather than assuming near-road pace just because the course is mostly flat.
Because the marathon and 50K both use out-and-back structures with a clear turnaround, your outbound split gives you an honest read on conditions for the day. A vert-aware finish prediction built off that first half, checked against the 12:00 PM final lap cutoff, tells you clearly whether to hold steady or adjust.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Early October in Central Texas can still run warm, especially through the exposed shoreline sections, so plan your hydration with real margin.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the marathon and 50K. Half and full marathon runners need to carry water for stretches of up to about 4 miles, so plan your own carried fuel around that gap rather than relying entirely on aid.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, leaning higher through the exposed shoreline stretches where the sun and any wind off the lake add up. The canopied sections offer real relief, so use them to reset rather than over-drinking early.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and an early-October Texas 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 shoreline course profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for sandy, rooted terrain over distance, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is a fast, mostly flat 50K by ultra standards, but do not expect an easy day. The Lake Somerville shoreline trail is gently rolling with some hard-packed rooted sections and a fair bit of sand and loose soil, which slows your legs down more than the modest elevation change would suggest. The 50K runs the marathon route twice, with a further stretch past the Wolf Pond aid station added on, so cumulative distance and footing, not climbing, are what test you here.
The course runs as a "lollipop": the 5K heads east and is the only distance that goes that direction, while the 10K, half marathon, and marathon head west along the shoreline. The 10K does an out-and-back loop, the half marathon extends that route further past the Wolf Pond aid station to a marked turnaround, and the marathon repeats the half marathon route twice. The 50K goes further still past Wolf Pond before turning back. Expect a mix of exposed shoreline stretches and fully canopied forest, with rooted and sandy sections throughout.
Early October in Central Texas can still run warm, and for the half and full marathon you need to be able to carry water for up to about 4 miles at a time between aid stations. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the marathon and 50K, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on the heat. Aid stations stock water, ice, gels, Tailwind, sodas, and fruit, with a fuller spread at the start/finish. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The final lap cutoff is 12:00 PM (you must be starting your last lap by then), and the course closes completely at 5:00 PM. With the 50K and marathon starting at 7:00 AM, that gives 10 hours total, which is a comfortable window for the largely flat, shoreline terrain.
Yes, at every aid station except Wolf Pond, which is only reachable by the course itself and not by road access. You or a crew member can drop ice chests, extra water, and food supplies at the accessible stations before you start, but the park is public-use, so items are not monitored and Tejas Trails is not responsible for anything left behind.
Yes, this is one of the friendlier 50K options in Texas for a first ultra. The mostly flat, non-technical shoreline terrain, the 10 hour window, and a finish line on the lake beach all make it approachable. Just respect the sandy and rooted sections, which sap more energy over 31 miles than the flat elevation profile alone would suggest.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/the-trailway">The The Trailway Trail Race 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.