⏵ Course guide · Central Connecticut
The Traprock 50 sends its field around three loops of the Metacomet Trail through Penwood State Park in Bloomfield, Connecticut, half rocky technical singletrack, half rolling doubletrack, with the notorious power line hill on every lap. I will walk you through the loop and terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a cupless, three-loop New England 50K, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official UltraSignup registration page. Check the current year details and cutoffs before you commit; race logistics can change year to year.
The 50K covers three loops of roughly 10.5 to 11 miles each on the Metacomet Trail; the 17K covers one loop of the same course. About half the terrain is technical singletrack that can be extremely rocky, the rest rolling forest roads and doubletrack.
CT Trailmixers are direct that the course does not change year to year, power line hill included. Learning where the technical sections and the hill sit on your first loop pays off on loops two and three, when tired legs make rocky footing much less forgiving.
Traprock runs cupless to cut waste and cost, so plan to carry your own cup or handheld bottle through the whole day. This is a small logistics detail that matters: show up without one and you will be improvising at every aid stop.
A 9 hour cutoff over three loops works out to roughly 3 hours per loop on average, but your early loops should bank time, not spend it.
Technical, rocky singletrack punishes tired legs far more than fresh ones, so an aggressive first loop borrows directly from what you need for loop three. A grade-adjusted pace target for the rocky sections and the power line hill gives you an honest number for what you can actually repeat three times.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Mid-April in central Connecticut is usually mild, but bring a fueling plan built for a full 9 hour window, not just a good day.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on how the day runs. Because the race is cupless, bring your own bottle or cup and use each loop's aid access to top off deliberately rather than improvising.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight and your goal time 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 three-loop rocky New England course, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for repeated technical singletrack, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
The Traprock 50 runs three loops of roughly 10.5 to 11 miles each on the Metacomet Trail through Penwood State Park in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Half the course is technical singletrack, extremely rocky in places, and the rest is rolling forest road and doubletrack, including a climb locals call the power line hill. Race organizers themselves suggest you should only enter if you have completed a recent road or trail marathon, which is a fair read on the difficulty: this is a legitimate test of trail fitness and mental stamina, not a beginner's first ultra.
The 50K covers three loops of a roughly 10.5-11 mile course, and the 17K covers one loop of the same route. About half the terrain is technical Metacomet Trail singletrack, the rest rolling doubletrack or forest road, with no changes planned to the course including the notorious power line hill climb. Because it is a loop format, you pass through the start-finish area after every lap, which simplifies drop bags and crew logistics compared to a point-to-point course.
Mid-April in central Connecticut is usually mild, but weather on rolling New England trail can still swing, so build a flexible plan. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range depending on the day's conditions. This is a cupless race, so bring your own cup or handheld bottle to use at aid throughout the day. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 50K has a 9 hour cutoff from its 8:30 AM start. With three loops to complete, that works out to roughly 3 hours per loop on average, so an even pace across all three laps gives you more margin than a fast first loop followed by a fade.
Race organizers are direct about this: you should only consider entering if you are confident you have sufficient running experience, such as a recent road or trail marathon finish. The three-loop format is friendly for a first ultra in some ways, frequent access to the start-finish area for crew and drop bags, but the technical, rocky Metacomet Trail singletrack and rolling terrain across three repeated loops make this a genuine step up rather than an easy introduction. If you have marathon fitness and some technical trail experience, the 9 hour cutoff gives a well-prepared first-timer real room to finish.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/traprock-50">The Traprock 50 course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/traprock-50" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Traprock 50 course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and rules 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.