⏵ Course guide · High-elevation Utah mountain race
Tushars Mountain Runs starts around 10,500 ft at Eagle Point Resort and sends every distance up Delano Peak, 12,174 ft, the high point of the Tushar Mountains. I will walk you through why this Aravaipa Running event has a reputation as one of the toughest high-altitude mountain races around, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for the 100K, 70K, Marathon, or Half Marathon. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from public race research and the event organizer, Aravaipa Running. Check the current year details before you commit. Race logistics can change year to year.
Every distance shares the same starting point at Eagle Point Resort, around 10,500 ft, an altitude many runners never actually train at, let alone race hard through.
From the Half Marathon up to the 100K, every distance at Tushars Mountain Runs climbs Delano Peak, 12,174 ft and the highest point in the Tushar Mountains. That shared crux means even the shorter distances get a genuine taste of the mountain, not a watered-down version of the longer race.
The 100K carries roughly 17,000 ft of total elevation gain, a serious mountain-ultra total combined with a starting elevation already above 10,000 ft. This is one of the reasons the race has built a reputation as one of the toughest high-elevation events in the country.
Aravaipa Running, an established mountain and trail race organizer, puts on Tushars Mountain Runs at Eagle Point Resort near Beaver, Utah. Detailed aid station, cutoff, and course-map information was not available from the sources used to build this guide, so confirm those specifics on the official event page before race day.
Starting near 10,500 ft changes your pacing math before you even reach the climb up Delano Peak. Effort should replace pace as your primary gauge for most of this course.
At a 10,500 ft starting elevation, your normal training paces will feel considerably harder, especially in the first miles before you settle in. Use a race-time prediction as a rough baseline, then plan to run by perceived effort on the climbs rather than chasing a fixed pace target.
With that much cumulative gain on top of a high starting elevation, break the 100K into manageable climbing segments in your head rather than treating it as one continuous grind. The same logic applies at a smaller scale to the 70K, Marathon, and Half Marathon.
⏵ Free tools to plan your effort
Aid station locations and counts were not available from the sources used for this guide, so plan a self-sufficient carry strategy you can adjust once you have the official athlete guide.
A reasonable starting point for a high-elevation 100K with roughly 17,000 ft of gain is 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while moving and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusted for the dry, high-altitude conditions of an early August day in the Tushars.
Starting near 10,500 ft increases fluid loss through faster breathing and drier air, on top of whatever effort and heat you would normally plan for. Build in a slightly higher fluid target than you would use at a sea-level race of similar length.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and high-elevation conditions 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 training plan built around YOUR fitness and a start near 10,500 ft with a climb up Delano Peak on every distance. Summit Line reads your real training, builds the altitude and vertical durability this course demands, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
This is one of the toughest high-elevation mountain races in the country. You start around 10,500 ft, already higher than most runners train, and every distance, from the Half Marathon up to the 100K, climbs Delano Peak at 12,174 ft, the highest point in the Tushar Mountains. The 100K alone carries roughly 17,000 ft of gain, a genuinely mountainous total for an ultra of that length.
Roughly 17,000 ft of gain across the 100K distance, on a course that starts near 10,500 ft and climbs Delano Peak, 12,174 ft. That combination of high starting altitude and sustained vertical gain makes this a serious mountain ultra, not a fast, runnable course.
Aid station and finish cutoffs were not available from the sources used to build this guide. Check the official Aravaipa Running event page for the current-year cutoff schedule before you commit to a distance.
No, not as a first ultra. Starting near 10,500 ft and climbing a 12,174 ft peak on every distance demands real altitude experience and mountain fitness. If you already have high-elevation ultras or big vertical days under your belt and want a genuinely tough test, this is a well-regarded Aravaipa Running event built for exactly that.
With a start around 10,500 ft, altitude is a real factor even before you consider the climb to Delano Peak. If you do not live or train at elevation, arrive a few days early if your schedule allows, hydrate deliberately, and expect your normal paces to feel harder than they would at sea level, especially in the first miles.
Four options: a 100K, a 70K, a Marathon, and a Half Marathon, all sharing the same high-elevation start at Eagle Point Resort and the climb up Delano Peak, scaled to how much of the course each distance covers.
Link this guide
Race directors and clubs: link or embed this guide anywhere. It stays current.
<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/tushars-mountain-runs">The Tushars Mountain Runs course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/tushars-mountain-runs" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Tushars Mountain Runs course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course, cutoffs, and logistics 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.
The timeline
Get the week-by-week countdown for this race: when to build, when to peak, when to taper.
One email with the timeline, plus training notes for this race. Unsubscribe any time.