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⏵ Course guide · Central New York ultra

Virgil Crest Ultras Course Guide

Virgil Crest is a weekend of ultras at Hope Lake Park near Virgil in Cortland County, built on an out-and-back course that gets doubled for the 100 mile, one of the only true 100-mile races in New York State. The 100 stacks up somewhere around 20,000 to 22,000 feet of climbing depending on the source, and you hit the steepest terrain, at the Greek Peak ski slopes, twice. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for repeated climbing and a long clock. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

Virgil Crest quick facts

Date
Mid-September (2026: Saturday, September 12)
Location
Hope Lake Park near Virgil, Cortland County, NY (Greek Peak)
Distances
100 mile marquee, plus 100K, 50 mile, 50K, and a 100-mile relay
Elevation gain
100 mile: sources conflict, roughly 20,000 ft on one accounting, upwards of 22,000 ft on another. 50 mile: roughly 10,000 ft. Confirm on the official site
Cutoffs
50 mile: 16.5 hours · 100 mile: 36 hours · relay: 28 hours
Course format
Out-and-back course, doubled for the 100 mile, steepest near the Greek Peak ski slopes

These facts come from the official Happily Running race site. Check the current date, cutoffs, and elevation profile in the race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: an out-and-back, doubled for the 100

Virgil Crest runs out-and-back from Hope Lake Park, and the 100 mile distance is that route doubled. Of the one-way route, about 44.5 of roughly 89 miles are hilly singletrack, with the rest split between forest road and short paved sections. The steepest climbing sits at the Greek Peak ski slopes.

Two passes at the same terrain

Because the 100 mile is the same out-and-back run twice, you know exactly what is coming the second time through, which some runners find mentally easier than an unfamiliar point-to-point course. But it cuts both ways: the steepest section, at the Greek Peak ski slopes, hits you again on tired legs late in the race, and there is no fresh terrain to distract from how you are feeling.

The elevation gain for the full 100 is genuinely disputed between sources, somewhere around 20,000 feet on one accounting and upwards of 22,000 feet on another. Either way, that is a serious amount of vert for an out-and-back format, and you should plan for the higher end rather than get caught underestimating it.

Mostly hilly singletrack, with the ski slopes as the crux

Most of the one-way route, roughly 44.5 of 89 miles, is hilly singletrack through Cortland County terrain, with forest road and some pavement filling in the rest. It is a mixed-surface course rather than a technical rock-scramble like the Catskills ultras further east, but the climbing is real and it is constant.

The Greek Peak ski slopes are the steepest part of the course by a clear margin. Respect them on the way out so you have legs to get back up them on the way in, especially on the 100 where you face them a second time.

A long clock, and an overnight effort for the 100

The 100 mile has a 36-hour cutoff, which for most finishers means running through at least one night. Between the overnight logistics and the doubled climbing, pacing patience matters more here than raw speed. The 50 mile, at roughly 10,000 feet of gain and a 16.5-hour cutoff, is the more approachable entry point if you are not ready for the full 100.

Pacing strategy for a doubled, climbing-heavy course

With somewhere around 20,000 to 22,000 feet of gain on the 100 mile and the steepest terrain hit twice, Virgil Crest punishes an aggressive first pass more than most single-direction courses do.

Ration your legs for the second pass

Because the 100 mile repeats the same route, every hard effort on the way out is a debt you pay on the way back, especially at the Greek Peak ski slopes. Hold a grade-adjusted effort on the climbs from the start, not a pace that only works once. Runners who treat the outbound leg as a controlled effort instead of a race tend to have far better second halves here.

Build a finish window around the higher vert estimate

Given the conflict between the roughly 20,000-foot and upwards-of-22,000-foot figures for the 100, build your finish prediction off the higher end so you are not caught short against the 36-hour cutoff. A vert-aware finish prediction that accounts for real climbing, not a flat-pace guess, gives you an honest read on how much overnight buffer you actually have.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for an overnight, out-and-back 100

An out-and-back format means you pass the same drop bag and crew points repeatedly, which changes how you should plan fueling compared to a point-to-point race with one-shot aid.

Carbs: plan for daytime and overnight appetite

Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour while you can stomach it, and expect your appetite to drop overnight if you are still moving after dark on the 100. Use the repeated access to your drop bags, since you pass the same points more than once, to rotate flavors and textures instead of forcing down the same gel for 36 hours.

Sodium and fluid: plan around repeated crew access

Sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range covers most runners, scaled to heat and your own sweat rate. Take advantage of the out-and-back format to restock fully at your crewed points rather than trying to carry everything for the whole leg. Weigh yourself before and after a long training run to find your real sweat rate and build your plan around that number.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and the doubled climbing 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 course’s doubled climb profile, and your projected splits through an overnight effort. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for repeated climbing at real vert, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

Virgil Crest Ultras FAQ

How hard is Virgil Crest?

Virgil Crest is a serious mountain ultra and one of the only 100-mile races in New York State, which alone tells you something. The course is an out-and-back at Hope Lake Park near Virgil, doubled for the 100 mile distance, mostly hilly singletrack with some forest road and pavement, and the steepest terrain comes at the Greek Peak ski slopes. With a 36-hour cutoff for the 100 and repeated climbing through the same terrain twice, this is a race about managing fatigue and pacing patience over raw speed.

How much climbing is in Virgil Crest?

This is genuinely unsettled for the 100 mile. One accounting puts the 100-mile gain at roughly 20,000 feet, while another source describes it as upwards of 22,000 feet. The 50 mile, which forms half of the out-and-back course, comes in at roughly 10,000 feet of gain. Treat the 100-mile number as a range in that neighborhood and confirm the current course profile before you race off it. Either way, the steepest sections sit at the Greek Peak ski slopes, and you hit them twice on the 100.

How should I fuel for Virgil Crest?

For the 100 mile, plan for an effort that could run close to the full 36-hour cutoff depending on your pace, which means overnight fueling and sleep management are as important as calories. Most runners do well on roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range depending on heat and sweat rate. Because the course is an out-and-back doubled for the 100, you will see your drop bags and any crew access repeatedly, so build a fueling plan around that rhythm rather than a point-to-point race’s one-shot aid stations. Run your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for Virgil Crest?

The 50 mile has a 16.5-hour cutoff, the 100 mile has 36 hours, and the 100-mile relay has 28 hours. With roughly 20,000 or more feet of climbing packed into the 100-mile distance, the 36-hour window is generous but not unlimited, especially once you factor in an overnight effort and the fatigue of covering steep terrain twice. Confirm any intermediate cutoffs in the current race-day details.

What is the terrain like at Virgil Crest?

The course is an out-and-back at Hope Lake Park near Virgil, doubled for the 100-mile distance, so you cover the same ground twice. Of the roughly 89 miles that make up the one-way route, about 44.5 miles are hilly singletrack, with the rest split between forest road and some pavement. The steepest, most demanding terrain sits at the Greek Peak ski slopes, and for 100-mile runners that means hitting the steepest climbing on tired legs on the return trip too.

Is Virgil Crest a good first 100 miler?

It is a legitimate but demanding option, and part of its appeal is scarcity: true 100-mile races in New York are rare. The out-and-back format means you know the terrain the second time through, which some first-time 100-mile runners find mentally easier than an unknown point-to-point course, but roughly 20,000-plus feet of climbing and a course that repeats its steepest section twice are not a beginner’s introduction to the distance. Come in with 50-mile finishes and real vert in your legs before you target the 100.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and elevation figures come from public sources and can change or vary year to year, and the 100-mile course in particular has conflicting published elevation gain figures, 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.