⏵ Course guide · Flat New River rail-to-trail
Run Bum Tours runs its 100 Mile, 50 Mile, 50K, and 25K along the New River Trail, a 57-mile crushed gravel rail-to-trail corridor that stays mostly flat alongside the New River through peak fall colors. I will walk you through the course first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a long, runnable day rather than a mountain climb. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Run Bum Tours event page and UltraSignup. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and aid stations before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
All four distances run on the New River Trail, a crushed gravel and dirt path built on an old rail bed, with elevation change so minimal that Run Bum Tours calls this course "extremely runnable, maybe too runnable."
The trail runs right alongside the New River for most of its length, crossing several historic train trestles hundreds of feet long over the water. Foster Falls, with its rapids and rushing water, is one of the scenic highlights along the way. Racing in October means peak fall colors, orange and yellow leaves lighting up the river valley above its rapids.
This is about as flat as ultra courses get: roughly 2,000 feet of gain or less across the entire 100 Mile, scaling down proportionally for the shorter distances. If you are chasing a personal record or attempting your first ultra at any distance, the minimal elevation change removes one of the biggest variables that usually slows finish times.
Aid stations come roughly every 5 to 8 miles, and the rail-to-trail setup gives crews real access at multiple points along the corridor. That combination, frequent aid plus easy crew support, is part of why this event markets itself directly at runners chasing a 100 mile finish or a sub-24-hour buckle.
With minimal elevation change, pacing here is less about managing climbs and more about managing your own effort and fueling discipline over a long, steady grind.
It is tempting to bank time early on a runnable surface like this, but the flat terrain means there is no forced recovery on descents the way there is on a mountain course. A steady, even pace target across the whole distance holds up better here than a fast-start, hang-on-later approach.
If you are chasing the 100 Mile buckle, a finish prediction built off your actual early pace tells you far more than a generic road ultra time. Check it against your target early in the race, while the aid station cutoffs still give you room to adjust.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
With frequent aid every 5 to 8 miles and generous crew access, this course gives you more chances than most to stay on top of your intake rather than gambling on long gaps between stops.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and use the frequent aid stations to keep that intake consistent across the full distance. Because the terrain is not forcing big swings in effort, your carb needs should stay fairly constant hour to hour compared to a mountain race.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, leaning higher if the October day runs warm in southwest Virginia. With crew access built into the course, this is also an easy race to fine-tune your intake mid-race based on how you are actually feeling.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a long October day on the New River Trail 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 near-flat course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a long runnable day, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Run Bum Tours calls it "an extremely runnable, maybe too runnable course," and the numbers back that up: the 100 Mile carries only about 2,000 feet of gain or less along the New River Trail, a 57-mile rail-to-trail corridor that runs mostly flat or at about a 1% grade. That makes this one of the more approachable places to attempt a 100 mile finish or chase a personal record at any of the four distances, though 100 miles is still 100 miles no matter how flat the trail is underneath you.
The 100 Mile carries roughly 2,000 feet of gain or less, the 50 Mile about 1,700 feet, the 50K about 1,100 to 1,170 feet, and the 25K about 700 to 725 feet, all "ish" per Run Bum Tours since the course sits on a rail-to-trail bed with minimal elevation change throughout. This is about as flat as ultra courses get.
With minimal climbing, pacing tends to stay steadier here than on a mountain course, which makes a consistent per-hour fueling plan easier to execute. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting for October weather that can still run warm during the day in southwest Virginia. Aid stations come roughly every 5 to 8 miles with generous crew access along the New River Trail, so use that frequency to stay on your numbers rather than carrying excess between stops. Build your baseline with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
The 100 Mile carries a 33 hour cutoff, the 50 Mile 16 hours, the 50K 12 hours, and the 25K 6 hours. All races also have individual aid station cutoffs published on the official race site, so pace to those interim splits rather than only the final deadline.
The course runs along the New River Trail, a 57-mile rail-to-trail path of crushed gravel and dirt, much of it right alongside the New River. You will cross several historic train trestles stretching hundreds of feet over the river, and pass Foster Falls with its rapids and waterfalls. October brings peak fall colors to the corridor, with orange and yellow foliage lighting up the river valley. Elevation change is minimal throughout.
Yes, this is one of the more beginner-friendly 100 mile options out there. Run Bum Tours markets it directly at first-timers and PR chasers: minimal elevation gain, a runnable crushed gravel surface, frequent aid every 5 to 8 miles, generous crew access, and a 33 hour cutoff on the 100 Mile. The challenge becomes almost entirely about time on feet and mental endurance rather than technical terrain or vertical gain, which is exactly what makes it approachable for a first attempt at the distance.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/virginia-trail-running-festival">The Virginia Trail Running Festival 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.