⏵ Course guide · Virginia Creeper Trail 100
The Yeti 100 runs point-to-point on the Virginia Creeper Trail out of Abingdon, Virginia, crossing more than 120 trestles on America’s only National Scenic Rails to Trail. I will walk you through the terrain and the logistics first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a long, gentle-graded 100 miles rather than a technical mountain course. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Yeti Trail Runners event page. The race registers online and has sold out within minutes in recent years, so check the current year details before you commit.
The Yeti 100 runs the length of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a former rail corridor through the Appalachian mountains around Abingdon, crossing more than 120 trestles along the way. There is no on-site parking at the start; runners park in Abingdon and ride a shuttle to the start line.
Because the route follows an old rail line, the grades stay gentle and consistent rather than pitching into steep climbs. The race's own FAQ says road shoes are fine here, a clear signal that this is a fast, runnable course by 100-mile standards, even though the total elevation gain is not published.
The organizers describe the course as crew-friendly with access points throughout, and aid stations they call well-stocked, though exact mileage and menus are not published. Combined with pacers allowed from Mile 50 onward, this is a course built to be supportable, which matters over the 100-mile distance and the overnight hours most runners will spend on trail.
The race markets itself as the place "where first-timers find their ultra legs" and "speed demons chase sub-24 dreams," a real mix that shows up in the qualifying standards: a 50-mile finish within 12 months, a 100-mile finish within 2 years, or registration for a qualifying 50-mile or 24-hour event. Know which runner you are on race morning and pace accordingly, rather than getting pulled out too fast by a faster group nearby.
With mild grades and non-technical footing, the Yeti 100 is more about managing fatigue over 100 miles and a night on trail than surviving any single climb.
A course this runnable tempts an aggressive early pace. Because pacers only join at Mile 50, everything before that is on you alone, so bank effort rather than time in the first half. A steady, even pace across the gentle rail-trail grade sets up a stronger back half once your pacer joins.
Because pacers join at Green Cove (Mile 50), that handoff is a natural point to check a vert-aware finish prediction against your actual splits and adjust before the overnight hours, rather than discovering a pacing problem deep into the second half when it is harder to fix.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
An October start on the Virginia Creeper Trail means most runners cross into the overnight hours, with fueling demands that shift as the temperature drops after dark.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Because the course is fast and runnable by 100-mile standards, your stomach will likely tolerate more solid food and a higher intake rate than on a technical mountain course, so use that to your advantage rather than under-fueling out of habit.
Sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range covers most runners, leaning higher during the warmer daylight hours and adjusting down as temperatures drop overnight. Southwest Virginia in early October can still run warm and humid during the day before turning cool after dark, so build both conditions into your plan.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and an October day-into-night swing 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 rail-trail course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a fast, runnable 100, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It has a reputation as an accessible, fast 100 miler relative to mountain courses, since the Virginia Creeper Trail is a rail-trail corridor rather than a technical singletrack ridge. The race markets itself as "perfect for your first 100 or sub-24 quest," with crew-friendly access points and well-stocked aid throughout. That said, 100 miles is still 100 miles: the distance, the overnight hours, and the accumulated fatigue of the Creeper Trail's many trestle crossings are the real challenge here more than technical terrain.
The race runs point-to-point on the Virginia Creeper Trail, described by the organizers as America's only National Scenic Rails to Trail, with more than 120 trestle crossings along the way. Road shoes are fine for this course, according to the race's own FAQ, which tells you how non-technical the footing generally is compared to a mountain 100. The elevation profile is not published, but a former rail line by design holds gentle, consistent grades rather than steep pitches.
With most finishers on course well past sunset and into the overnight hours, plan for a long day and a real night on trail. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, adjusting for how warm and humid an early-October Virginia day and night run. The race describes its aid stations as well-stocked, but exact spacing and menus are not published on the pages we could confirm, so build your own per-hour plan rather than relying on aid alone. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.
Yes. Pacers are allowed starting at Mile 50, at the Green Cove aid station, and can swap mid-race as long as they check in at an aid station first. This is the only Yeti-organized race that allows pacers, according to the official FAQ, so if you are counting on pacer support for a first 100-mile finish, this course structure works in your favor.
Entry requires one of: a completed 50 mile within the past 12 months, a completed 100 mile within the past 2 years, or registration for a qualifying 50-mile or 24-hour event. Registration opens January 1 at 8:00 PM Eastern and the race has sold out within minutes in recent years, so have your qualifying result or registration ready before that window opens. The Yeti 100 is also the finale of the "From Start to Heart" series, a single $450 registration covering Troublesome Hollow 50K, the Dam Yeti 50 Miler, and the Yeti 100, limited to 50 series entrants.
The race markets itself directly at first-timers, citing crew-friendly access, well-stocked aid, and generally non-technical rail-trail terrain that does not demand mountain-running experience. If you have a qualifying 50-mile finish and are comfortable running through a full night, this is a reasonable first 100-mile target. The trade-off for the accessible terrain is that a fast field chasing sub-24 finishes will also be on course, so set your own pacing plan rather than getting pulled along by runners with a very different goal.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/yeti-100">The The Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/yeti-100" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="The Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>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.
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