Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic Course Guide

YUTC is a 25K and 50K through Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio, now in its 22nd year. Mill Creek Park is the second-largest urban park in the United States behind only Central Park, built around three lakes connected by a meandering stream with waterfalls, and the race's single-track course threads through the most scenic corners of it, past Lanterman's Mill, the Covered Bridge, and Lake Newport.

The 2026 course description calls it single-track with rocks, roots, and short steep hills, 95% trail with only one road section, plus a rugged stream crossing added for this year. Each 25K loop carries about 1,397 feet of elevation gain, which the 50K doubles to roughly 2,794 feet across its two loops. Some sections are described as remote and seldom used, so this is a genuine technical trail test, not a groomed park path.

Both the 25K and 50K must finish by 4:30 PM. The 25K starts at 8:00 AM, giving 8.5 hours. The 50K starts earlier, at 7:30 AM, for a 9-hour overall window, but there is also a mid-race checkpoint: 50K runners must leave the start/finish area to begin their second loop by 12:30 PM, which functions as a 5-hour cutoff on the first loop.

The course starts at the Wick Recreation Area's Bresko Pavilion and runs clockwise around Mill Creek Park, past the Lily Pond and reflecting pool, over to the Pioneer Pavilion, across the Monkey Hills and a long boardwalk that spans a gorge, past the waterfall at Lanterman's Mill, and through the Covered Bridge to the first aid station. From there it loops counterclockwise around Lake Newport before returning to the Covered Bridge aid station a second time, then finishes clockwise past Chestnut Hill Pavilion and the Scholl Recreation Area, with the finish line uphill at Bresko Pavilion.

Mid-September in northeast Ohio is generally mild, but a 7:30 or 8:00 AM start still means climbing into the warmer part of the day by your later miles. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range. The Covered Bridge aid station, visited twice per loop, stocks fresh cut fruit, recently made sandwiches, hot cooked food, and snacks alongside water, Gatorade, and soda, giving you a real food option rather than just gels. Build your specific numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day.

The 25K is a reasonable first-ultra-distance target if you have some technical trail experience: a single loop, a generous 8.5-hour window, and two visits to a well-stocked aid station along the way. The 50K is a bigger step given the doubled elevation and the mid-race 12:30 PM checkpoint to start your second loop, so make sure your first-loop pace leaves real margin before committing. Either way, respect the "95% trail" terrain description: this is not a course to run on road-race expectations.