Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay

50 Mile & 50 Mile Relay Course Details (point-to-point course): 

Our 50 mile route will be very similar to our first two years.  A good variation of road, gravel road and trail.  The route has a few big climbs and rollers, along with long sections of flat trail.  As with all trails the conditions will depend on the weather leading up to race day.  These trails are all very wide and well groomed, but can get muddy easily with rain.  The course has a total elevation gain of 4700 ft over 50 miles.   This unique course offers tons of amazing views and unique opportunities to explore.  Please check out the course guide for a detailed breakdown of the course and click here for a map with elevation charts.  

The 50 mile relay can be run with 2, 3, or 4 people. With 5 relay hand off points, athletes can run it in any order and run as many or as few legs as they want as long as each member of the team runs at least one. 

55K Course Details (out-and-back course): 

The 55 Kilometer course for Highball to Thurmond is an out and back race from Thurmond, West Virginia.  Athletes will have an opportunity to see some amazing views along the New River.  95% of the course is on wide and well groomed trail.  If the weather holds up these are amazingly runnable trails.  We are currently working with the National Park on solidifying our 2024 Course.  We will either use the same course we have for the previous years, or we will be using a different course in 2024. We have added a big climb just before the turn around that brings runners up the epic rocks and stairs of  Kaymoor Miners Trail.  This changes the elevation gain from 2200 ft to 2600 ft.  Most of the course is flat to light rolling, with two big climbs on it.  This is a great first timers trail ultra with a generous cut off time and memorable views!

This will be a full daylight event starting and finishing in Thurmond, WV. Other than the first and last miles, this course takes participants completely along the New River Gorge Trails. With 2,000 feet of elevation gain, this course is both manageable and challenging. This trail 55K is well aided, extremely well marked, a great tune up race, and a beginner-friendly ultra with a very reasonable cutoff time! Finish before the train leaves to earn your medal, post race food, and awesome awards.