Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 6:35 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 3. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
4 climbs · 1,952 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 3,923ft | +22% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 3,212ft | reference |
They differ because a GPS file picks up noise on every wiggle and often takes its heights from a coarse terrain model, while lidar maps the ground itself to about a metre. We sampled this route every 98 ft against USGS 3DEP and counted each rise of 10 ft or more, on Oct 23, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.
Conditions typical race-day weather for Oct 3 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Oct 3 ±3 days at the start line; a wet day has 1 mm of rain or more. Historical weather from Open-Meteo.
Race almanac 2 years of this race
Past editions
Race-day highs at the start ran from 64° to 69°F, and none of 2 race days was wet.
| Year | Start °F | High point °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Oct 3 | 69°/43° | 65°/40° | dry | 9mph |
| 2025 Oct 4 | 64°/44° | 61°/41° | dry | 19mph |
race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line and the course high point (9,462 ft).
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Above the Clouds Ultra — 2026 covers 28.7 mi (46.1 km) with 3,923 ft of elevation gain through Colorado, United States. That is about 137 ft per mile of climbing, and 3,920 ft of descent. The course tops out at 9,462 ft and bottoms out at 8,465 ft. The surface is 46% trail, 44% gravel and 8% paved. The profile has 4 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 0.1, +876 ft over 3.3 mi at 5.1% on average (steepest stretch 13%). Race day is October 3, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:59 AM and sets at 6:41 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 64°F and a low of 41°F, with a 21% chance of a wet day. The interactive map above shows the full route with its elevation profile and aid stations, built from the course's GPS file.
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Course history
- Jul 27, 2026Added to the catalog
Races like this one close in distance, climbing, terrain, altitude, weather and season
- Crested Butte Ultra 55K — 2026Sep · 32 mi · 149 ft/mi · COSimilar weather · Similar terrain · Same distance
- Crested Butte Ultra 35K — 2026Sep · 21 mi · 108 ft/mi · COSimilar weather · High altitude · Same state
- Sage Burner Trail Race — 2026Oct · 31 mi · 99 ft/mi · COSame distance · Similar weather · Same month
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