Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 10:25 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 17. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
8 climbs · 5,197 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 7,108ft | -14% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 8,239ft | 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.
Aid stations as published on the course file
| Aid station | Mile | km |
|---|---|---|
| Aid Station - Mi. 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Aid Station - Mi. 10 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| A Aid Station-Mi.15 | 31.8 | 51.2 |
| A Finish | 41.6 | 66.9 |
| A Aid Station - Mi. 29.5 | 41.6 | 66.9 |
| A Aid Station - Mi. 24 | 44.3 | 71.3 |
| A Aid Station-Mi. 18.5 | 44.9 | 72.2 |
Badge colours match the markers on the map above — always confirm locations and cutoffs with the race organizer.
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Conditions typical race-day weather for Oct 17 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Oct 17 ±3 days at the start line; a wet day has 1 mm of rain or more. Historical weather from Open-Meteo.
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Cactus to Cloud Sky Race — 2026 covers 45.4 mi (73.1 km) with 7,108 ft of elevation gain through New Mexico, United States. That is about 157 ft per mile of climbing, and 7,040 ft of descent. The course tops out at 9,606 ft and bottoms out at 7,680 ft. The surface is 79% trail, 14% gravel and 2% paved. There are 6 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 31.6 mi. The profile has 8 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 10.8, +1,680 ft over 3.6 mi at 8.8% on average (steepest stretch 22%). Race day is October 17, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:09 AM and sets at 6:29 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 58°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
- Run Rabbit Run 50 Miler — 2026Sep · 49 mi · 156 ft/mi · COSimilar climbing · Same distance · High altitude
- Flagstaff Sky Peaks — 2026Sep · 49 mi · 153 ft/mi · AZSimilar climbing · Same distance · Similar weather
- Crested Butte Ultra — 2026Sep · 48 mi · 181 ft/mi · COSame distance · High altitude · Similar climbing
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