Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 6:30 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 17. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
4 climbs · 1,591 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 2,262ft | -11% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 2,552ft | 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 24, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.
Aid stations as published on the course file
| Aid station | Mile | km |
|---|---|---|
| Start- Agua Fria TH | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Deadman Wash Aid | 9.3 | 15.0 |
| A Anthem Aid | 16.1 | 25.9 |
| A Apache Wash Aid | 22.4 | 36.0 |
| A Go John Aid | 28.0 | 45.0 |
| Finish Line | 31.3 | 50.4 |
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.
Race almanac 1 year of this race
Past editions
On race day it reached 76°F at the start, with a low of 62°.
| Year | Start °F | High point °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Oct 17 | 76°/62° | 74°/61° | 0.10in | 19mph |
race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line and the course high point (2,497 ft).
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Cave Creek Thriller — 2026 covers 31.3 mi (50.4 km) with 2,262 ft of elevation gain through Arizona, United States. That is about 72 ft per mile of climbing, and 1,626 ft of descent. The course tops out at 2,497 ft and bottoms out at 1,444 ft. The surface is 100% trail. There are 4 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 9.3 mi. The profile has 4 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb to Apache Wash Aid, +564 ft over 16.0 mi at 0.7% on average (steepest stretch 9%). Race day is October 17, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:36 AM and sets at 5:54 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 87°F and a low of 65°F, with a 6% 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
- Javelina Jangover Night Runs — 2026Sep · 30 mi · 55 ft/mi · AZMostly trail · Same distance · Similar climbing
- Wild Florida 50kNov · 30 mi · 62 ft/mi · FLSame distance · Mostly trail · Similar climbing
- Lost Souls Trail Run 50k — 2026Oct · 30 mi · 78 ft/miSame distance · Similar climbing · Similar weather
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