Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 3:10 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 17. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
3 climbs · 1,053 ft totalbiggest firstAid stations as published on the course file
| Aid station | Mile | km |
|---|---|---|
| Start Line - Anthem Trailhead | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Apache Wash Aid | 6.3 | 10.1 |
| A Go John Aid | 12.0 | 19.3 |
| Finish Line | 15.3 | 24.6 |
Badge colours match the markers on the map above — always confirm locations and cutoffs with the race organizer.
Race director? Check this course and correct anything that’s off, and it carries a ✓ verified by the race badge everywhere it appears, including the free map embed for your own site. Claim your course.
Ran this course and something’s off — an aid station moved, a reroute, a wrong number? Report it and we’ll chase it down; fixes land for every runner (and count toward the race’s verified badge).
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 78°F at the start, with a low of 63°.
| Year | Start °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Oct 17 | 78°/63° | 0.17in | 17mph |
race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line.
Reviews what runners who have been there say
No reviews yet — be the first to run it and tell other runners what to expect.
About this course
Cave Creek Thriller 24K — 2026 covers 15.3 mi (24.6 km) with 1,711 ft of elevation gain through Arizona, United States. That is about 112 ft per mile of climbing, and 1,517 ft of descent. The course tops out at 2,516 ft and bottoms out at 1,857 ft. The surface is 98% trail and 2% paved. There are 2 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 6.3 mi. The profile has 3 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 5.8, +440 ft over 2.6 mi at 3.2% on average (steepest stretch 17%). Race day is October 17, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:35 AM and sets at 5:53 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 85°F and a low of 63°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.
Load the course in the TrailGoat Run Planner for grade-adjusted pacing, climb-by-climb splits, hourly weather and a full hydration & fueling plan — free, no account needed.
Race director? — one line of HTML, always up to date.
Course history
- Sep 3, 2026Added to the catalog
Races like this one close in distance, climbing, terrain, altitude, weather and season
More race courses
- Whiskey Basin Trail Runs 91K — 202757.9 mi · Arizona, United States
- El Jefe 100 100 Miler — 2027100.9 mi · Arizona, United States
- Arizona Monster 300 300 Miler — 2027288.9 mi · Arizona, United States
- Crown King Scramble 50K — 202731.0 mi · Arizona, United States
- Mesquite Canyon 50 Miler — 202749.7 mi · Arizona, United States
- Antelope Canyon Ultras 50 Mile — 202751.7 mi · Arizona, United States
Not seeing the race you came for? — most are live within a day.