Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 10:20 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Dec 5. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
3 climbs · 1,081 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 3,611ft | +6% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 3,412ft | 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.
Conditions typical race-day weather for Dec 5 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Dec 5 ±3 days at the start line; a wet day has 1 mm of rain or more. Historical weather from Open-Meteo.
Race almanac the sky on race day
Next race day Sat, Dec 5, 2026 · 7:00 AM start
First and last light are civil twilight, the sun 6° below the horizon. The moon is lit as at midnight after the start; headlamp hours count a typical finish from the start while the sun is below civil twilight. Worked out for the start line.
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Colossal-Vail 50/50 50 Miler — 2026 covers 50.2 mi (80.8 km) with 3,611 ft of elevation gain through Arizona, United States. That is about 72 ft per mile of climbing, and 3,547 ft of descent. The course tops out at 4,114 ft and bottoms out at 3,221 ft. The surface is 100% trail. The profile has 3 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 9.4, +539 ft over 6.4 mi at 1.6% on average (steepest stretch 14%). Race day is December 5, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:10 AM and sets at 5:19 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 64°F and a low of 44°F, with a 9% 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
- Sep 3, 2026Added to the catalog
Races like this one close in distance, climbing, terrain, altitude, weather and season
- AZT Oracle Rumble 50 Miler — 2027Jan · 50 mi · 72 ft/mi · AZSame distance · Similar climbing · Mostly trail
- Elephant Mountain 50 Miler — 2027Feb · 50 mi · 104 ft/mi · AZSame distance · Mostly trail · Similar weather
- The Bear Chase 100K — 2026Oct · 50 mi · 62 ft/mi · COMostly trail · Same distance · Similar climbing
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