Cowboy 200 — 2026 — Course Map, Elevation Profile & Aid Stations

Course map, elevation profile & surface

Distance

199.1mi

Elev gain

1,630ft

Elev loss

575ft

High point

2,733ft

Low point

1,503ft

Surface

95% gravel

Drawing the course…

The course file didn’t load.Usually a hiccup. The stats above are still right.

Race-day light

In the dark

36%

Sunrise

7:21am

Sunset

7:23pm

Headlamp from

64mi

For a 40:00 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Sep 25 · headlamp mi 64–119. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.

Climbs

1 climb · 948 ft totalbiggest first

Pick a climb to find it on the profile and the map.

Elevation gain, measured two ways

Source	Gain	vs lidar
Course file (GPX)	1,630ft	-16%
USGS lidar, 1 m	1,945ft	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
A Battle Creek Aid	10.1	16.2
A Meadow Grove H2O	17.1	27.5
A Tilden Fire Aid	22.5	36.2
A Oakdale H2O	29.8	47.9
A Historic Neligh Mill Aid	38.2	61.5
A H20	43.4	69.8
A H2O	54.2	87.2
A HWY Crossing	63.9	102.8
A Ewing Aid	64.1	103.2
A Inman H2O	77.3	124.3
A ONeill Aid	85.1	137.0
A Emmet H2O	93.3	150.1
A HWY Crossing	103.5	166.6
A Atkinson Aid	103.6	166.7
A HWY Crossing	112.9	181.6
A 200 Crew Parking	113.3	182.4
A Stuart Aid	113.3	182.4
A Newport H2O	123.2	198.3
A Bassett Fire Aid	134.6	216.6
A HWY Crossing	141.9	228.3
A Long Pine Bunkhouse Aid	144.0	231.7
A Ainsworth Aid	151.7	244.1
A Johnstown H2O	163.3	262.8
A HWY Crossing	164.1	264.1
A Wood Lake Aid	173.9	279.8
A Arabia H2O & Snacks	183.6	295.4
Finish Bolo Beer Co	199.1	320.4

Badge colours match the markers on the map above — always confirm locations and cutoffs with the race organizer.

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Nobody from Cowboy 200 — 2026 has checked this course yet — it’s built from what the race published. Ask them to:Email your race director

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Conditions typical race-day weather for Sep 25 at the start

Typical high

75°F

Typical low

54°F

Chance of rain

17%

2025 high

82°F

Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Sep 25 ±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 63°F at the start, with a low of 59°.

Year	Start °F	High point °F	Rain	Wind
2026 Sep 25	63°/59°	66°/58°	0.52in	13mph

Next race day Fri, Sep 24, 2027 · 7:00 AM start

First lightsunrise 7:20 am

6:52am

Last lightsunset 7:26 pm

7:54pm

Moonwaning crescent, up from 1:43 am

30% lit

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.

race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line and the course high point (2,733 ft).

Reviews what runners who have been there say

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About this course

Cowboy 200 — 2026 covers 199.1 mi (320.4 km) with 1,630 ft of elevation gain through Nebraska, United States. That is about 8 ft per mile of climbing, and 575 ft of descent. The course tops out at 2,733 ft and bottoms out at 1,503 ft. The surface is 95% gravel and 5% paved. There are 26 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 15.5 mi. The profile has 1 sustained climb; the only one is the climb to Arabia H2O & Snacks, +948 ft over 130.9 mi at 0.1% on average (steepest stretch 3%). Race day is September 25, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:21 AM and sets at 7:23 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 75°F and a low of 54°F, with a 17% 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.

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