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JFK 50 Mile — 2026Trail race course50.8mi2,792ftNov 21

JFK 50 Mile — 2026

Race day · Nov 21, 2026

race day in 16 days

Plan this race
Course map, elevation profile & surface
Distance
50.8mi
Elev gain
2,792ft
Elev loss
2,894ft
High point
1,755ft
Low point
242ft
Drawing the course…

Race-day light

In the dark
1%
Sunrise
7:02am
Sunset
4:53pm
Headlamp from
The start

For a 10:25 finish (an estimate) · starting 6:30 AM Nov 21 · dark at the start until mi 0.3. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.

Climbs

3 climbs · 1,546 ft totalbiggest first
Pick a climb to find it on the profile and the map.

Elevation gain, measured two ways

SourceGainvs lidar
Course file (GPX)2,792ft+8%
USGS lidar, 1 m2,585ftreference

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 29, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.

Aid stations as published on the course file
Aid stationMilekm
A South Mountain Inn2.43.9
A Gathland Gap9.114.6
A Weverton15.524.9
A Antietam Aqueduct27.544.2
A Snyder's Landing34.956.2
A Taylor's Landing39.062.7
A Dam #442.468.2
A Downsville46.675.0

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.

Nobody from JFK 50 Mile — 2026 has checked this course yet — it’s built from what the race published. Ask them to:Email your race director

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 Nov 21 at the start
Typical high
49°F
Typical low
34°F
Chance of rain
27%
2025 high
56°F

Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Nov 21 ±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, Nov 21, 2026 · 6:30 AM start

First lightsunrise 7:02 am
6:33am
Last lightsunset 4:53 pm
5:22pm
Moonwaxing gibbous, up until 4:41 am
92% 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.

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

JFK 50 Mile — 2026 covers 50.8 mi (81.7 km) with 2,792 ft of elevation gain. That is about 55 ft per mile of climbing, and 2,894 ft of descent. The course tops out at 1,755 ft and bottoms out at 242 ft. There are 8 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 12.0 mi. The profile has 3 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 2.8, +780 ft over 2.6 mi at 5.6% on average (steepest stretch 17%). Race day is November 21, 2026, starting at 6:30 AM; the sun rises at 7:02 AM and sets at 4:53 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 49°F and a low of 34°F, with a 27% 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

  1. Oct 29, 2026Added to the catalog
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