Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 10:35 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Nov 7. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
5 climbs · 2,395 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 5,390ft | +15% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 4,679ft | 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/Finish / Aid Station | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Zippity Aid Station | 4.4 | 7.0 |
| A Edge Aid Station | 13.8 | 22.2 |
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 Nov 7 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Nov 7 ±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 7, 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
Kessel Run Ultra 50 Miler — 2026 covers 50.4 mi (81.1 km) with 5,390 ft of elevation gain through Colorado, United States. That is about 107 ft per mile of climbing, and 5,384 ft of descent. The course tops out at 5,535 ft and bottoms out at 5,036 ft. The surface is 95% trail and 5% paved. There are 2 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 36.6 mi. The profile has 5 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 9.8, +495 ft over 5.8 mi at 1.6% on average (steepest stretch 15%). Race day is November 7, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:50 AM and sets at 5:08 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 58°F and a low of 36°F, with a 16% 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
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