Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 7:05 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM May 2. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
10 climbs · 5,207 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 6,668ft | +7% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 6,223ft | 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 29, 2026. The planner still uses the course file.
Aid stations as published on the course file
| Aid station | Mile | km |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Saddle AS | 6.3 | 10.1 |
| A Dimple AS | 9.4 | 15.2 |
| A Narnia AS | 14.2 | 22.9 |
| A McCulloch AS | 20.0 | 32.1 |
| Finish | 31.9 | 51.3 |
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 May 2 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for May 2 ±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 66°F at the start, with a low of 45°.
| Year | Start °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 May 2 | 66°/45° | dry | 7mph |
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
McDonald Forest — 2026 covers 31.9 mi (51.3 km) with 6,668 ft of elevation gain. That is about 209 ft per mile of climbing, and 6,607 ft of descent. The course tops out at 2,159 ft and bottoms out at 630 ft. There are 4 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 11.9 mi. The profile has 10 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 14.5, +1,266 ft over 2.7 mi at 9.0% on average (steepest stretch 23%). Race day is May 2, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:02 AM and sets at 8:19 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 62°F and a low of 43°F, with a 39% 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
- Oct 29, 2026Added to the catalog
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