Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 6:55 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 31 · dark at the start until mi 1.0. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
8 climbs · 3,239 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 6,495ft | +36% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 4,779ft | 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 - Wyeth | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A Aid Stn 1 - Peregrination (water only) | 5.2 | 8.4 |
| A Aid Stn 2 - Cascade Locks | 11.4 | 18.3 |
| A Aid Stn 3/4 - Wahclella | 16.9 | 27.2 |
| Finish - Marine Park | 30.9 | 49.8 |
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 Oct 31 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Oct 31 ±3 days at the start line; a wet day has 1 mm of rain or more. Historical weather from Open-Meteo.
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Thunder River 50K — 2026 covers 30.9 mi (49.8 km) with 6,495 ft of elevation gain. That is about 210 ft per mile of climbing, and 6,564 ft of descent. The course tops out at 985 ft and bottoms out at 66 ft. The surface is 77% trail, 17% paved and 5% gravel. There are 3 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 14.0 mi. The profile has 8 sustained climbs; the biggest is the climb from mi 0.1, +780 ft over 3.0 mi at 4.9% on average (steepest stretch 22%). Race day is October 31, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:46 AM and sets at 5:57 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 55°F and a low of 43°F, with a 60% 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 10, 2026Added to the catalog
Races like this one close in distance, climbing, terrain, altitude, weather and season
- Green Monster Trail Challenge — 2026Oct · 32 mi · 210 ft/mi · PASimilar climbing · Mostly trail · Same distance
- Perpetua Coast — 2026Oct · 30 mi · 208 ft/mi · ORSame distance · Similar climbing · Mostly trail
- Georgia Sky to Summit 50K — 2026Oct · 30 mi · 209 ft/mi · GASimilar climbing · Same distance · Mostly trail
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