Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 6:20 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Oct 10 · dark at the start until mi 0.1. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
biggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 1,008ft | +56% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 645ft | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| A Start finish aid station | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| A Ivanhoe AS 1/2 | 17.7 | 28.5 |
| Aid station | 31.3 | 50.4 |
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 10 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Oct 10 ±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 60°F at the start, with a low of 52°.
| Year | Start °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Oct 10 | 60°/52° | 0.43in | 15mph |
Next race day Sat, Oct 9, 2027 · 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.
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
Virginia Trail Running Festival 50k — 2026 covers 31.3 mi (50.4 km) with 1,008 ft of elevation gain through Virginia, United States. That is about 32 ft per mile of climbing, and 1,021 ft of descent. The course tops out at 2,116 ft and bottoms out at 1,923 ft. The surface is 87% gravel and 13% paved. There are 2 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 17.6 mi. Race day is October 10, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 7:27 AM and sets at 6:55 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 70°F and a low of 50°F, with a 31% 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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Course history
- Sep 3, 2026Added to the catalog
Races like this one close in distance, climbing, terrain, altitude, weather and season
- Virginia Trail Race 50k31 mi · 32 ft/mi · VASame distance · Similar climbing · Similar terrain
- Water Gap 50k and Half — 2026Sep · 31 mi · 44 ft/mi · PASimilar terrain · Same distance · Similar weather
- Virginia Trail Running Festival 50 Miler — 2026Oct · 50 mi · 27 ft/mi · VASimilar terrain · Similar weather · Similar climbing
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