Course map, elevation profile & surface
Fly the course
Follow the route over 3D terrain, mile by mile.
Race-day light
For a 6:25 finish (an estimate) · starting 7:00 AM Sep 26. Dark means the sun below civil twilight.
Climbs
1 climb · 243 ft totalbiggest firstElevation gain, measured two ways
| Source | Gain | vs lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Course file (GPX) | 1,385ft | +40% |
| USGS lidar, 1 m | 990ft | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Pre-race description | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| A HQ Aid Sta | 5.1 | 8.2 |
| A Eshback Ac | 12.9 | 20.8 |
| A Turnaround | 15.7 | 25.2 |
| A Bushkill A | 22.8 | 36.7 |
| FINISH | 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 Sep 26 at the start
Typical = the median of 2016–2025 for Sep 26 ±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 64°F at the start, with a low of 56°.
| Year | Start °F | Rain | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sep 26 | 64°/56° | 0.37in | 16mph |
race-day weather from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5) at the start line.
Reviews what runners who have been there say
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About this course
Water Gap 50k and Half — 2026 covers 31.3 mi (50.4 km) with 1,385 ft of elevation gain through Pennsylvania, United States. That is about 44 ft per mile of climbing, and 1,385 ft of descent. The course tops out at 574 ft and bottoms out at 302 ft. The surface is 96% gravel and 4% paved. There are 4 aid stations on course; the longest stretch between aid is 8.5 mi. The profile has 1 sustained climb; the only one is the climb to HQ Aid Sta, +243 ft over 1.4 mi at 3.2% on average (steepest stretch 15%). Race day is September 26, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM; the sun rises at 6:52 AM and sets at 6:52 PM. Typical race-day weather at the start: a high of 72°F and a low of 56°F, with a 41% 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
- Jul 27, 2026Added to the catalog
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