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Trails Collective

Toughest Trail Races in the Northeast: 50k Division

Much of the mediasize and romance with trail running over the past decade + has circled around ultra. The press, the sponsorship dollars, where the bar is set for a sense of challenge and achievement. The 50k distance represents that gateway. It’s long enough to reach the mythical wall and have nearly half your distance left to go. In the lineup of toughest rankings it may be the deepest in offerings. In the lineup we have mild classics such as HAT (bonus for those who know what HAT stands for). #BeastCoast originals such as Mt. Masochist and Promise Land. Beautiful new kids on the block such as Megunticook.

For those arriving directly here, check out our lineup of the Toughest Trail Races in the Northeast across distances. We also have related articles on Most Scenic, Historic, Flat & Fast, and others to come. For now, let’s checkout the ranking of the Toughest Trail 50k’s in the Northeast.

#39

HAT Run 50k

Havre de Grace, MD

Month:

March

Distance:

29.5 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,111′

Gain / Mile:

139′

Route map for HAT Run 50k by Ian Golden on plotaroute.com


#38

Patapsco Valley 50k

Baltimore, MD

Month:

October

Distance:

33 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,420′

Gain / Mile:

134′

Patapsco Valley 50k Elevation Profile

#37

Kanawha Trace 50k

Ona, WV

Month:

August

Distance:

30.4 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,366′

Gain / Mile:

158′

Kanawha Trace 50k Elevation Profile

#36

Haulin’ In the Holler

Eleanor, WV

Month:

November

Distance:

30.4 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,818′

Gain / Mile:

158′

Haulin’ In the Holler 25k Elevation Profile (50k runs it twice)

#35

Pisgah Mountain Race

Winchester, NH

Month:

September

Distance:

28.4

Elevation Gain:

4,440′

Gain / Mile:

156′

Pisgah Mountain 50k Elevation Profile

#34

Vermont 50k

Brownesville, VT

Vermont 50k Elevation Profile

Month:

September

Distance:

32 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,777′

Gain / Mile:

181′


#33

Fire On the Mountain 50k

Little Orleans, MD

Month:

November

Distance:

32.7 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,119′

Gain / Mile:

157′

Fore On the Mountain 50k Elevation Profile

#32

Grayson Highlands 50k

Mouth of Wilson, VA

Grayson Highlands 50k Elevation Profile

Month:

May

Distance:

28.5

Elevation Gain:

4,829′

Gain / Mile:

169′


#31

Big A 50k

York, ME

Month:

May

Distance:

30.9 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,268′

Gain / Mile:

170′

Big A 50k Elevation Profile

#30

Coopers Rock 50k

Bruceton Mills, WV

Month:

August

Distance:

31 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,896′

Gain / Mile:

158′

Coopers Rock 50k Elevation Profile

#29

Catamount Ultra

Stowe, VT

Month:

June

Distance:

29.8 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,126′

Gain / Mile:

172′

Catamount 25k Elevation Profile (50k / Ultra runs two loops)

#28

Catoctin 50k

Frederick, MD

Route map for Catoctin 50k by Ian Golden on plotaroute.com

Month:

July

Distance:

32.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,400′

Gain / Mile:

166′

Catoctin 50k Elevation Profile

#27

Oil Creek 50k

Titusville, PA

Month:

October

Distance:

30.4 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,878′

Gain / Mile:

160′

Oil Creek 50k Elevation Profile

#26

Eagleton Trail Challenge

Lock Haven, PA

Eagleton Trail Challenge 50k Elevation Profile

Month:

April

Distance:

30 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,088′

Gain / Mile:

170′


#25

Cloudsplitter 50k

Norton, VA

Month:

October

Distance:

29.7

Elevation Gain:

6,021′

Gain / Mile:

203′

Cloudsplitter 50k Elevation Profile

#24

UROC 50k

Raphine, VA

Month:

May

Distance:

30.2 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,004′

Gain / Mile:

166′

Route map for UROC 50k by Ian Golden on plotaroute.com

UROC 50k Elevation Profile

#23

Eastern Divide 50k

Pembroke, VA

Month:

June

Distance:

30.8 Miles

Elevation Gain:

5,418′

Gain / Mile:

176′

Eastern Divide Ultra Elevation Profile

#22

Lost Turkey Trail 50k

Blue Knob, PA

Month:

June

Distance:

33.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,962′

Gain / Mile:

148′

Lost Turkey Trail 50k

#21

Hungry Mother 50k

Marion, VA

Month:

April

Distance:

30.4 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,300′

Gain / Mile:

240′

Hungry Mother 25k Elevation Profile (50k runs two loops)

#20

Virgil Crest 50k

Cortland, NY

Month:

September

Distance:

30.8

Elevation Gain:

5,992′

Gain / Mile:

195′

Virgil Crest 50k Elevation Profile

#19

Mt. Masochist 50k

Montebello, VA

Month:

November

Distance:

32.5 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,117′

Gain / Mile:

188′

Mt. Masochist 50k Elevation Profile

#18

Jarmans Invitational Marathon

Crozet, VA

Month:

August

Distance:

28.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,808′

Gain / Mile:

273′

Jarmans Invitational Marathon Elevation Profile

#17

Terrapin Mountain 50k

Sedalia, VA

Month:

March

Distance:

31 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,558′

Gain / Mile:

244′

Terrapin Mountain 50k Elevation Profile

#16

Iron Mountain

Damascus, VA

Month:

September

Distance:

29.3 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,155′

Gain / Mile:

210′

Iron Mountain 30 mile Elevation Profile

#15

Cayuga Trails 50k

Ithaca, NY

Month:

May

Distance:

31.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,882′

Gain / Mile:

218′

Cayuga Trails 50k Elevation Profile

#14

Green Monster 50k

Wellsboro, PA

Month:

October

Distance:

31.9 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,053′

Gain / Mile:

221′

Green Monster 50k Elevation Profile

#13

West Virginia Trilogy 50k

Circleville, WV

Month:

October

Distance:

29.5 miles

Elevation Gain:

4,977′

Gain / Mile:

169′

West Virginia Trilogy 50k Course Profile

#12

Ragged 50k

Danbury, NH

Route map for Ragged 50k by Ian Golden on plotaroute.com

Ragged 50k Elevation Profile

Month:

August

Distance:

35.1 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,468′

Gain / Mile:

184′


#11

Macedonia 50k

Kent, CT

Month:

September

Distance:

30.9 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,144′

Gain / Mile:

231′

Macedonia Trail 50k Elevation Profile

#10

Traprock 50k

Bloomfield, CT

Month:

April

Distance:

32.5 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,596′

Gain / Mile:

172′

Route map for Traprock 50k by Ian Golden on plotaroute.com


#9

Promise Land

Bedford, VA

Month:

April

Distance:

34.2 miles

Elevation Gain:

8,520′

Gain / Mile:

249′

Promise Land Elevation Profile

#8

World’s End 50k

Forksville, PA

Month:

June

Distance:

30.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,313′

Gain / Mile:

174′

World’s End 50k Profile

#7

Hyner Trail Challenge

Hyner, PA

Month:

April

Distance:

32.1 miles

Elevation Gain:

7,838′

Gain / Mile:

244′

Hyner Trail Challenge Elevation Profile

#6

Megunticook 50k

Camden, ME

Month:

September

Distance:

29.8 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,814′

Gain / Mile:

229′

Megunticook 50k Elevation Profile

#5

Elizabeth Furnace 50k

Fort Valley, VA

Month:

March

Distance:

30.6 miles

Elevation Gain:

6,332′

Gain / Mile:

207′

Elizabeth Furnace 50k Elevation Profile

#4

Blue 2 Blue Trail Challenge

New Haven, CT

Month:

September

Distance:

32.9 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,595′

Gain / Mile:

170′

Blue 2 Blue Trail Challenge Elevation Profile

#3 (* If under winter snow, ~#26 if not)

Frozen Branch

Bath, NY

Month:

February

Distance:

31.7 miles

Elevation Gain:

5,073′

Gain / Mile:

160′

Frozen Branch 50k Elevation Profile

#2

Call of the Wilds 50k

Waterville, PA

Month:

October

Distance:

29.2 miles

Elevation Gain:

8,933′

Gain / Mile:

306′

Call of the Wilds 50k Elevation Profile

#1

Jay Peak 50k

Jay Peak, VT

Month:

September

Distance:

33 miles

Elevation Gain:

11,849′

Gain / Mile:

368′

Jay Peak Trail Festival 11m Loop (50k runs 3 loops)

RankEventTownStateMonthStravaPlotarouteHello,DrifterTopoFusionAvg ElevationMileageGain Per MileDivision
39HAT Run 50kHavre de GraceMDMarch443234444272429641113013950k
38Patapsco Valley 50kBaltimoreMDOctober426939634321512844203313450k
37Kanawha Trace 50kOnaWVAugust524241014357376443663014450k
36Haulin’ In the HollerEleanorWVNovember434043164666595048183015850k
35Pisgah Mountain RaceWinchesterNHSeptember438840944869440744402815650k
34Vermont 50kBrownsvilleVTSeptember561050426988546657773218150k
33Fire On the Mountain 50kLittle OrleansMDNovember531343795988479551193315750k
32Grayson Highlands 50kMouth of WilsonVAMay501745805079464048292916950k
31Big A 50kYorkMEMay563447614932574552683117050k
30Coopers Rock 50kBruceton MillsWVAugust480745045102517148963115850k
29Catamount UltraStoweVTJune463242505688593451263017250k
28Catoctin 50kFrederickMDJuly578751375906477154003316650k
27Oil Creek 50kTitusvillePAOctober452145435394505348783016050k
26Eagleton Trail ChallengeLock HavenPAApril545444555449499250883017050k
25Cloudsplitter 50kNortonVAOctober620551876073661860213020350k
24UROC 50kRaphineVAMay501849475581446850043016650k
23Eastern Divide 50kPembrokeVAJune541051736020506754183117650k
22Lost Turkey Trail 50kBlue KnobPAJune475750034961512749623414850k
21Hungry Mother 50kMarionVAApril604865147860877873003024050k
20Virgil Crest 50kCortlandNYSeptember5,83255686339623059923119550k
19Mt. Masochist 50kMontebelloVANovember629258666348596161173318850k
18Jarmans Invitational MarathonCrozetVAAugust768076808081779178082927350k
17Terrapin Mountain 50kSedaliaVAMarch676372868261792275583124450k
16Iron Mountain 50kDemascusVASeptember513650886283811161552921050k
15Cayuga Trails 50kIthacaNYMay6,30553938471735968823221850k
14Green Monster 50kWellsboroPAOctober747768967444639370533222150k
13West Virginia Trilogy 50kCirclevilleWVOctober497950525121475449773016950k
12Ragged 50kDanburyNHAugust648458007001658864683518450k
11Macedonia 50kKentCTSeptember801172248005533471443123150k
10Traprock 50BloomfieldCTApril631043175725603055963317250k
9Promise Land 50kBedfordVAApril757380189522896785203424950k
8World’s End 50kForksvillePAJune601952955259467953133117450k
7Hyner View Trail Challenge 50kHynerPAApril816570518232790278383224450k
6MegunticookCamdenMESeptember725864407136642368143022950k
5Elizabeth Furnace 50kFort ValleyVAMarch616458626496680763323120750k
4Blue 2 Blue Trail ChallengeNew HaventCTSeptember638750266742422555953317050k
3Frozen Branch 50kBathNYFebruary51774,5475843472350733216050k
2COTW 50kWatervillePAOctober9,111914010,295718589332930650k
1Jay Peak Trail Festival 33mJay PeakVTSeptember12,60011,2081167311916947932.229450k
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