Ute 100 Mile & 50 Mile

Ute 100 and 50 Mile Ultramarathon, La Sal Mountains, Utah

The highest race course in Utah begins before sunrise on August 8, 2026, when a small field of runners leaves a staging area on La Sal Loop Road and begins circling the entire La Sal Mountain range above Moab. The 100 mile course reaches 12,272 feet at Mann’s Peak and accumulates 23,356 feet of elevation gain across terrain that shifts from Kokopelli Trail singletrack and aspen groves to technical scree fields and moonlit alpine meadows. Race director Jordan Ricks founded the event in 2018 and named his company Revenant Running after completing that inaugural race as his very first 100 miler, a personal reckoning that shaped the race’s philosophy. The field stays intentionally small, typically 24 to 65 finishers at the 100 mile distance, and the course does not qualify runners for Hardrock or Western States. That is by design.

Race logistics and start location

• Runners launch from a staging area on La Sal Loop Road near the junction of Miners Basin Road, Forest Road 4821, Moab, Utah 84532. The start is approximately 30 miles and about 50 minutes from downtown Moab.
• The 100 mile and 50 mile races begin simultaneously at 5:00 AM on Saturday. The 50K starts at 6:30 AM. Packet pickup opens at 4:00 AM.
• The course runs as a single loop around the La Sal Mountains, beginning on the Kokopelli Trail and connecting to the Lower Porcupine singletrack with views into Castle Valley. After the Hazardous Aid Station, runners climb Mann’s Peak before descending through Burro Pass. The route continues along Dark Canyon Road, completes the South Mountain loop, and finishes via the technical Gold Knob descent.
• Terrain breaks down to roughly 30 miles of alpine meadows, 30 miles of aspen groves, 30 miles of high desert, and 10 miles above tree line.
• Cutoff times allow 41 hours for the 100 mile distance, finishing by 10:00 PM Sunday. The 50 mile cutoff is 25 hours, and the 50K cutoff is 18 hours. Key intermediate cutoffs include midnight Saturday at South Mountain at mile 56.8 and noon Sunday at the second Geyser Pass at mile 81.

Course records give a sense of the company you keep here. Trevor Fuchs ran 20:59:28 in 2019, and Karl Meltzer, one of the most decorated ultrarunners in American history, holds the masters record at 24:12:57 from the same year. Elle Jones set the women’s record of 27:27:13 in 2022. August monsoons make afternoon lightning on Mann’s Peak a genuine race-day variable, and the protocol routes runners via Burro Pass bypass when storms move in. Temperature swings above 60 degrees Fahrenheit between midday and overnight are common. Registration opens at $450 for the 100 mile distance, with finishers earning belt buckles and a hot meal at the line.

After the race, the Colorado River sits 30 miles downhill. Moab Rafting and Canoe Company runs shuttles and rentals along Highway 128, where red canyon walls follow the current north toward Castle Valley. For mountain cabin stays with elevation and quiet, search Lake.com for properties near Ken’s Lake just south of Moab.