Elkhorn Endurance Run 50: Course Recon — Elkhorn Mountains, Montana

The Elkhorn Endurance Run 50 is one of the toughest 50-milers in the northern Rockies — a remote, brutally technical loop through Montana's Elkhorn Mountains, put on by HURL from the Willard Creek Trailhead. 37 miles of very technical singletrack, 13 miles of jeep road, roughly 12,000+ feet of climbing, and a high point just under 9,000 ft. This breakdown is built straight from the official course GPX.

[COURSE_VIDEO:elkhorn-50]

The Numbers

- Distance: 50.3 miles
- Elevation gain / loss: +12,214 ft / −12,168 ft (GPX-measured; the race lists ~13,400)
- High / low point: 8,895 ft / 5,192 ft
- Start / finish: Willard Creek Trailhead — 5:00 AM (Aug 1, 2026)
- Terrain: 37 mi technical singletrack · 13 mi jeep road · 1 mi dirt road
- Overall cutoff: 10:00 PM (17 hours)
- Drop bags: Elkhorn Town (mile 20), delivered Friday only

The Elevation Profile

Six big climbs and no flat. The profile is a saw blade — you're either climbing or descending the entire day, with the crux climb to Skyline Mine (miles 20–26) topping out near 8,700 ft.

[COURSE_ELEVATION:elkhorn-50]

There's nowhere to hide. Respect the early climbs and the tight cutoffs — Elkhorn Town at mile 20 (11:30 AM) sets the tone for the day.

3D Flyover

[COURSE_FLYOVER:elkhorn-50]

Run it at 4x for the big picture, then 1x through the crux climb to Skyline Mine and the late rolling grind from Tepee Creek to McClellan.

---

Segment-by-Segment Breakdown

Segment 1: Start to Elk Park — Miles 0 to 6.1

Effort: Conserve | Terrain: Opening Climb | Elevation: +2,610 ft

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:0]

The day starts straight uphill — 2,600 feet of climbing in the first 6 miles from Willard Creek to Elk Park.

How to race it: Hike with purpose, keep the effort easy, and eat early. You climb all day here — there's no warmup mile.

Segment 2: Elk Park to Tizer Lake — Miles 6.1 to 13

Effort: Steady | Terrain: High Rolling Singletrack

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:1]

High, rolling, technical singletrack near the crest of the range — +1,362 / −1,462 ft.

How to race it: Run the runnable, hike the steeps. The footing is technical; stay patient and keep your feet under you.

Segment 3: Tizer Lake to Elkhorn Town — Miles 13 to 20

Effort: Controlled | Terrain: Climb then Long Descent | Cutoff: 11:30 AM

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:2]

Up to ~8,450 ft, then a long drop into the historic Elkhorn ghost town — your only drop-bag stop and the first hard cutoff.

How to race it: Control the descent to save your quads. Hit Elkhorn Town with margin on the 11:30 AM cutoff, grab your drop bag — the crux is next.

Segment 4: Elkhorn Town to Skyline Mine — Miles 20 to 26 — THE CRUX

Effort: Survive | Terrain: Sustained Climb | Elevation: +2,396 ft

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:3]

The day's defining effort: nearly 2,400 feet of climbing to the 8,690 ft high point at Skyline Mine.

How to race it: Settle into a power-hike you can hold, keep eating, and don't panic at the cutoff math — just keep moving up. This climb decides your race.

Segment 5: Skyline Mine to Guard Station — Miles 26 to 32

Effort: Controlled | Terrain: Long Descent | Elevation: −2,355 ft

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:4]

A long, quad-pounding descent off the high point.

How to race it: Shorter stride, stay relaxed. There's a climb right after — don't trash your legs on the way down.

Segment 6: Guard Station to Elk Park — Miles 32 to 36.6

Effort: Steady | Terrain: Climb | Cutoff: 5:30 PM

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:5]

Back up +1,378 ft to Elk Park for the second time today.

How to race it: Grind it out. You know this aid station now — get in, refuel, get out ahead of the 5:30 PM cutoff.

Segment 7: Elk Park to Tepee Creek — Miles 36.6 to 40.1

Effort: Controlled | Terrain: Steep Descent | Elevation: −2,086 ft

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:6]

A steep 2,000-foot plunge to Tepee Creek.

How to race it: Whatever your quads have left, you'll need it here. Stay light on your feet.

Segment 8: Tepee Creek to McClellan Creek — Miles 40.1 to 46

Effort: Push | Terrain: Rolling Grind | Cutoff: 8:45 PM

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:7]

A late sting — +1,524 / −2,053 ft of rough, rolling terrain when your legs are already cooked.

How to race it: This is where the race goes mental. Keep eating, keep moving, and protect your buffer on the 8:45 PM cutoff.

Segment 9: McClellan Creek to Finish — Miles 46 to 50.3

Effort: Push | Terrain: Final Climb | Elevation: +833 ft

[COURSE_SEGMENT:elkhorn-50:8]

One last climb of ~800 ft back to Willard Creek before the finish.

How to race it: Beat the 10 PM cutoff. Hike the climb with everything you've got, then bring it home.

Aid Stations

[COURSE_AID_STATIONS:elkhorn-50]

Race-Day Takeaways

- Six climbs, no flat. You're always going up or down — manage effort on every climb and quads on every descent.
- The crux is mile 20–26 — the 2,400 ft climb to Skyline Mine. Bank energy early so you can climb it strong.
- Tight cutoffs. Elkhorn Town (11:30 AM, mi 20) is the one to watch; falling behind early is hard to claw back on this terrain.
- One drop bag — Elkhorn Town, mile 20, delivered Friday. Plan your carry around it.
- Technical + remote. 37 miles of technical singletrack in the high Elkhorns — carry what you need and respect the weather.

Break free.