Ute 100: A Complete Course Recon Breakdown Using HARDN

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There's a version of the Ute 100 that sounds beautiful on paper. The La Sal Mountains rising out of the Moab desert. Aspen groves. Alpine meadows. The Milky Way overhead at 3 AM with zero light pollution. Castle Valley glowing orange below you at sunrise.

All of that is real.

What the pictures don't show is what the data does: 100 miles with 24,000 feet of vertical gain, averaging 8,700 feet of elevation the entire way. A high point at 12,272 feet on Mann's Peak. Temperature swings of 60+ degrees between midday and overnight. A 41-hour cutoff that sounds generous until you understand what altitude does to your legs over the final 40 miles.

This is the highest race in Utah. It's also one of the most underestimated.

I loaded the Ute 100 GPX into HARDN and broke it down segment by segment — the same way I'd prepare for any A-race. Here's what the data shows and how I'd actually run it.

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The Big Picture

- Distance: ~95.5 mi GPS / ~100 mi course
- Elevation Gain: 26,050 ft
- Elevation Loss: 26,049 ft
- Average Elevation: 8,700 ft
- High Point: 12,230 ft (Mann's Peak, ~Mile 27.5)
- Low Point: 5,804 ft (~Mile 10)
- Terrain: 30 mi alpine meadows / 30 mi aspen groves / 30 mi high desert / 10 mi above tree-line scree
- Start Time: 5:00 AM Saturday
- Cutoff: 41 hours (10:00 PM Sunday)
- Key Cutoffs: Midnight Sat at South Mountain (~Mi 57) · Noon Sun at Geyser Pass return (~Mi 81)
- Field Size: Typically 24–65 finishers
- Course Style: Single loop, clockwise
- Pacers: Allowed from Dark Canyon (~Mile 42)

> GPX data parsed from official 2025 course file. GPS distance reads 95.5 mi; race distance is ~100 mi due to GPS drift and actual course variations.

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Elevation Profile

[COURSE_ELEVATION:ute-100]

The profile tells the whole story at a glance. Three things jump out immediately:

The Mann's Peak spike at mile ~27.5 — you go from 9,700 ft to 12,230 ft in under 3 miles. There's nothing gradual about it.

The plateau from miles 28–68 sits almost entirely above 9,000 ft — South Mountain, the return loop, all of it high. There's no low valley to recover in. This is what makes the Ute 100 unlike most 100s.

The Gold Knob spike at mile ~87.5 — a sharp 11,000 ft climb when you're cooked and think you're almost done. That's the race.

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The first thing you need to understand about this race: you never get a break from elevation. Most 100s have low valleys where you recover, breathe, and reset. The Ute 100 doesn't give you that. You're spending the entire race between 7,500 and 12,272 feet. That changes everything — pacing, fueling, and how your body responds to effort.

The second thing: August in the La Sals means afternoon monsoons. Mann's Peak at 12,272 feet is a lightning rod. The race protocol reroutes runners via Burro Pass if storms move in during the summit window. It happens. Know the bypass exists before race day and don't fight the call.

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Aid Stations

[COURSE_AID_STATIONS:ute-100]

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Course Segments

[COURSE_SEGMENTS_TABLE:ute-100]

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How to Race It

Segment 1: Start → Upper Porcupine (Miles 0–25) | Controlled

Effort: Conserve | Terrain: Dirt Road + Singletrack Climb | Elevation: +2,500 ft

The race starts at 5:00 AM in the dark. The first five to six miles are dirt road — dusty, gradual, congested. Use them to warm up. Around mile six you hit the Lower Porcupine singletrack and the climbing begins: roughly 2,500 feet over the next eight miles to La Sal Pass. It's dark and steep and happens entirely in the first part of the race.

Upper Porcupine at mile 25 is your first crew access. Sunrise over Castle Valley happens somewhere in this phase if your timing is right. Take ten seconds and look.

The big mistake: Going out hard because the dark hides how steep it is. Hike the climbs from the gun. Everything gets harder after Upper Porcupine, not easier.

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Segment 2: Upper Porcupine → Dark Canyon (Miles 25–47) | This is the race

Effort: Very Hard | Terrain: Alpine Summit (12,272 ft) + Technical Descent | Elevation: +3,800 ft / -3,200 ft

The Hazardous Aid Station resupplies you before Mann's Peak. From there, you're above tree line on scree at 12,272 feet — the highest point in any Utah race. In August. With monsoon probability rising through the morning.

If storms roll in, the RD calls a Burro Pass bypass. Take it. Off the summit, Burro Pass drops fast and technical to Geyser Pass where you pick up your pacer. Dark Canyon follows — the most runnable stretch on the course. Run it.

The big mistakes:
- Under-fueling into Mann's Peak. Altitude kills appetite. Runners fall behind on calories without feeling it, then collapse at mile 60. Eat on a schedule, not by feel.
- Racing the summit. There's no version of running Mann's Peak that helps you. Hike it with poles and eat.
- Ignoring weather. Know your summit arrival time before race day. Sub-24-hour runners summit before noon. Mid-packers hit the lightning window. Plan around this.

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Segment 3: Dark Canyon → South Mountain (Miles 47–57) | Run the road

Effort: Runnable | Terrain: Gradual Dirt Road Descent | Elevation: -1,200 ft

Dark Canyon Road is the most runnable section of the race — a gradual descent on dirt road positioned perfectly after the hardest climbing. Eat real food. Let your pacer check in on you. South Mountain arrives at mile 57 with a hard midnight Saturday cutoff. Know your pace target before you leave Dark Canyon.

South Mountain is the furthest point from the start and 50 minutes from Moab. Your crew should arrive with everything you'll need for the back half. The aid station serves bacon, quesadillas, pierogis, and potatoes. Eat.

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Segment 4: South Mountain Loop → Geyser Pass Return (Miles 57–81) | Don't let the math fool you

Effort: Steady | Terrain: Loop + Long Climb via La Sal Pass Road | Elevation: +4,000 ft / -2,500 ft

The 11-mile South Mountain loop at 10,200 feet is where races unravel. You've done 57 miles. It feels like you're almost there. You're not — there's 43 miles left and a noon Sunday cutoff at Geyser Pass at mile 81.

The climb back to Geyser via La Sal Pass Road and Squaw Springs is long. The views of Moab and Canyonlands below are genuinely incredible. Use them to stay present. Run the segment in front of you.

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Segment 5: Geyser Pass → Finish (Miles 81–100) | Keep moving

Effort: Push | Terrain: Singletrack + Gold Knob Climb (11,000 ft) | Elevation: +2,200 ft / -3,400 ft

Moonlight Meadows singletrack, multiple river crossings, wildflowers, and then the Gold Knob climb to 11,000 feet at mile 90. It's steep and it will feel impossible. Hike it. The view at the top encapsulates everything this race is — red rock sprawl below, alpine peaks above, 90 miles behind you.

Off Gold Knob, follow the red arrows through Jimmy Keen and Porcupine Rim on world-class singletrack back to the start/finish. The Pinhook loops near the end are a final test. Run them.

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What This Race Demands You Get Right

Altitude-adjusted fueling. The biggest execution failure at the Ute 100. Altitude suppresses appetite at 8,700–12,272 feet. Runners feel functional while falling behind on calories, then collapse in the second half. Eat on a timer, not by feel. HARDN's nutrition planner accounts for altitude-adjusted caloric demand — build your plan before you leave the start line.

Weather contingency. Know the Mann's Peak bypass before race day. Know what time you'll arrive at the summit at your target pace. Build 30 minutes of weather contingency into your plan.

Crew logistics. South Mountain at midnight is not a place to improvise. Map every access point, drive time from Moab (~50 min), and parking situation ahead of time. Geyser Pass Road and La Sal Pass Road are 2WD accessible but worth confirming.

Temperature management. 60-degree swings are standard. Start cold, overheat on Mann's Peak, freeze after dark on the exposed ridgeline above 10,000 feet. Don't check your shell at South Mountain because it was warm when you arrived.

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Course Records

- Men's CR: Trevor Fuchs — 20:59:28 (2019)
- Masters CR: Karl Meltzer — 24:12:57 (2019)
- Women's CR: Elle Jones — 27:27:13 (2022)

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Logistics

Start/Finish: La Sal Loop Road near Miners Basin Road / Forest Road 4821, Moab, UT 84532

Getting There: ~30 miles / 50 minutes from downtown Moab

Camping Near Start: Mason Draw Campground (~1 mi away, $10/night, 5 first-come sites) · Warner Lake Campground (~11 mi, 9,400 ft, 19 sites)

Lodging: Moab, ~50 min drive — book early for August

Registration: Opens at $450 for the 100 mile; closes August 5th

Finisher Award: Belt buckle + hot meal at the finish line

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HARDN's course recon tools let you load any GPX file, visualize the elevation profile, and build a segment-by-segment race execution plan with your nutrition, crew, and pacing strategy mapped to each aid station. [Try it at hardn.app →](https://hardn.app)