Buena Vista, CO, United States · Saturday, May 2, 2026

Fixed Distance 50 mi

Collegiate Peaks 50 Miles

Race completed

83 km Distance

not publishedn/a Climbing

4.2 est Grit · Challenging

Calculated from 83 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 4.2 as a floor, not a verdict.

38.8422° N, 106.1311° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 12 hours 8:40 min/km average. Comfortable. Room to walk the climbs and stop at aid. Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. Among the tightest 50 mi cut-offs we track. Measured against 471 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~55 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2026 edition (51.4mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, May

Daytime high 11°C

Night low -3°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 13 h 50 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for May — NASA POWER, grid elevation 3226 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2026	51.4mi	55	Austin Gliottone · 07:12:31	Joanna Welle · 08:28:41
2025	51.4mi	53	Daniel Metzger · 06:57:40	Grace Leslie · 09:06:26
2024	51.4mi	47	Patrick Cade · 07:08:18	Aleksandra Wronka · 09:25:02
2023	51.4mi	42	Matthew Warriner · 08:13:30	Melissa Tencza · 09:49:03
2022	51.4mi	25	Kristian Blew · 08:44:48	Zoe Rom · 08:30:50
2021	51.4mi	22	Matt Mangen · 08:30:19	Annie Hughes · 08:07:13
2019	51.4mi	24	Alvaro Arnal · 07:37:31	Jessica Roberts · 09:24:55
2018	51.4mi	30	Alex Nichols · 06:55:09	Jessica Fairless · 09:54:34
2017	51.4mi	22	Bryan Williams · 08:41:35	Amanda Taglioli · 08:41:35
2016	51.4mi	43	Travis Macy · 07:19:40	Courtney Dauwalter · 08:48:07

The field has held steady: 53 in 2025, 55 in 2026. 9% of the 2026 field were women.

DUV results for the 2026 edition (51.4mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

The Aid Station

Course-specific beta from the community

👟 gear

With trail terrain, choose a shoe with moderate cushioning for optimal performance.

By UltraHub Expert

Gear for this race

Chosen for 83 km of trail.

Trail Running Shoes 83 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
Race Nutrition 83 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 83 km, without the bounce.
Headlamps A 12 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 83 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

La Sportiva

Prodigio Pro

RunRepeat found the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro to have a secure, locked-in fit due to its premium upper, and also praised the shoe's energetic ride, particularly…

$225 ★★★★★ 4.6

Salomon

Ultra Glide 4

$159.95 ★★★★★ 4.6

Tailwind

Endurance Fuel

All-in-one calorie and electrolyte drink mix. 200 calories per serving.

$25 ★★★★★ 4.8

Nathan

VaporKrar 12L

12L race vest co-designed with ultra champion Rob Krar, with insulated bladder pocket.

$170 ★★★★★ 4.6

Petzl

NAO RL

1500-lumen reactive lighting headlamp with 15-hour runtime. Automatic brightness adjustment.

$150 ★★★★★ 4.7

COROS

APEX 2 Pro

GPS running watch with 75-hour GPS battery, topo maps, and training metrics.

$500 ★★★★★ 4.7

All gear guides →

Overview

The Collegiate Peaks 50 Miles in Buena Vista, CO, is a 50-mile trail race with a field size larger than 54% of its 668 peer events. The race has been held 10 times since 2016, with 55 finishers in its latest edition.

A 12-hour time limit gives runners an average pace of 8.7 minutes per kilometer. This cutoff is tighter than 91% of 468 comparable 50-mile races, allowing for less margin than most events at this distance. The course follows single-track and jeep trails near the Arkansas River.

Similar races

Other 50 mi trail ultras, closest in distance first.