Flintstone, MD, United States · Sunday, November 1, 2026

Fixed Distance 50K

Fire on the Mountain 50k Ultra Marathon

32 days away

53 km Distance

not publishedn/a Climbing

2.7 est Grit · Entry level

Calculated from 53 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 2.7 as a floor, not a verdict.

39.7035° N, 78.5762° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 10 hours 11:19 min/km average. Generous. Walkable throughout for most of the field. Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. About average for a 50K. Measured against 1034 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~45 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2025 edition (32.8mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, November

Daytime high 11°C

Night low 0°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 10 h 32 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for November — NASA POWER, grid elevation 441 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2025	32.8mi	45	Harol Samir Baca Ponce · 05:05:26	Maeve Thistel · 05:15:53
2024	32.8mi	66	Mike Fox · 04:52:14	Elena Alves · 06:52:45
2023	32.8mi	44	Derek Clark · 05:35:11	Erica Danko · 07:36:01
2022	32.8mi	45	Daniel Danko · 05:48:27	Katherine Thompson · 06:39:56
2021	32.8mi	50	Gregory Horning · 05:17:30	Johanna McKenna · 06:58:17
2020	32.8mi	39	Adam Lowe · 04:56:17	Parker Goss · 05:58:01
2019	32.8mi	47	Allan Spangler · 04:38:00	Rachel Smith · 06:18:10
2018	32.8mi	61	Lucas Meyer · 04:43:09	Michelle Kent · 06:06:22
2017	32.8mi	66	Brad Hinton · 05:31:55	Michelle Benshoff · 05:54:06
2016	32.8mi	23	Ryan Kidwiler · 06:24:04	Michelle Benshoff · 05:51:33

The field shrank 32% between 2024 (66) and 2025 (45). 20% of the 2025 field were women.

DUV results for the 2025 edition (32.8mi) — 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 53 km of trail.

Trail Running Shoes 53 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
Race Nutrition 53 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 53 km, without the bounce.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 53 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Adidas

Terrex Speed Ultra

RunRepeat found the Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra to have a grippy outsole and great lockdown, while iRunFar noted that the shoe works on a variety of trail conditi…

★★★★★ 4.5

Salomon

Sense Ride 5

RunRepeat found the Salomon Sense Ride 5 to have immaculate lockdown and a smooth and stable ride, making it confident on moderate trails and steep downhills. I…

★★★★★ 4.5

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

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 Fire on the Mountain 50k Ultra Marathon, organized by Potomac Highlands Distance Club, is a trail race that starts and finishes at Point Overlook within Green Ridge State Forest. The 53-kilometer course, held in Flintstone, MD, has been run 10 times since 2016.

With 45 finishers in its latest 2025 edition, this race has a larger field than 55% of 50k races. The 10-hour time limit translates to a cutoff pace of 11.3 minutes per kilometer, which is tighter than 57% of 50k races, leaving less margin for error than most.

Similar races

Other 50K trail ultras, closest in distance first.