Grand Mesa, CO, United States · Saturday, July 25, 2026

Fixed Distance 50 mi

Grand Mesa 50 Mile Trail Race

Race completed
80 km Distance
1,200 m Climbing
5.8 Grit · Challenging
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39.1131° N, 108.0128° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Climbing rate 15 m / km Rolling. Moderate undulations. Requires consistent effort across varying grades.
Time limit 14 hours 10:30 min/km average. Generous. Walkable throughout for most of the field. About average for a 50 mi. Measured against 471 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →
Field size ~42 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2026 edition (24h 50mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, July

Daytime high 31°C
Night low 14°C
Rainfall Mostly dry
Daylight 14 h 26 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for July — NASA POWER, grid elevation 2198 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year Race Finishers Men's winner Women's winner
2026 24h 50mi 42 Max Robinson · 0.000 Kristina Chang · 0.000
2025 50mi 35 Brendan Trimboli · 07:14:38 Maritza Wiedel · 11:03:27
2024 50mi 45 Drew Antonisse · 07:44:04 Genevieve Harrison · 08:46:35
2023 50mi 44 Timothy Shepard · 07:43:36 Margaret MacDonald · 10:07:03
2022 50mi 26 Pat Noonan · 09:03:55 Tracy Thelen · 11:28:39
2021 50mi 31 Holden Rennaker · 08:34:36 Julia Snieder · 09:33:07
2019 50mi 56 Gary Messina · 07:31:28 Kathleen Borleis · 10:12:02
2018 50mi 41 James Roche · 08:09:09 Leanne Evans Bauer · 10:39:04
2017 50mi 17 Gordon Gianniny · 07:42:13 Christi Haswell · 10:21:18
2016 50mi 7 Jeff Friedman · 09:41:17 Ivy Lefebvre · 10:51:48

The field grew 20% between 2025 (35) and 2026 (42). 31% of the 2026 field were women.

DUV results for the 2026 edition (24h 50mi) — 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

⛰️ terrain

This is a rolling course. Expect fast, runnable sections where rhythm is key.

By UltraHub Expert
👟 gear

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

By UltraHub Expert

Gear for this race

Chosen for 80 km of trail with 1,200 m of ascent.

  • Trail Running Shoes 80 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
  • Race Nutrition 80 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
  • Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 80 km, without the bounce.
  • Headlamps A 14 h limit puts you out there after dark.
  • GPS Watches Battery life first — a 80 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Salomon

Ultra Glide 4

$159.95 ★★★★★ 4.6

Salomon

Aero Glide 4 Grvl

$159.95 ★★★★★ 4.5

Skratch Labs

Sport Hydration Mix

Clean electrolyte drink mix with real fruit flavor. Low sugar.

$20 ★★★★★ 4.5

Salomon

ADV Skin 12

Industry-standard 12L race vest with front flask pockets and minimal bounce.

$180 ★★★★★ 4.8

Nitecore

UT32

Dual-beam trail running headlamp (1100 lumens) with spot and flood beams.

$100 ★★★★★ 4.5

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 Grand Mesa 50 Mile Trail Race, held in Grand Mesa, CO in July, offers 1200 meters of elevation gain over 80 kilometers. This climb averages 15 meters per kilometer, making it a challenging course.

With a 14-hour time limit, the race has a tighter cut-off than 60% of 50-mile races, requiring runners to maintain a pace faster than 10.5 minutes per kilometer. The field size of 42 finishers in the latest edition is smaller than 44% of its 50-mile peer races.

Similar races

Other 50 mi trail ultras, closest in distance first.