Huddersfield, United Kingdom · Saturday, September 18, 2027

Fixed Distance 50K

Heights Ultra Trail 50km

348 days away

50 km Distance

1,000 m Climbing

4.0 Grit · Challenging

53.6490° N, 1.7842° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Climbing rate 20 m / km Rolling. Moderate undulations. Requires consistent effort across varying grades.

Time limit 10 hours 12:00 min/km average. Comfortable. Room to walk the climbs and stop at aid. About average for a 50K. Measured against 1038 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~97 Mid-sized. Company early, well spread out by halfway.

DUV results for the 2023 edition (50km) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, September

Daytime high 17°C

Night low 9°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 12 h 35 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for September — NASA POWER, grid elevation 176 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2023	50km	97	Gavin Mulholland · 04:14:33	Sara Lewis · 05:48:47
2022	50km	87	Nigel Hockin · 04:03:34	Margaret Beever · 04:59:09
2021	50km	91	Gavin Mulholland · 04:07:00	Sarah Brewer · 05:57:41

The field grew 11% between 2022 (87) and 2023 (97). 32% of the 2023 field were women.

DUV results for the 2023 edition (50km) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Course notes

terrain This is a rolling course. Expect fast, runnable sections where rhythm is key.
gear With trail terrain, choose a shoe with moderate cushioning for optimal performance.

Gear for this race

Chosen for 50 km of trail with 1,000 m of ascent.

Trail Running Shoes 20 m of climb per kilometre — grip and rock protection before cushioning.
Race Nutrition 50 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
Hydration Vests Pole attachment and chest-strap stability on steep ground.
Trekking Poles 1,000 m of ascent to walk up.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 50 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

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

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

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

LEKI

Ultratrail FX.One

Ultra-light carbon folding poles (135g each) designed for mountain ultra racing.

$200 ★★★★★ 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 Heights Ultra Trail 50km, organised by Heights Federation, takes place on September 18, 2027, in Huddersfield. This 50km trail race has 1000 metres of elevation gain, averaging 20 metres of climb per kilometre, with the highest peak at 582 metres above sea level.

With a time limit of 10 hours, the 12 minutes per kilometre cutoff pace is tighter than 42% of 50km races. The 97 finishers in the 2023 edition made it bigger than 78% of 2651 comparable 50km races. This fixed-distance event has been held 3 times since 2021.

Similar races

Other 50K trail ultras, closest in distance first.