Smithville, TX, United States · Saturday, April 3, 2027

Fixed Distance 50 mi

Hells Hills 50 Mile Race

185 days away

80 km Distance

not publishedn/a Climbing

4.0 est Grit · Challenging

Calculated from 80 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 4.0 as a floor, not a verdict.

30.0085° N, 97.1594° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 15 hours 11:15 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 Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it.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 50 mi. Measured against 471 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~12 Tiny. You will run alone for most of it.

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

Typical conditions, April

Daytime high 27°C

Night low 14°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 12 h 31 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for April — NASA POWER, grid elevation 114 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2026	50mi	12	Terry Palmer · 08:34:36	Lydia Rios · 13:01:23
2025	50mi	13	Jerry Hanna · 10:04:27	Samantha Braun · 12:50:09
2024	50mi	20	Ryan Lynch · 10:08:21	Gabby de la Rosa · 09:30:33
2023	50mi	14	Christopher Duffy · 08:32:03	Emily Ruth Lozano · 11:55:37
2022	50mi	17	Greg Zaney · 08:17:00	Dani Sanchez · 12:41:25
2021	50mi	19	Dean Steele · 10:34:13	Breanne Thibodeaux · 10:06:50
2019	50mi	23	Joe Schmal · 07:35:53	Alison Miller · 09:11:01
2018	50mi	21	Chad Lasater · 08:09:08	Dena Jean Carr · 11:32:11
2017	50mi	30	Jeff Ball · 07:03:39	Steph Whitmore · 09:25:19
2016	50mi	52	Anthony Jacobs · 06:46:24	Nicole Kalogeropoulos Studer · 08:25:45

The field shrank 8% between 2025 (13) and 2026 (12). 17% of the 2026 field were women.

DUV results for the 2026 edition (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

👟 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.

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 15 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 80 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