Madison, WI, United States · Saturday, April 10, 2027

Fixed Distance 50K

Mad City 50K Road Race

219 days away
50 km Distance
not publishedn/a Climbing
2.5 est Grit · Entry level

Calculated from 50 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 2.5 as a floor, not a verdict.

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43.0731° N, 89.4012° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 8 hours 9:36 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 Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. Tighter than 89% of 50K races. Measured against 982 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →
Field size ~28 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2026 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, April

Daytime high 14°C
Night low 2°C
Rainfall Showers likely
Daylight 13 h 07 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for April — NASA POWER, grid elevation 281 m. Not a forecast.

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 50 km of trail.

  • Trail Running Shoes 50 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
  • Race Nutrition 50 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
  • Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 50 km, without the bounce.
  • GPS Watches Battery life first — a 50 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Adidas

Terrex Speed Ultra

★★★★★ 4.5

La Sportiva

Prodigio Pro

$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

Suunto

Vertical

Titanium GPS watch with solar charging, offline maps, and 140-hour GPS battery.

$630 ★★★★★ 4.5
All gear guides →

Course Notes

The race will consist of 5 laps of a 10K loop. The loop is Madison's most popular 10K race course, which takes runners along the shore of Lake Wingra, through scenic neighborhoods, and through the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.

Similar races

Other 50K trail ultras, closest in distance first.