Old Fort, NC, United States · Saturday, March 20, 2027

Fixed Distance 50 mi

Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker

171 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.

35.6293° N, 82.1811° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 12 hours 9:00 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 Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. Among the tightest 50 mi cut-offs we track. Measured against 470 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~126 Mid-sized. Company early, well spread out by halfway.

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, March

Daytime high 15°C

Night low 3°C

Rainfall Showers likely

Daylight 12 h 06 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for March — NASA POWER, grid elevation 447 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2026	50km	126	Brent Bookwalter · 04:59:02	Jaimie Bookwalter · 06:00:24
2025	50km	79	Brian Atkinson · 04:08:19	Tory Grieves · 05:37:23
2024	50km	119	Cory Keehn · 05:03:21	Tara Jordan · 06:59:59
2023	50km	68	Drew Marshall · 05:55:29	Katti Jackson · 06:51:42

The field grew 59% between 2025 (79) and 2026 (126). 33% of the 2026 field were women.

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.

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 12 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 80 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Asics

Trabuco Max 3

★★★★★ 4.6

Adidas

Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra

RunRepeat found the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra to be perfect for midfoot and forefoot strikers, while iRunFar noted that the shoe feels incredibly effici…

★★★★★ 4.5

Spring Energy