Lakewood, CO, United States · Saturday, October 3, 2026

Fixed Distance 50 mi

The Bear Chase 50 Mile

3 days to go

80 km Distance

1,100 m Climbing

5.7 Grit · Challenging

39.7047° N, 105.0814° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Climbing rate 14 m / km Fast & Flat. This course is relatively flat and fast. Ideal for PB attempts.

Time limit 15 hours 11:15 min/km average. Generous. Walkable throughout for most of the field. About average for a 50 mi. Measured against 470 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~44 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2025 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, October

Daytime high 17°C

Night low 1°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 11 h 44 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for October — NASA POWER, grid elevation 2095 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2025	50mi	44	Patrick Fegan · 06:43:17	Jennifer McCabe · 10:01:15
2024	50mi	39	Kosuke Amano · 07:57:31	Susan Hahn · 08:49:08
2023	50mi	46	Adam Rients · 07:21:14	Stefanie Flippin · 08:09:14
2022	50mi	31	Matthieu Caldwell · 07:18:27	Lauren Boldt · 08:29:28
2021	50mi	49	Rene Dorantes Ocampo · 06:48:09	Meghan Morgan · 07:34:03
2019	50mi	56	Dan Lingerfield · 07:46:21	Denise Bourassa · 08:13:32
2018	50mi	39	Tim Geldean · 06:52:13	Jennifer Freeman · 08:30:24
2017	50mi	47	Travis Massey · 08:22:21	Courtney Dauwalter · 06:36:14
2016	50mi	29	Giff Walters · 06:55:02	Ashley Daily · 08:52:40
2015	50mi	41	Patrick Stewart · 06:36:38	Emily Booth · 09:36:33

The field grew 13% between 2024 (39) and 2025 (44). 18% of the 2025 field were women.

DUV results for the 2025 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

⛰️ terrain

This is a fast & flat 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 1,100 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 15 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 80 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

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

Asics

Gel 100

Hydrogel technology for 25g carbs per gel with minimal GI distress.

$3.5 ★★★★★ 4.7

Nathan

VaporKrar 12L

12L race vest co-designed with ultra champion Rob Krar, with insulated bladder pocket.

$170 ★★★★★ 4.6

Petzl

NAO RL

1500-lumen reactive lighting headlamp with 15-hour runtime. Automatic brightness adjustment.

$150 ★★★★★ 4.7

Suunto

Vertical

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

$630 ★★★★★ 4.5

All gear guides →

Overview

The Bear Chase 50 Mile is a trail race in Lakewood, CO, organized by Aravaipa Running. This 50-mile event, with 1100 meters of elevation gain, presents 13.8 meters of climb per kilometer, placing it among the more challenging 50-mile races for sustained ascent.

With a 15-hour time limit, the cutoff pace of 11.3 minutes per kilometer is tighter than 46% of 50-mile races, offering less margin than many peers. The course is predominantly soft surface and single-track dirt trail, accounting for 95% of the route. This race has been held for 10 editions, beginning in 2015.

Similar races

Other 50 mi trail ultras, closest in distance first.