Trail of the Dragon 50 Mile

Race completed

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.

42.3450° N, 95.4717° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 16 hours 12:00 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 Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it.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 ~6 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, August

Daytime high 29°C

Night low 17°C

Rainfall Showers likely

Daylight 14 h 30 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for August — NASA POWER, grid elevation 402 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2026	50mi	6	Lincoln Turman · 09:04:38	Jodi Semonell · 11:03:44
2025	50mi	11	Tyler Drenkow · 09:25:00	Jennifer St. Amand · 11:35:24
2024	50mi	4	Matthew Bradner · 10:04:52	Sara Hageman · 11:58:33
2023	50mi	4	Matthew Bradner · 08:51:20	Kaci Lickteig · 08:06:09
2022	50mi	4	Austin Sievers · 13:13:38	Joy Fortwendel · 15:21:43
2021	50mi	16	Brad Hansen · 05:17:00	Michele Wunderlich · 05:36:35
2020	50mi	10	Matt Winiski · 12:46:04	Kaci Lickteig · 07:23:05
2019	50mi	11	Kevin Riessland · 10:39:03	Stacey Buckley · 09:00:31
2018	50mi	12	Eric Christ · 09:32:57	Brandy Holey · 14:28:20
2017	50mi	14	Steve Friend · 08:39:45	Brandy Holey · 12:51:36

The field shrank 45% between 2025 (11) and 2026 (6). 33% 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 16 h limit puts you out there after dark.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 80 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.