Speedgoat 50K race guide

Key dates for 2027

Registration is already open. The 2027 course file, cutoffs and runner guide were still the 2026 versions in October 2026.

1. 18 June 2027
   Deferral deadline

   A one-time deferral to the next year, by email.

2. 23 July 2027
   30K and 10K races
3. 24 July 2027
   50K race day

   6:30 a.m. start. The Summit uphill race starts at 7:00 a.m.

Source: official race website, checked 19 October 2026.

How to get a place

There is no lottery and no qualifier. You register directly through UTMB at tiered prices. In October 2026 the 50K cost $157 plus $28.56 in fees, and the race warns that prices can rise at any time. You must be 18 or over.

Entries cannot be refunded or transferred. You can defer once, for any reason, to the next year if you ask by 18 June 2027. There is no race-day registration.

The weekend also includes a 30K and 10K on Friday and The Summit, a 5.6 km uphill race to Hidden Peak, on Saturday.

• How race entry systems work

The course

From Snowbird Center the course drops briefly on a service road, then climbs to the first single-track and the steep half-mile of the Chips switchbacks. Three more climbs and descents take you to the top of Snowbird, Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet, and the first aid station.

A 4-mile rocky descent drops to Dutch Flat, the low point. Then comes a 3-mile climb to the Water Pipe and on to Mineral Basin, followed by a climb of 2,000 feet in 1.8 miles to the summit of Baldy. After crossing Baldy Ridge to the Tunnel aid station, you descend fast, climb the Cirque ridge back to Hidden Peak, and run mostly downhill to the finish.

Aid stations and cutoffs

Crews can meet runners at Hidden Peak, on both passes, and at the Tunnel. There are no drop bags, and pacers are not allowed. The race is cupless: you carry your own collapsible cup.

• Plan your splits in the pace planner

From the 2026 aid-station chart, which the race says may change for 2027. There are no drop bags at any station. You may not drop at the remote Water Pipe stop. Source: official race website, checked 19 October 2026.

Rules and kit

• Mandatory kit: a phone, a collapsible cup of at least 15 cl, at least 1 litre of water, a food reserve, a survival blanket and a whistle.
• Poles are allowed and recommended, but if you use them you must carry them from start to finish.
• Cutting a switchback means disqualification.
• No muling and no help between aid stations.
• No dogs anywhere in Little Cottonwood Canyon, even left in a car, to protect Salt Lake City's water supply. The fine is $750.

• Choose trekking poles

Records and results

David Sinclair holds the men's record of 4:57:35 from 2024, and Jennifer Lichter set the women's record of 5:54:44 in 2025, the first time a woman broke six hours. In 2026 Mason Coppi won in 5:15:20 and Lauren Gregory in 5:56:04, sixth overall.

The race has a notable place in trail running history. In 2012 volunteers reported Kilian Jornet cutting switchbacks. Meltzer let him keep the win but withheld the prize money, and switchback cutting now means disqualification.

• Official results

Source: official race website, checked 19 October 2026.

History

Karl Meltzer, a record-setting 100-mile runner known as the Speedgoat, started the race at Snowbird in 2008. It was part of the Skyrunner World Series around 2012 and joined the UTMB World Series in 2022. Speedgoat was Adam Peterman's first ultra in 2021, when he set a course record. He won Western States the next year.

Speedgoat is not a Western States qualifier, because that list only includes races of 100 km or more.

Training for Speedgoat

Treat it as a mountain race rather than a 50K. Steep climbing, technical descents and time at altitude matter far more than flat speed. If you live low, arriving a few days early helps, and practise hiking hard with poles if you plan to use them.

• Follow the 50K training plan

Getting there and watching

Snowbird is 29 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport, and the resort has lodging, food, parking and the start and finish. There is no camping or overnight parking on resort property. In 2026 spectators could ride the tram up for free before 10:30 a.m. to watch at Hidden Peak, where 50K runners pass twice. Live splits are on UTMB Live.

Running for good at Speedgoat

The Start Line Project, run with Women of the Wasatch, aims to get more women to the start of the 50K, with scholarship places, training runs and help with childcare. UTMB Community charity entries cost more and raise money through the IRONMAN Foundation. A 2022 study measured the trails before and after the race and found the race did not significantly damage them.

• The Start Line Project

Questions people ask