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It’s starting to feel like spring, and our UltraRunning Calendar has some rad old school ultras on tap for the weekend. From Arkansas to Virginia with a pit stop in Illinois, it’s a great weekend to run an ultramarathon.
Kicking off the festivities is the 32nd annual Ouachita Trail 50k/50-miler in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Saturday, April 15. Running along the Ouachita National Recreation Trail within the 2,356-acre Pinnacle Mountain State Park, the scenic yet challenging singletrack highlights both of these courses. This is the oldest enduring Arkansas Ultra Running Association event on the calendar. Read: Grief and an FKT by Fawn Hernandez.
In Clifton, Virginia, we have the 29th annual Bull Run Run 50-miler happening on the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail in Northern Virginia also on Saturday. Starting at the Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, the course traverses forested, rolling terrain during the height of Virginia’s spring beauty with the bluebells expected to be popping.
The Potawatomi Trail Runs at the magnificent 850-acre John T. McNaughton Park in Pekin, Illinois, has a race distance for every ultrarunner. The 200-miler starts on Thursday, April 14, the 150-miler and 50-miler start on Friday, and the 100-miler and 30-miler start on Saturday. Each race runs 10-mile loops consisting mostly of singletrack, some open prairies, several water crossings and endless rolling hills with approximately 1,600 feet of elevation gain per lap. All events are currently sold out.
Other races of note on Saturday, April 15 include the Desert Rats Trail Running Festival 50/100k races in Fruita, Colorado, the Whiskey Basin Trail Runs 60/90k in Prescott, Arizona, the Oriflamme 50k in Julian, California, and the Runamuck 50k in Windsor, Vermont. On Sunday, check out the Mountains to Sea Challenge 50k in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Napa Valley 50k in Calistoga, California. Starting on Wednesday, April 12 in Los Olivos, California, is the Born to Run Ultra Marathons 4-day event. Accompanying 30/50/100-milers start later in the week on the 10-mile looped course.
What’s cooking on your ultra calendar this weekend? If you have another event you’re lining up for that we omitted, be sure to mention it in a comment below and don’t forget to circle back on Sunday, April 16 for results from these races and more in our Ultra Weekend Recap column.