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After last weekend’s lightest racing lineup of the year, during the first weekend of December, our UltraRunning Calendar has over 40 races. Leading the way is a 50/50 in Southern California, a 43-year-old 40-miler in Georgia, a competitive 50/50 in Arizona and more.
In Malibu, California, on Saturday, December 2, is where we find the Ray Miller 50/50. Both the 50k and 50-miler take place at Point Mugu State Park and offer stunning views of the Pacific Ocean with plenty of vertical gain and loss. Both distances also run on sections of the infamous 68-mile-long Backbone Trail and are sold out for 2023.
Traveling east o Fountain Hills, Arizona, is Aravaipa’s McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50/50. Also going down on Saturday, the courses feature rolling single track, short and punchy climbs featuring beautiful desert vistas within the McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Sonoran Preserve. A $5,000 prize purse is split evenly between the women and men in the 50-miler. Registration is closed and live tracking is here.
The 43rd edition of the Pine Mountain Trail Run 40-miler is on Sunday, December 3, in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Conveniently situated approximately an hour south of Atlanta, the race takes place on the rocky trails of FD Roosevelt State Park with an out-and-back course. There are 26 spots left in the race as of publishing time, and registration closes on Thursday.
Kicking off at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Placer High School in Auburn, California, is the Western States Endurance Run lottery. The Hardrock 100 Endurance Run lottery also takes place on Saturday.
We also have The Tennessee Mile 6/8/12/24/40-hour races in Franklin, Tennessee, the Blood Rock 55k/50-mile/100-mile in Pelham, Alabama, the Jackson County 50/50 in Brownstown, Indiana, the Devil Dog Ultras 50k/100k/100-mile in Triangle, Virginia, the Cloudland Canyon 50/50 in Rising Fawn, Georgia, the Freight Train 50k/100k in Farmville, Virginia, the Sawmill Trail Runs 50k in Pine, Colorado, and the Capstone 50k in St. George, Utah.
We know there’s a lot more happening this weekend, so keep us in the loop with What’s Up in Ultra in your local community by leaving a comment below.