Trail Running · Utah

🇺🇸Bear 100:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

159 km with 5,930 m of gain and 5,595 m of loss across 13 climbs and 13 descents. From a 1,484 m start to a 2,749 m high point, it rewards relentless descending legs and all-day durability.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Bear 100 — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

159 km

Distance

+5,910 m

Vertical Gain

−5,580 m

Total Descent

Sep 25, 2026

Next Edition · 65 days out

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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 159 km / 98.9 mi and 5,910 m / 19,390 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 159 km / 98.9 mi and 5,910 m / 19,390 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Terrain summary

Claimed vs GPS-Measured

Claimed · Organizer

159km

Distance

+5,930m

Gain

+0.0 km−20 m

GPS-Measured

159km

Distance

+5,910m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+5,910 mTotal Gain

−5,580 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

30%

Flat

≤3% grade

31%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

34%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

ClimbCRUX

KM 0.0–8.9 · +1,013 m

+11.4%

Descent

KM 116.0–119.0 · −343 m

-10.3%

Climb

KM 71.6–79.8 · +807 m

+9.8%

Descent

KM 19.2–31.0 · −1,100 m

-9.3%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

Reference finish times from past results — use them to set a realistic goal pace.

18h 35m

Winning time

21h 52m

Top 5

22h 38m

Top 10

36h 00m

Back of pack

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Descending carries 39% of the scoring weight on this course — the terrain makes that the deciding factor.

Weighting shows where readiness is won or lost at this distance — not whether you need each pillar. An aerobic base is a given for a race this long, so it carries little deciding weight even though it's essential — the gaps open on the climbs, descents and the back half.

AerobicSustained engine

Foundational

All-day steady output across 159 km with heavy time above 2,000 m elevation.

ClimbingVertical power

21%

13 climbs totaling 5,930 m, including a 1,013 m opener and a 13.4 km grind.

DescendingEccentric / braking

39%

5,595 m of loss over 13 descents, with 42% of terrain running downhill.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

39%

159 km of repeated up-and-down cycling; legs must hold form deep into the race.

The Profile in One Line

A high, rolling 159 km ultra where sustained descending and durability decide the day over 13 climbs and 13 descents.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 21%Descending 39%Durability 39%

Here's how CourseRecon reads a course and an athlete

Sample Readiness Analysis

What a readiness result looks like for this course

This is a worked example for a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete — not your score. Connect your own training and the same analysis runs on you.

Sample

OUT OF 100

MOSTLY READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

This is a sample — connect your Strava to see your own result.

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

The 159 km distance at a high point of 2,749 m demands sustained aerobic economy, with much of the course held at altitude.

Climbing

Thirteen climbs stack 5,930 m of gain, and steep-plus-very-steep grades cover over 21% of the course, taxing power on the ups.

Descending

Descending is the dominant demand: 5,595 m of loss spread across 13 descents, with the longest at 11.8 km and one losing 1,100 m.

Durability

Repeated 13-up, 13-down cycles over 159 km punish quads and connective tissue; late descents like the 343 m drop near km 116 test legs already worked hard.

km 0–8.85

Opening 1,013 m Climb

The race launches straight into a 1,013 m climb over 8.85 km at 11.4% average grade. Overcooking this steep opener burns matches needed for the descents ahead.

km 19.21–31

1,100 m Descent

A sustained 1,100 m drop across nearly 12 km at -9.3% arrives early. Riding the brakes here trashes quads that must survive four more major climbs and 13 descents total.

km 71.58–79.83

Mid-Race 807 m Grind

An 807 m climb over 8.25 km at 9.8% comes deep into the course. With durability and descending weighted highest, holding steady power here without blowing the legs is decisive.

That was a sample