Trail Running · California

🇺🇸Mammoth Trail Fest 50 km:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

A 52 km loop with 1645 m of gain across eight climbs and 1644 m of loss, staged high between 2463 m and 3346 m. Descending dominates at 48% of the course, with a single decisive climb at its heart.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Mammoth Trail Fest 50 km — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

51.6 km

Distance

+1,630 m

Vertical Gain

−1,630 m

Total Descent

Sep 25, 2026

Next Edition · 65 days out

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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 51.7 km / 32.1 mi and 1,630 m / 5,340 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 51.7 km / 32.1 mi and 1,630 m / 5,340 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

51.6km

Distance

+2,130m

Gain

+0.0 km−500 m

GPS-Measured

51.7km

Distance

+1,630m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+1,630 mTotal Gain

−1,630 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

40%

Flat

≤3% grade

23%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

32%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

ClimbCRUX

KM 25.9–29.3 · +544 m

+16%

Descent

KM 29.3–36.7 · −649 m

-8.8%

Climb

KM 3.1–6.2 · +214 m

+6.8%

Climb

KM 21.8–24.3 · +166 m

+6.8%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

4h 08m

Winning time

4h 37m

Top 5

4h 54m

Top 10

12h 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 41% 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

Sustained effort at 2463–3346 m altitude over 52 km with modest flat running.

ClimbingVertical power

20%

Eight climbs totaling 1645 m, headlined by one 544 m ascent at 16%.

DescendingEccentric / braking

41%

1644 m of loss across four descents, including a 7.3 km drop of 649 m.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

39%

52 km at elevation with repeated up-and-down and a late, sustained descent.

The Profile in One Line

High-altitude 52 km with balanced up-and-down, a punchy central climb, and a long descent that rewards durable legs.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 20%Descending 41%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

READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

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

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

Racing entirely above 2463 m and peaking at 3346 m taxes oxygen delivery, so steady aerobic output across 52 km matters despite no single relentless grind.

Climbing

Eight climbs deliver 1645 m of gain, with 16% of the course exceeding 10% up. The 544 m crux climb at 16% demands both power and pacing discipline.

Descending

With 48% of the course pointed downhill and 1644 m of loss, quick, controlled descending is decisive, especially on the 7.3 km, 649 m drop.

Durability

The 52 km distance combined with eight climbs, four descents, and thin high-altitude air punishes fatigue management, particularly late when tired legs meet the long descent.

km 26–29

The 544 m Central Climb

The race's steepest sustained effort gains 544 m at 16% over 3.4 km. It arrives past halfway and separates contenders who paced the opening climbs from those who overspent.

km 29–37

Long Descent Off the High Point

Immediately after the crux climb, the course sheds 649 m over 7.3 km at nearly 9%. Quad control here protects legs for the closing kilometers.

altitude

Racing Above 2463 m

The entire course sits between 2463 m and 3346 m, thinning the air on every climb. Aerobic output and effort management are constrained throughout the 52 km.

That was a sample