ELKHORN ENDURANCE RUNS
SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2026
50 Mile
THIS IS A TOUGH EVENT. Spectacular Montana backcountry, 37 miles of very technical single track trails, 13 miles of primitive/double track jeep road and 1 mile of maintained dirt Forest Service road. Approximately 13,400 feet of elevation gain and maximum elevation of just under 9,000’. Big climbs, big descents, big Montana views. No pavement, just Elkhorn Mountains dirt, rocks, forests, meadows, rocks, a historic ghost town and cemetery, rocks, a mountain lake, cold, clear creeks to splash through, and rocks.
We have yet to have a finisher tell us they’ve run a tougher 50 mile course. This course takes runners into and through roadless, remote, back country, and removes you from the top of the food chain. All trail sections are closed to motorized vehicles, and vehicle access to the primitive road sections is very difficult. You may see Deer, Elk, Moose, Bear, Coyote, Mountain Goat, and other wild critters on race day. They will be watching you. You will encounter bovines. There are 8 well stocked aid stations on the course (unless a bear gets into our supplies), the longest distance between aid stations is 7 miles.
Course Map
The race starts and finishes at the Willard Creek Trailhead at the end of Forest Service Road 4014. Primitive camping is available. There are no amenities other than porta-potties, which will be delivered sometime the day before the race.
Schedule
50 Mile Packet Pickup: Check in on Friday, at the Montana City Volunteer Fire Department, Station 1 between 4 and 7pm (1192 Highway 282 in Montana City). Course briefings at 4:15, 5:15 and 6:15pm.
50 Mile Race Start: 5:00 am Saturday. All races start and finish at the Willard Creek Trailhead at the end of Forest Service Road 4014. Allow at least 45 minutes driving time from Helena, and be sure to check-in 15 minutes before the race starts.
50 Mile Drop Bags (let’s call them GO bags): Town of Elkhorn (mile 20). You must bring you drop bags to the Friday pre-race meeting, that is your only option.
Course Markings
The three Elkhorn Endurance Run events take place on the same course. The course is marked with colored duct tape and occasional signs. Duct tape is attached to tree branches, tree trunks, rocks, etc. The trails tend to disappear in meadows. We have built rock cairns along the more difficult sections, which will be supplemented with colored duct
tape for the race. In some meadows we will add wood stakes, painted or wrapped with colored duct tape, along the trail. The stakes do get knocked over by cattle and elk, so they may be lying on the ground. The duct tape will be supplemented with reflective tape along the first couple of miles of trail and from Elk Park Aid Station, down trail 302 to
the finish.
Generally, in areas where the trail is not hard to follow and there are no intersections, course markings will not be frequent. When you see lots of marking, there is a trail intersection or a section that is tricky to follow… SO PAY ATTENTION. If you get to an intersection and there is no marking, you are probably off course. We will discuss tricky
intersections at the course briefing.
Aid Stations & Cutoff Times
Aid stations will be stocked with Hammer Heed and gels (thank you, Hammer!) along with real food favorites like watermelon, cookies, candy, and pretzels.
| Aid Station | Distance | Cutoff Time |
| Elk Park | 6.1 mi | – |
| Tizer Lake | 13 mi | – |
| Elkhorn Town | 20 mi | 11:30 AM |
| Skyline Mine | 26 mi | 2:15 PM |
| Guard Station | 32 mi | 4:00 PM |
| Elk Park | 36.6 mi | 5:30 PM |
| Tepee Creek | 40.1 mi | 7:00 PM |
| McClellan Creek | 46 mi | 8:45 PM |
10:00 PM Finish line cut off time for all events. Runners crossing the finish line after 10:00 will not be considered official finishers.
Helena Ultra Runners League (HURL) 