DC Peaks 100 is the 161km ultra trail at DC Peaks 2026 (Salt Lake City, United States). The race starts on October 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM. It starts in Salt Lake City and finishes in North Salt Lake. The time limit is 36 h.
Race strategy
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
- Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
- 915m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
- The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
- Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
- Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 129km, then run your race pace.
- Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
- Settle in · 1.5km–11.8km · Climb of 603m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
- Work · 11.8km–83.8km · Descent of 633m averaging 6%, descent of 499m averaging 7%, descent of 915m averaging 8%. Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
- Fade · 83.8km–144km · Climb of 1279m, descent of 627m averaging 8%, descent of 1399m averaging 11%. Plus 2 more climbs. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
- Home · 144km–160km · 16.3km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
Course
The course climbs 6361m+. With 40m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 23% flat. The longest climb runs 11.8km at an average 5.1% grade (603m of vertical). The longest descent runs 12.3km at an average 11.4% grade (1399m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.9% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 26.1% over 0.5km. Surface: 77% trail, 12% smooth, and 8% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 212.8 FlatKM.
Poles
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 15.1km of pole-friendly terrain.
Quad damage
Quad damage risk is high (index 60 of 100), with 48% of the load in the first half: 5 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.
- Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 129km, then run your race pace.
- #2 · 26.7–37.8 km · 633 m D−, -5.7% · 122.2 km ahead → control
- #3 · 45.3–52.9 km · 499 m D−, -6.5% · 107.0 km ahead → control
- #1 · 58.7–69.8 km · 915 m D−, -8.2% · 90.2 km ahead → control
- #5 · 101.6–109.4 km · 627 m D−, -8.0% · 50.5 km ahead → control
- #4 · 116.3–128.7 km · 1399 m D−, -11.4% · 31.3 km ahead → control
Weather
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 27°C, with around 3°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 27%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 5% of days around this date.
Results
74 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Elijah Syndergaard (United States) in 21:56:37. Women's winner: Lecsi Glenn (United States) in 27:47:11.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for DC Peaks 100.
