The Rut Mountain Runs 50k

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 371m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1070m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 51% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• High point at 3392m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 33.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 41.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–13.2km · Descent of 371m averaging 11%. Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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.
• Work · 13.2km–26.8km · Climb of 1067m. Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 26.8km–41.0km · Climb of 776m, high point 3392m, descent of 800m averaging 29%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 41.0km–47.7km · Descent of 483m averaging 7%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 3200m+. With 64m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 46% of the distance is uphill, 49% downhill and 5% flat. The longest climb runs 11.7km at an average 9.1% grade (1067m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.6km at an average 7.3% grade (483m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 50.9% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 32.1% over 1.9km. Flat-equivalent effort: 73.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Lone Mountain (3397m), 31.1km from the start. The course also passes close to Andesite Mountain (2661m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.7km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 39 of 100), with 29% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 33.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 41.0km.
• #1 · 3.9–7.1 km · 371 m D−, -11.3% · 40.5 km ahead → control
• 24.8–26.8 km · 286 m D−, -14.4% · 20.8 km ahead → your pace
• #2 · 31.0–33.7 km · 800 m D−, -29.3% · 13.9 km ahead → control
• 35.0–39.1 km · 398 m D−, -9.7% · 8.5 km ahead → your pace
• 41.0–47.7 km · 483 m D−, -7.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from -2°C to 8°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 29%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 4% of days around this date.

Results

571 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Forrest Barton (United States) in 5:14:27. Women's winner: Nichole Abma (Canada) in 6:19:53.