Kodiak 50K

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• Start easy and control your HR up to the aid station at 36.4km.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 40.6km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–36.4km · Climb of 364m, high point 2491m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 36.4km–40.6km · Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 40.6km–48.4km · Descent of 297m averaging 4%. 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.

Course

The course climbs 1295m+ and descends 1296m−. With 26m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 28% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 34% flat. The longest climb runs 4.2km at an average 6.6% grade (276m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.9km at an average 3.8% grade (297m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 20.9% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 10.8% over 1.3km. Surface: 92% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 57.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Snow Summit (2491m), 10.2km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 15 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 40.6km.
• 40.6–48.4 km · 297 m D−, -3.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 4°C to 15°C, with around 11°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 7%.

Results

734 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Cole Campbell (United States) in 3:20:42. Women's winner: Anna Gibson (United States) in 3:59:13.