START

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At 9,800 ft above sea level, the 50K begins by the Giant Steps Lodge at Brian Head Resort. It climbs up the steep slope via the Vista Hiking Trail, passing ski lifts, a beautiful blue alpine lake, and through golden aspen forests. Runners then link into the Marathon Trail and make their way into the shadow of Brian Head Peak at 11,300 ft. 

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BRIAN HEAD PEAK TO DARK HOLLOW

 

At mile 4, runners reach the first crew accesible aid station just below Brian Head Peak. Greeted with sunrise views over the ridgeline, runners continue on to the Sidney Peaks Trail. At mile 5 the course turns downhill onto the Dark Hollow trail. Dark Hollow features technical switchbacks, smooth bermed turns through aspen and pine, and a dirt road that dumps runners into the Yankee Meadows reservoir basin and aid station.

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YANKEE MEADOWS TO SIDNEY PEAKS 

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After the Yankee Meadows Aid Station, runners begin a brutal, 1,500-foot, 3-mile climb up a gnarly ATV trail, bringing them back up to the ridgeline via the Spruce Trail. The climb continues at a more gradual incline to the stunning views at the crew-accessible Sidney Peaks Aid Station.

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BRIAN HEAD PEAK SUMMIT

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Leaving Sidney Peaks Aid, runners follow the Sidney Peaks Trail along cruisy ridgeline that leads back to the Brian Head Peak Aid Station. Here runners are faced with the final challenge of the course: a quick, but punishing 1-mile ascent up the dirt road to the top of Brian Head Peak. 

 

At the 11,300 foot peak, runners are rewarded with 360-degree panoramic views of Cedar Breaks National Monument, the Tushar Mountains, Zion National Park, and the distant plateaus of Bryce Canyon.

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BRIAN HEAD PEAK TO THE FINISH

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The final 5 miles of the course features a 1,500-foot descent. Following the same trail runners ascended earlier in the day, runners cruise back down the slopes and to the finish at the Giant Steps Lodge. 

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