Monterey Ultra
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Monterey Ultra 50 Miler
The Monterey Ultra is a 50 mile trail race held at Fort Ord National Monument and the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California. The course is composed of a 35 mile loop and a 15 mile loop and covers roughly 50.7 miles with about 7,080 feet of elevation gain.
Terrain includes wide fire roads, smooth and twisting single track, deep sand, rocky sections, and rooty climbs. The route is marked with colored surveyor ribbon, laminated signs, and occasional flour arrows, and blue ribbons indicate wrong way trails.
Aid stations are placed along the course and offer a variety of foods and beverages such as energy gels and chews, stroopwafels, trail mix, potatoes with salt, Coke, Skratch Hydration mix, fresh fruit, and general first aid supplies. The event is cupless so runners are responsible for carrying their own bottle or reusable cup. Skratch Hydration is mixed to provide 80 to 100 calories per 20 fluid ounces.
Drop bags are accepted at designated aid stations located at mile 17.1 and mile 35.9, with an additional pass at mile 39.1. Headlamps are recommended at the start of the race and may be left at aid stations for later delivery to the finish area. Crew access is limited; only some aid stations are reachable by vehicle and pacers may join at the Laguna Seca aid station at mile 35.9.
Timing includes live aid station tracking. The 50 mile race has a 14.5 hour course time limit. Parking is available within the Laguna Seca Recreation Area adjacent to the start and finish area. Capacity for the 50 mile race is 150 runners. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
