Monterey Ultra
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Monterey Ultra (50 Miler) : February 7, 2026, Monterey, CA
The Monterey Ultra is a 50 Miler held at Fort Ord National Monument and the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California. The event uses a two-loop format made up of a 35-mile loop and a 15-mile loop. Capacity for the Monterey Ultra 50M is 150 runners.
Course and support
The course covers about 50.7 miles with roughly 7,080 feet of elevation gain. Terrain includes fire roads, twisting single-track, deep sand, rocky and rooty climbs. The route is mostly dirt trails and non-technical fire roads. Courses are marked with colored ribbon and signs; blue ribbons indicate wrong-way trails. Hiking poles are permitted.
There are multiple aid stations on course offering fuel and fluids such as energy gels, chews, Stroopwafels, trail mix, pretzels, PB&J, soda, water, and Skratch Hydration. The event is cupless; runners must carry their own bottle or reusable cup. Drop bags are available at Skyline (Mile 17.1 and Mile 39.1) and Laguna Seca (Mile 35.9). Pacers may join runners at the Laguna Seca aid station. Some aid stations are not vehicle-accessible; Laguna Seca and Toro Creek are reachable by crew without a lengthy hike.
Rules, awards and apparel
The 50M has a 14.5 hour time limit. All finishers receive a custom medal; 50 Miler finishers also receive a custom hat. Top three overall finishers in each gender receive trophies and age-group awards are given three deep across standard age categories. To be guaranteed a race shirt size, registration must be completed by January 24, 2026. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
