Black Canyon Ultras - 50K - Elevation Profile, Aid Stations and Cutoffs
- Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA
- 51.8 km32.2 mi
- 611 m2,005 ft D+
- 4 aid stations
Map, checkpoints and cutoffs Map · checkpoints · forecast opens Feb 5 Race-day forecast is live
Race-day conditions
Weather and daylight along the course and at all 6 checkpoints, set to the 07:00 start.
- Start
- 07:00
- Daylight at the start
- 07:15-18:10
- Aid stations
- 4
- Distance
- 51.8 km32.2 miFinishes 610 m lower than it startsFinishes 2,001 ft lower than it starts
- Elevation
- +611 m+2,005 ft-1,221 m-4,006 ftAbout 12 m of climb per kmAbout 62 ft of climb per mile
- Highest point
- 1,280 m4,199 ft
Next editionSun 14 Feb 2027 · 07:00
- Start
- Sunrise0h15 after the start
- Winner~3h163h16 after the start
- Median finisher2026 median6h42 after the start
- Cutoff11h after the start
A median finisher runs 0h15 in the dark.
Black Canyon Ultras - 50K is a 51.8 km (about 32 miles) ultra-trail with around 611 m of elevation gain, starting in Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA. The overall cutoff is 11 hours. That is 12 m of climbing per kilometre. Black Canyon Ultras has 2 races, from 51.8 to 100.1 km; this one ranks 2 of 2 by distance and 2 of 2 by climbing per kilometre.
The biggest climb between checkpoints gains around 216 m from Gloriana Mine (km 38.6) to Deep Canyon Ranch (Finish) (km 51.8). The steepest sustained section on the elevation profile averages about 4% over roughly 2.1 km around km 32. Crew access is allowed at Bumble Bee Ranch (31.2 km).
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide.
Other distances at Black Canyon Ultras
| Race | Distance | D+ | Cutoff | Next start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Canyon 100K | 100.1 km62.2 mi | 1,591 m5,220 ft | 20h00 | Feb 13, 2027 |
| Black Canyon 50K (this page) | 51.8 km32.2 mi | 611 m2,005 ft | 11h00 | Feb 14, 2027 |
Plan against the cutoffs
Prepare every aid station against the official cutoffs, then unlock your full roadbook in the app.
Estimate your finish
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Course math
Four numbers worked out from this course's distance, elevation and checkpoints.
TrailMath effort-km
64 effort-km
About 5 h for a mid-pack finisher (index 500). Not a pacing guarantee.
Distance + gain ÷ 100 + loss ÷ 200, beside ITRA's gain-only km-effort. Model TM1.0.
How TrailMath works →UTMB Index category
50K
57 km-effort (distance + gain ÷ 100). Calculated from the course figures, not an official classification.
Estimate your UTMB Index → ITRA and UTMB indexes explainedBiggest climb section
+216 m+709 ft
Gloriana Mine → Deep Canyon Ranch (Finish) · km 38.6–51.8mi 24–32.2
The largest gain between two checkpoints, not one continuous climb.
Gloriana Mine cutoff: Sun 15:00
Plan against barriers →Biggest descent section
−432 m−1,417 ft
Gloriana Mine → Deep Canyon Ranch (Finish) · km 38.6–51.8mi 24–32.2
The largest loss between two checkpoints. ITRA's km-effort ignores descent; TrailMath counts it: 64 km-effort.
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Black Canyon Ultras - 50K · 2026
Finish times, 2026 edition
923 runners started. 850 came back. Half of them took longer than 6:41:48.That left the median finisher 4:18:12 inside the 11h cutoff.
Median finish
6:41:48
Half of the 850 finishers were still out there at this point.
4:18:12in hand before the 11h cutoff
The start line
92.1%
850 of 923 starters made it; 73 did not.
still moving when a cutoff closed
stopped by choice or by the medics
Men and women
Two medians on the same scale. The bars run from the start to the cutoff, so the gap between them is the gap in time.
Men
6:27:22
median finish; average 6:30:35
529 finishers, 62% of the field
Women
7:10:56
median finish; average 7:11:38
320 finishers, 38% of the field
0:43:34 separates the two medians, across 529 men and 320 women.
Finish time by age group
Every track runs from the start to the 11h cutoff, so the empty part of a bar is the time that group's median finisher still had. Men and women are drawn on the same scale.
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| U20 | 6:16:07 | 5 - small sample, read with care | |
| 20-29 | 5:42:00 | 105 | |
| 30-39 | 5:58:20 | 192 | |
| 40-49 | 6:45:50 | 137 | |
| 50-59 | 7:41:40 | 68 | |
| 60-69 | 7:47:52 | 19 - small sample, read with care | |
| 70+ | 9:54:34 | 3 - small sample, read with care |
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| U20 | - | 2 - too few finishers to publish a time | |
| 20-29 | 6:02:32 | 59 | |
| 30-39 | 6:36:32 | 109 | |
| 40-49 | 7:37:41 | 90 | |
| 50-59 | 8:21:49 | 46 | |
| 60-69 | 8:25:56 | 14 - small sample, read with care |
Full bar: 20 finishers or more. Tick alone: fewer than 20, too few for a median to say much. The shaded row is the biggest group.
Where the finishers came from
92% of the finishers came from United States alone.
| Nation | Finishers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United StatesUS | 78592.4% | |
| CanadaCA | 465.4% | |
| MexicoMX | 91.1% | |
| SwitzerlandCH | 30.4% | |
| JapanJP | 20.2% | |
| ChinaCN | 10.1% | |
| FranceFR | 10.1% | |
| ItalyIT | 10.1% | |
| SwedenSE | 10.1% | |
| South AfricaZA | 10.1% |
Bar length is against the largest nation. The smallest counts are drawn at a minimum visible width, so their bars are not to scale.
Edition by edition
Every edition we have recomputed in full, newest first. The course, the weather and the field change from year to year, so a slower edition is not a harder one.
| Edition | Distance run | Starters | Finishers | Finish rate | Median finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Latest | - | 923 | 850 | 92.1% | 6:41:48 |
| 2025 | - | 574 | 527 | 91.8% | 6:57:40 |
How these numbers were computed
These are times for runners who finished. They exclude everyone who started and did not, so they describe how long finishing took, not how long the race takes. Bands with only a handful of finishers move a lot from one edition to the next.
We plot the median, not the average. A handful of very quick runners drags the average well below the time half the field actually beat, so the median is the honest number to plan against.
Nationality here shows who travels to this race, not who runs it best. That alone is why a host nation tops almost every list.
Computed from the full official results, verifiedNovember 8, 2026 - Official results
Ask the course
Ask Black Canyon 50K anything about climbs, pacing, crew or cutoffs.
Answers come from this course's data, your plan and your training.
Which climb should I respect most?
Gloriana Mine to Deep Canyon Ranch (Finish): +216 m over 13.2 km, from km 38.6. Hike the steep sections at an effort you could hold for hours - the race is decided after this climb, not on it.
Where can my crew meet me?
Bumble Bee Ranch, km 31.2 - your only crew point.
Is 6h a realistic finish for me?
6h would put you in the faster half of 2026 finishers - the median was 6:41:48. It means holding 6:57/km overall.
The assistant answers that once it can see your training.
Build your Black Canyon 50K plan and your question is the first thing waiting in the TrailMath Assistant.
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Example answer
Your long runs peak at 15 km, so the plan builds to 4-hour long runs.
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~15 weeks · peak ~8 h/week · 5 run + 2 strength days
For a 51.8 km race, aim for about 8 h/week at peak. Set your availability to 9 h/week in the app for the headroom to build there gradually.
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Aid stations and checkpoints
| Checkpoint | KmMi | Cumulative gain (m)Cumulative gain (ft) | Cumulative loss (m)Cumulative loss (ft) | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Mayer High SchoolServices not published | 00 | 00 | 00 | - |
| Antelope Mesa | 12.47.7 | 164538 | 196643 | Sun 09:45 |
| Hidden Treasure | 20.812.9 | 186610 | 4761,562 | Sun 11:15 |
| Bumble Bee RanchCrew | 31.219.4 | 238781 | 6882,257 | Sun 13:15 |
| Gloriana Mine | 38.624 | 3951,296 | 7892,589 | Sun 15:00 |
| Deep Canyon Ranch (Finish)CrewDrop bag | 51.832.2 | 6112,005 | 1,2214,006 | Sun 18:00 |
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide. Source: official race guide, verifiedNovember 8, 2026 - Official race website
FAQ
How much elevation gain does Black Canyon Ultras - 50K have?
Black Canyon Ultras - 50K has around 611 m of cumulative elevation gain and 1,221 m of loss over 51.8 km.
What is the cutoff time for Black Canyon Ultras - 50K?
The overall Black Canyon Ultras - 50K cutoff is 11 hours, with intermediate time barriers at major checkpoints. Winning times are typically around 3 hours.
How long is Black Canyon Ultras - 50K?
Black Canyon Ultras - 50K covers approximately 51.8 km (about 32 miles), starting in Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA.
How many aid stations does Black Canyon Ultras - 50K have and which allow crew?
The checkpoint table lists 4 major aid points between the start and the finish. Crew access is allowed at Bumble Bee Ranch (31.2 km).
Training for this race?
TrailMath builds periodized trail training plans around your goal race.
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