Overview. The Sheltowee Trace Ultras (formerly known as Big Turtle) are a set of three races along the northernmost section of the 350+ mile long Sheltowee Trace starting from Morehead State University. The race features out and back ridgeline routes along the Trace in distances of 10 miles, 50 kilometers, and 50 miles. Here are the stats for the 50K:

Route Type | Out and Back
Total Distance | ~31 miles
Elevation Gain | 4,718 feet
Overall Difficulty | Easy to Moderate

Parking. Ample race parking is in the overflow lot on the east side of US-60/Wilkinson Blvd. And uh, don’t play chicken with oncoming traffic.

Course Navigation. The 50K course follows Sheltowee Trace without deviation between Morehead State University’s Laughlin Building and Dry Branch. It is blazed in white diamonds and turtles. It would take some doing to get lost, but it’s possible. Follow the flagging and blazes to stay on course - better still, load the .gpx file provided above to your offline topo map on your phone or watch.

Highly Runnable. The course provides a lot of great running with just over a mile of pavement and the rest split between gravel forest roads and dirt singletrack. There are a total of four climbs that can be steep (especially the opener), but there are plenty of enjoyable, fast downhills to match them. These are the knobs (foothills) of Kentucky, and they can be punchy at times, but generally flow nicely.

Race Kit. Since I’d planned for 50 miles, I had a pretty robust kit that included the items below. I always take trekking poles as well just in case I wreck an ankle out there.

Race Recap. I signed up for the race with my buddy, Handsome Klatzke, to celebrate his 50th birthday with 50 miles. We both put in a good block of training, but it was an unknown - neither of us had ever run 50 miles before.

As of this writing, ONE of us knows what it’s like to run 50 miles, and it ain’t me:-)

Seriously, I had set some pretty conservative pace goals, but it was in the low 80s with way too much sun for my cold weather DNA to handle. I. was. frying.

So, as far as the race goes, I managed everything on pace and on time out to Holly Fork, and that’s when things started to get really hot in a bad way.

The climb before Dry Branch cooked me and on the way down to the aid station I was working on whether or not to turnaround and treat the day like a 50K training run or to push on and have a high probability of a DNF and ride back to the finish line.

As I got closer to the aid station, I came up behind another runner (Grant) who was struggling with a knee problem, and we walked into the aid station together.

I decided to call it a day and turnaround to at least get a few more miles on my legs. Grant decided to join me for a hike back - he was able to walk mostly alright, but running wasn’t in the cards.

So, we turned in our bibs, walked back to the finish line, and had time to grab a beer at Sawstone Brewing before Handsome finished up the full 50 miles.

While the day didn’t go to plan, I still got to celebrate Handsome’s 50th, he finished properly and faster than expected, we all had a good-ish day on trail, I made a new adventure friend, and all three of us had plenty of delicious beer and pizza and cheesticks and wings and beer to finish the night.

That’s a damn good race day. Not perfect, but damn good. Trail race weekends are the sh!t!

CAUTION - Standing Dead and Downed Trees. Take care when visiting the forest to be alert to these dangers. Forest Service clears these when resources allow - and Forest Service is perpetually under-resourced.

CAUTION - Poisonous Snakes. Copperheads and timber rattlesnakes can be found in the area. Should you encounter one, stop and slowly back away. Always give venomous snakes a wide berth. Know Before You Go => University of Kentucky Venomous Snake Guide

CAUTION - Black Bears. Ursus Americanus - a.k.a. the American black bear is growing in population throughout much of Kentucky. Know Before You Go => US Forest Service Black Bear Safety Tips