Wasatch 100
Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run
Kaysville, UT (East Mountain Wilderness Park) → Midway, UT (Soldier Hollow)
Race guide
Updated 29 June 2026
The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run is one of North America's oldest and most demanding hundred-milers, traversing the rugged Wasatch Range above Salt Lake City from East Mountain Wilderness Park in Kaysville to the finish at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah — a point-to-point journey of 160.9 km. The race begins at 1467 m elevation and climbs repeatedly to a high point of 2722 m, demanding sustained effort across alpine ridgelines, dense singletrack, and exposed terrain that changes dramatically as the hours — and the night — pass beneath your feet. With a total of just under 30 hours on the clock (a Friday morning start and a Saturday 17:00 finish cutoff), the Wasatch 100 is a race that punishes both the reckless and the timid. There is no flat warmup, no forgiving middle section, and no easy finish. What it offers instead is one of the most honest tests of mountain running fitness, mental resilience, and logistical preparation in the sport.
Course & Terrain Overview
The course runs point-to-point from Kaysville to Midway, covering 160.9 km with the high point sitting at 2722 m — a figure runners will become very familiar with as they yo-yo through high ridge crossings and canyon descents throughout the day and night. The terrain is quintessential Wasatch: rocky singletrack, exposed ridgelines, rooted forest trails, and grassy meadow approaches. The altitude is sustained rather than brief, meaning runners spend many hours above 2000 m, where thin air compounds muscular fatigue in ways flatland training rarely prepares you for. The route passes through a series of distinct mountain environments — wilderness park trails out of Kaysville, open ridges near Bountiful B at 26.7 km, the iconic Big Mountain Pass at 51.3 km, the long ridge traverse to Alexander Ridge at 65.5 km, then a descent into Lambs Canyon at 76.4 km before the demanding climb through the Millcreek corridor to Upper Big Water at 90.7 km. The back half of the race traverses the Brighton area at 111.5 km before crossing Pole Line Pass at 124.2 km and dropping through Little Deer Creek at 142.1 km into the final descent to Soldier Hollow. Footing is rarely technical in the scrambling sense, but relentless rockiness and rooted trail demand full attention throughout.
Decisive Climbs & Descents — Where the Race Is Won or Lost
The Wasatch 100 doesn't have a single defining climb — it has a series of them, and the cumulative toll is the real challenge. The opening section to Bountiful B (26.7 km) sets the tone immediately, pulling runners up to the 2722 m high point early before allowing any rhythm to establish. Big Mountain Pass at 51.3 km is a critical psychological and physical checkpoint: arriving here strong and within your planned window means you are in the race; arriving already depleted means a long and painful second half. The section from Lambs Canyon (76.4 km) through Upper Big Water (90.7 km) is widely regarded as the race's toughest stretch — it arrives in the dead of night when core temperature drops, fatigue is peaking, and the 02:30 cutoff demands that runners maintain meaningful forward momentum despite everything the body is screaming. Brighton Lodge at 111.5 km offers a reprieve and a crew meeting point, but Pole Line Pass at 124.2 km and the long miles through Little Deer Creek to 142.1 km test resolve one final time before Soldier Hollow. Runners who bank energy through the middle miles and resist blowing up on early descents typically survive the back third; those who overcook the first 80 km rarely make it to the finish line under cutoff.
Pacing & Fueling Strategy
With a 30-hour window from a Friday start to the Saturday 17:00 cutoff, the Wasatch 100 rewards conservative early pacing more than almost any other hundred-miler. The cutoffs are structured to allow roughly 11 hours for the first 51.3 km to Big Mountain Pass, then progressively tighter windows as the race continues — a sign that the back half is where time erodes fastest. Plan your splits backward from each cutoff with a meaningful buffer: the Upper Big Water cutoff (02:30 Saturday) and the Little Deer Creek cutoff (14:30 Saturday) are the two points where DNFs most commonly occur. Fueling at altitude suppresses appetite, and the sustained exertion through a full night means gut issues compound if you fall behind on calories. Aim to eat real food at every crew-accessible checkpoint — Big Mountain Pass (51.3 km), Lambs Canyon (76.4 km), Brighton Lodge (111.5 km), and Soldier Hollow — and treat aid station calories between crew points as non-negotiable rather than optional. Sodium management matters on a course where sweat rate and temperature swing dramatically between afternoon sun on exposed ridges and cold nights above 2000 m. Carry a mandatory night layer for the stretch from Lambs Canyon through Brighton; temperatures can drop sharply and the exposed ridge sections offer no shelter.
Crew Access & Race Logistics
The Wasatch 100 offers crew access at five points along the course: the start at East Mountain Wilderness Park, Big Mountain Pass (51.3 km), Lambs Canyon (76.4 km), Brighton Lodge (111.5 km), and the finish at Soldier Hollow. This is a generous but strategically demanding crew schedule — the gaps between crew points, particularly the 25.1 km from Brighton to Pole Line Pass and the 17.9 km from Pole Line Pass to Little Deer Creek, mean runners must be self-sufficient through long mountain sections. Pack your drop bags thoughtfully at each non-crew checkpoint to cover both best-case and worst-case scenarios for weather gear, headlamp batteries, and calories. Crews should plan driving routes carefully between Big Mountain Pass, Lambs Canyon, and Brighton Lodge as mountain roads can be slow and the cutoff windows are not generous. Being at a crew point with your runner's needs already staged — not still unpacking from the car — can mean the difference between making or missing a cutoff. Pacers are a significant advantage on this course from Lambs Canyon onward, where night running, route-finding in the dark, and the mental grind of miles 76–161 make a reliable companion invaluable.
Conditions to Expect
The Wasatch 100 is held in late September, when Utah's mountain weather is genuinely unpredictable. Days often start cool but can warm significantly on exposed southern-facing ridges by midday Friday, then plunge well below 10°C on open high terrain Friday night. Snow is possible above 2500 m in poor years; heavy rain turning trails to slick mud is a realistic scenario at any point. Come prepared for all of it — a compressible insulated layer, waterproof shell, and warm gloves should live in your pack from the start, not just your drop bags. The start at 1467 m and repeated excursions to 2722 m mean altitude acclimatization is a genuine performance factor, particularly for runners traveling from sea level. Arriving several days early is worthwhile if your schedule allows. Trail conditions vary from buff singletrack in dry years to churned mud and ankle-deep leaf litter on descents after rain. Headlamp time starts Friday evening and extends through to the early hours of Saturday — expect to run six or more hours in darkness, so a powerful primary lamp and a reliable backup are essential gear, not optional extras.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-05) · official source
0 km · 1467 m · —
26.7 km · 2722 m · Fri 12:00
33.6 km · 2722 m · —
51.3 km · 2722 m · Fri 17:00
65.5 km · 2722 m · Fri 20:30
76.5 km · 2722 m · Fri 23:00
90.8 km · 2722 m · Sat 02:30
98.7 km · 2722 m · —
105.1 km · 2722 m · —
111.6 km · 2722 m · Sat 07:30
119.2 km · 2722 m · —
124.3 km · 2722 m · Sat 10:30
130.7 km · 2722 m · —
142.1 km · 2722 m · Sat 14:30
152.5 km · 2722 m · —
161 km · 2722 m · Sat 17:00
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