Sun, May 16, 2027

Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay

Thurmond, WV

Registration openAnnual since at least 2022

31 Miles50 Miles50K

Entry is $90 now and rises to $100 after Sep 30, 2026, so registering before then saves $10.

About the Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay

The course runs point-to-point through New River Gorge National Park, finishing in Thurmond, a near-ghost town that wakes up on race day. The terrain mixes rugged singletrack and rocky climbs with stretches of mountain dirt road, and the elevation gain is substantial throughout. There are several distance options, including a relay format for teams who want to split the work.

Packet pickup happens race morning at the respective start lines, so plan to arrive well before your wave goes off. The longer distance starts in Montgomery, where street parking is available. After finishing in Thurmond, athletes can board an Amtrak train back; the train schedule is fixed and does not wait, so the cutoff is real. A champagne toast happens at the finish line before the platform clears.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2026 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

31 Miles · 2026 results

88finishers

4:04:17winner

8:05:24median

11:14:20cutoff

Top 3: Joffrey Peters (4:04:17) · Dylan Hunter (4:42:00) · Regina Massingill (4:48:24)

50 Miles · 2026 results

33finishers

7:00:04winner

10:39:17median

12:44:29cutoff

Top 3: Nick Amos (7:00:04) · John Blasingame (7:39:54) · Gerod Green (7:45:39)

The Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay has been held every year since at least 2022. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 31 Miles results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

31 Miles5/16/2027 07:00$150

50 Miles5/16/2027 05:30$165

50 Miles5/16/2027 05:30$90

50 Mile Pacer5/16/2027 05:30$10

50 Miles5/16/2027 00:00$50

50K5/16/2027 00:00$50

Going for a Time?

Set a goal and get a pace band: every mile split on a card sized for your phone lock screen, so race morning needs no math.

Plan Your Trip

Where to Stay

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Common Questions About the Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay

Will I finish last at the Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay?

Almost certainly not. Half the 31 Miles field finished slower than 8:05:24, and the last recorded finisher came in around 11:14:20, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay a good first 31 Miles?

It is a small race (88 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 31 Miles, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay?

The 31 Miles winner ran 4:04:17 while the median finisher took 8:05:24. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.