Big Texas Ultra

Big Texas Ultra is the last stop of the Texas Ultra Series organised by Texas Outlaw Running, and the race where its championship is decided. It starts and finishes at Flat Creek Crossing Ranch, outside Johnson City, with a course that runs between the ranch and Pedernales Falls State Park in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Four formats share the weekend: a 100K with a championship start and a non competitive start, a 50K, a 15K and a 15K ruck carried with a 20 or 30 lb pack.

The 50K is a single loop with about 2,200 ft (670 m) of climbing on dirty, rocky singletrack and wide trails; the 100K runs it twice, and the second lap demands a headlamp. The 15K is an out and back with roughly 850 ft (260 m) of gain, offered on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Aid stations named Overlook and Lone Star serve hot and cold food, electrolytes, pickle juice and ice, and drop bags wait at Lone Star around mile 15. November weather usually sits between 50 and 74°F.

The championship start is reserved for runners who placed in the top seven at another series race or met a time standard, and it pays $1,500 to the winning man and woman. Every 100K finisher earns a silver belt buckle, while the finisher medal completes a series collection whose pieces fit together into the lone star of Texas. With generous cutoffs and pacers allowed on the open 100K, it remains as welcoming to first timers as it is fierce at the front.