Bull Run Run 50 Mile
Clifton, Virginia · April · 50 mi
- Distance
- 50.2 mi (80.8 km)
- Out and back
- Climbing
- 1,609 m (5,280 ft)
- Rolling: 20 m per km (105 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 13 hours
- 15:30 per mi (9:38 per km) average
- Finish rate
- 46%
- of starters in 2026
Why runners love it
- Bluebells line the northern section in early April, beside Bull Run and the Occoquan.
- 12 aid stations, mostly 2.4 to 5.4 mi (3.9 to 8.7 km (5.4 mi)) apart, with crew at 7.
- First-come online entry for $125, capped at 300, no qualifier; 2027 entry opened 1 October 2026.
- Hills are short: about 20 climbs of 46 m (150 ft) and none above 61 m (200 ft).
- Camping and bunkhouses on site at Hemlock Overlook the night before.
Watch out for
- Pacers are banned and drop bags are at only 3 stops.
- Enforced cutoffs begin at mile 35.5 (57 km); 2026 heat cut the finish rate to 46%.
- Flood years use a high-water course (a runner estimated about 74 km (46 mi) / 46 mi in 2022).
- Starts near freezing and can reach 20 °C (68 °F) or more by afternoon; 2016 brought sleet and snow.
- Headphones are banned for the first 17.6 mi (28 km); poles are discouraged.
Race
How runners feel about it, how well it is run, and the community around it. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
Toughness for its distance: Tough
- Runner satisfactionLoved4.3
Reports from 2009 to 2026 are warm: 'still the best 50 miler' (2015), 5 of 5 on RaceRaves, praise for volunteers. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.3
33 editions by an experienced club with detailed course, crew and cutoff pages; a 2017 finisher jacket shortage was handled with an apology. · Medium confidence
- Community and vibeWarm4.4
Volunteers run themed aid stations and a post-race party with team awards; reviewers mention a friendly, playful spirit. · Medium confidence
Support
Aid stations, crew access, drop bags and pacer rules. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
- Aid stationsGood4.4
12 stations, mostly 2.4 to 5.4 mi (3.9 to 8.7 km (5.4 mi)) apart, plus a 7.2 mi (11.6 km) first leg; soup, fruit, Gatorade. · High confidence
- Crew accessGood4.2
Crew reaches 7 of 12 aid stops with short drives of a few miles (about 5 km (3.1 mi)); parking at the start is tight. · High confidence
- Drop bagsSome stations3.3
Drop bags at Hemlock Overlook (mile 17.6) and Fountainhead (miles 28.9 and 37.9) only; bags must be small. · High confidence
- PacersNot allowed1.2
Pacers and non-entrants may not run with runners on the trail; family may join only on the final gravel road. · High confidence
Course
Course marking, scenery, and how runners rate the trail itself. Counts for 15% of the overall score.
- Course markingClear4.3
White ribbons with blue text, double ribbons at turns and red ribbons for wrong ways; reviewers say it is very well marked. · High confidence
- SceneryBeautiful3.9
Bluebell carpets along Bull Run, the Occoquan reservoir shoreline and forest, in a suburban regional park. · Medium confidence
- Trail experienceGreat4.0
Rolling singletrack with about 20 short climbs and runners returning for decades; some find the rocky river stretch near the end hardest. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- FootingModerate3.0
Mostly dirt singletrack with roots, mud, slippery bridges and a few rocky stretches of about 180 m (200 yd). · High confidence
- RunnabilityMostly runnable3.7
Reviewers call it mostly runnable; no climb tops 61 m (200 ft), but there are about 20 of 46 m (150 ft). · High confidence
- ClimbingGently rolling3.6
Climbs 105 ft per mi (20 m per km), from the official elevation gain. · High confidence
Conditions
Race-day temperature and how predictable the weather is. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- Race-day temperaturePleasant3.7
Freezing starts rising to 20 to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F); 2026 hit a record 31 °C (87 °F). · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable2.8
2016 sleet and snow, flooding in 2017 and 2022 forcing the high-water course, and record heat in 2026. · High confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- AltitudeSea level4.8
High point just over 91 m (300 ft), low point about 35 m (115 ft). · High confidence
Cutoffs
How generous the overall and intermediate cutoffs are for the terrain. Counts for 13% of the overall score.
- Overall cutoffNormal3.4
13 h for 50.2 mi (80.8 km) and 1,609 m (5,280 ft) is about 15.5 min per mile; 70% finished in 2025. · Medium confidence
- Intermediate cutoffsReasonable3.3
Early times are suggestions; enforced cutoffs start at mile 35.5 (57 km), and a 2016 runner cleared Fountainhead with 3 minutes to spare. · Medium confidence
Intermediate cutoffs (2027 race pages (info, course, entry) and 2026 results)
| Where | Distance | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Hemlock Overlook (mile 17.6) | 28 km (18 mi) | 11:30 (5:00 elapsed), described as very generous |
| Do Loop Out (mile 35.5) | 57 km (35 mi) | 15:45 (9:15 elapsed), enforced |
| Fountainhead 2nd visit (mile 37.9) | 61 km (38 mi) | 16:15 (9:45 elapsed), enforced |
| Bull Run Marina 2nd visit (mile 44.8) | 72 km (45 mi) | 18:00 (11:30 elapsed), enforced |
Not part of the score
- First timer friendlyFriendly3.8
No qualifier, frequent aid and mostly runnable trail; a first-timer was swept at mile 29 (47 km) in the 2026 heat. · Medium confidence
- Getting inUsually open3.5
First-come online entry, capped at 300 with a waitlist once full; no qualifier. How fast it fills is not published. · Low confidence
Stay and travel
Getting there, places to stay, race-day logistics and value. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Travel easeEasy4.1
Clifton is in the Washington DC suburbs near Dulles; the race pages do not give the airport distance. · Low confidence
- Places to stayGood4.3
Camping and bunkhouses at Hemlock Overlook the night before, plus nearby hotels listed on the race page. · High confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.9
One start and finish at Hemlock Overlook, though crew-only vehicles cannot park at the start. · High confidence
- ValueGreat value4.6
$125 includes a light breakfast, post-race food, showers, swag and 12 aid stations. · High confidence
Key facts
Checked against the 2027 race pages (info, course, entry) and 2026 results edition on the official race site. Rules change, so confirm before you enter. Blank means the race does not publish it.
- Location
- Clifton, Virginia, United States
- Region
- Mid-Atlantic US
- Typical month
- April
- Latest or next date
- 3 April 2027
- Start time
- 06:30
- First held
- 1993
- Distance
- 50.2 mi (80.8 km)
- Course shape
- Out and back
- Surface
- Trail: Almost entirely dirt singletrack on the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail, less than 1 percent asphalt; a few short rocky stretches of about 200 yd (180 m), roots, mud and fallen trees. Concrete lily pads at Popes Head Creek.
- Footing
- Official: 5,280 ft (1,609 m) cumulative ascent. High point is just over 300 ft (91 m) at the start; low point about 115 ft (35 m). About 20 climbs of roughly 150 ft (46 m) and four or five of about 50 ft (15 m); none above 200 ft (61 m). Course is a double out-and-back (Hemlock to Centreville with the Bluebell Loop, then Hemlock to Fountainhead with White Loop and Do Loop). A high-water course (reported near 46 mi / 74 km (46 mi) in 2022) is used when Bull Run floods.
- Elevation gain
- 1,609 m (5,280 ft)
- Climbing rate
- 20 m per km (105 ft per mi)
- High point
- 91 m (300 ft)
- Overall cutoff
- 13 hours
- Pace to make the cutoff
- 15:30 per mi (9:38 per km)
- Cutoff notes
- Finish by 19:30 for an official finish (a runner who leaves the Marina by 18:00 and finishes later still gets the award but not an official finish). Earlier posted times through Do Loop In are suggested only; the first enforced cut-off is Do Loop Out at mile 35.5 (57 km). Elapsed times are our arithmetic from the 06:30 start.
- Aid stations
- 12
- Longest gap between aid
- 12 km (7.2 mi)
- Drop bags
- Some stations
- Crew access
- Many points
- Pacers
- Not allowed
- Support notes
- 12 aid stations (one is water only) with 7 offering crew access and 3 offering drop bags. Longest gap is the first leg, 7.2 mi (11.6 km) to Centreville Road; otherwise 2.4 to 5.4 mi (3.9 to 8.7 km). Drop bags at Hemlock Overlook (17.6 mi / 28 km) and Fountainhead (28.9 and 37.9 mi). Pacers and non-entrants are not allowed on the trails; family may run in the final gravel road stretch. Cupless race: carry a bottle or cup. Gatorade is the on-course drink.
- Water crossings
- A few
- Water notes
- Popes Head Creek on concrete 'lily pads', several stream crossings (most with bridges, which can be slippery), Cub Run bridge, a bridge underpass near Bull Run Marina; feet get wet after rain.
- Night running
- None
- Entry
- Open
- Entry fee
- About $125
- Field size
- About 300 runners
- Finish rate
- 46% of starters in 2026
- Air temperature
- 0–22 °C (32–72 °F)
- Weather notes
- Official page: often freezing at the start and reaching the upper 60s to lower 70s F (about 20 to 22 C) later; hypothermia and heat stroke have both occurred. 2026 reached 87 F (31 C), a record for the date; 2016 had sleet, hail and gusts over 30 mph (48 km/h).
- Nearest airport
- Washington Dulles (IAD) area
- Stay notes
- Camping and onsite bunkhouses at Hemlock Overlook the night before plus nearby hotels listed on the race page; Dulles distance not stated by the race.
- Course record (men)
- 6:08:14 Matt Woods (2011)
- Course record (women)
- 7:04:59 Aliza Lapierre (2012)
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What runners and reviewers say
- TeamRunRunRaced 2022 · blog · Positive
Third woman in 2022 and a first 50 miler. Trails were in good shape and mostly runnable with some technical stretches, and the rocky section by the river near the end was hardest. Heavy rain forced the high-water course, about 46 mi (74 km) by her estimate. Course very well marked, standard fare plus Gatorade; drop bags at three points; finish line felt underwhelming.
“The course is VERY well marked.”
- zhurnalyRaced 2017 · blog · Positive
Finished in 12:38:28 on his 10th Bull Run Run. High streams forced the high-water course (first since 2005) and runners queued at creek crossings; deadfalls from recent storms, mud, bluebells in bloom, themed aid stations and a well-marked trail. The race director admitted the finisher jackets were not ordered in time.
- zhurnalyRaced 2016 · blog · Positive
Finished in 12:54:27, five minutes inside the 13 h limit, amid sleet, hail, snow and gusts over 30 mph (48 km/h). He cleared the mid-race Fountainhead cut-off with about 3 minutes to spare and several runners dropped out. Praises volunteers, camp-chair swag and the bluebell valleys.
- zhurnalyRaced 2015 · blog · Positive
Eighth finish in 12:07:05 in warm but not oppressive weather: 323 starters and 280 finishers within the 13 h limit. Calls the race 'still the best 50 miler', mentions lakeside views, stream crossings and mud at the northern end, and a friendly, volunteer-supported club atmosphere.
“Still the best 50 miler”
- zhurnaly (Kate Abbott)Raced 2009 · blog · Positive
Finished just under 11:40 after JFK 50 in 11:30, and says Bull Run Run is considerably harder, about an hour slower on average, with steep ascents and descents, many rocks and water crossings. Aid stations less than 5 mi (8 km) apart (potatoes, Pringles, Mountain Dew, ice cream sandwiches at Wolf Run Shoals); it warmed to 70 or 80 F (21 to 27 C).
“What a great feeling and a great day!”
Show 3 more
- RaceRavesRaced 2026 · aggregator · Positive
Two reviews (2025 and 2026 runners) rate it 5 of 5: well-run, clear marking, well-stocked aid stations and helpful volunteers, steep hills with roots and rocks on forested trail along the Occoquan and Bull Run. One first-time 50 miler was swept at the 29 mi (47 km) aid station.
“This race has been around for years and it shows.”
- VHTRCRaced 2026 · article · Mixed
193 runners started and 88 finished (46 percent) as Dulles Airport hit a record 87 F (31 C), about 25 F (14 C) above normal. A modified course because of holiday crowds on the Bluebell Loop was used, though the bluebells bloomed well.
- VHTRCRaced 2025 · article · Positive
214 starters, 149 finishers (70 percent) in warm weather where cloud cover held back the heat until afternoon. Bluebells lined the northern section. Andrew Simpson won in 7:06:35 and Justyna Wilson in 8:13:41.
Ran Bull Run Run 50 Mile? Your notes on the footing, cutoffs and aid stations help the next runner decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings.
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