Manitou's Revenge 54 Mile
Windham, New York · June · 53 mi
- Distance
- 53.2 mi (85.6 km)
- Point to point
- Climbing
- 4,570 m (14,990 ft)
- Mountain: 53 m per km (282 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 23 hours
- 25:54 per mi (16:06 per km) average
- Finish rate
- 83%
- of starters in 2026
Why runners love it
- Escarpment Trail and Devil's Path summits on an 85.6 km (53 mi) point-to-point from Windham to Phoenicia.
- About 4,570 m (15,000 ft) of climbing, a true mountain test for experienced runners.
- Nine stations praised for food and volunteers, with buses from the finish town to the start.
- Small field of 125 and a loyal veteran base; 92 of 111 starters finished in 2026.
Watch out for
- Longest aid gap is 16.1 km (10 mi), and the race warns of 3 to 4 h between stations.
- Clock cutoffs at 49, 60 and 68 km (30.5, 37.5 and 42.5 mi): 15:30, 20:30 and 23:30.
- No pacers, little crew access, and one drop bag location at Platte Clove.
- Entry needs a 50 mi (80 km) race with 8,000 ft (2,440 m) of gain, approved by the director.
- Heat, humidity and wet rock in 2023 to 2025 made the scrambles slow.
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: Extreme
- Runner satisfactionLoved4.3
Finishers call it brutally hard in a good way, with a small 125-runner field and many repeat finishers, over a short 85.6 km (53 mi) distance. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.2
Early buses, wave starts, nine staffed stations and good flagging are praised by finishers from 2017 to 2023; no logistics failures are reported. · Medium confidence
- Community and vibeWarm4.0
Small field with veterans registering first and volunteers praised as the best one finisher had seen. Few runners describe the wider community. · Low confidence
Support
Aid stations, crew access, drop bags and pacer rules. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
- Aid stationsStandard2.6
Food and volunteers are praised, but there are only 9 stations in 85.6 km (53 mi), the longest gap is 16.1 km (10 mi) and the race warns of 3 to 4 h between stations. · High confidence
- Crew accessVery limited2.0
The route page lists no crews at four stations and limited access at Platte Clove. The crew page was not available, so the full list of crew points is unclear. · Medium confidence
- Drop bagsOne or two2.0
One drop bag location only, Platte Clove at 49.1 km (30.5 mi); bags up to 46 x 46 x 61 cm (18 x 18 x 24 in). · High confidence
- PacersNot allowed1.0
Pacers are not allowed, and runners must be ready to be alone for up to 4 h between stations. · High confidence
Course
Course marking, scenery, and how runners rate the trail itself. Counts for 15% of the overall score.
- Course markingClear3.9
Two finishers call it well flagged, but one lost about 5 min on a jeep road in 2017 and two runners took a waterfall detour in fog in 2023. · Medium confidence
- SceneryBeautiful4.4
Escarpment Trail ridges and Devil's Path summits across 85.6 km (53 mi) of Catskills; runners in the rain and fog of 2023 saw little. · Medium confidence
- Trail experienceGreat4.0
Runners rave about the Devil's Path and Escarpment, but the footing is punishing: one 2023 finisher needed an hour for a single mile (1.6 km) of wet scrambling. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- FootingVery technical1.2
Rock-strewn climbs and descents, hand over hand scrambling and sliding down rock faces (race text and two finishers); similar to Massanutten. · High confidence
- RunnabilityMostly hiking1.3
The race says runnable stretches are fleeting, and runners hike up and down most of the 85.6 km (53 mi); winners need about 10.5 h. · High confidence
- ClimbingMountainous1.0
Climbs 282 ft per mi (53 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 temperatureWarm or cold2.8
June in the Catskills: about 32 °C (90 °F) and humid in 2024, heat in 2025, cold rain and fog in 2023, and most runners finish in the dark. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable2.6
Three recent years brought thunderstorms and heat (2024), heat (2025) and steady rain (2023); wet rock slows the scrambles in any of them. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- AltitudeLow3.6
The race publishes no high point; public maps put the summits near 1,150 to 1,200 m (3,800 to 3,940 ft). · Low confidence
Cutoffs
How generous the overall and intermediate cutoffs are for the terrain. Counts for 13% of the overall score.
- Overall cutoffNormal3.0
About 23 h for 85.6 km (53 mi) and 4,570 m (15,000 ft) of rocky climbing. Median finish was 17:46 in 2026, but 19 of 111 starters did not finish. · Medium confidence
- Intermediate cutoffsReasonable2.6
Platte Clove closes 10.5 h in at 49.1 km (30.5 mi) on rocky terrain, and later cutoffs at 15.5 h and 18.5 h leave a hard Devil's Path finish; one runner was cut at mile 30 in 2022. · Medium confidence
Intermediate cutoffs (2026)
| Where | Distance | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| AS5 Platte Clove, mile 30.5 (49.1 km) | 49 km (31 mi) | 15:30 clock time (10.5 h after the 05:00 first wave) |
| AS6 Mink Hollow, mile 37.5 (60.4 km) | 60 km (38 mi) | 20:30 clock time (15.5 h after the 05:00 first wave) |
| AS7 Silver Hollow Notch, mile 42.5 (68.4 km) | 68 km (43 mi) | 23:30 clock time (18.5 h after the 05:00 first wave) |
Not part of the score
- First timer friendlyExperts only1.4
Meant for experienced mountain ultrarunners: qualifier required, no pacers, 3 to 4 h between stations and 4,570 m (15,000 ft) of rocky climbing. · High confidence
- Getting inSells out2.8
A qualifier is required (50 mi / 80 km (49.7 mi), 8,000 ft / 2,440 m (8,010 ft) of gain) and the director approves each entry, but the waitlist has cleared nearly every year. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Getting there, places to stay, race-day logistics and value. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Travel easeFair3.0
Rural Catskills with different start and finish towns, reached by car from Albany or New York City; the race publishes no airport distances. · Low confidence
- Places to stayBook early3.2
The race lists B&Bs, motels and cabins in Phoenicia and Windham from about $65 to $300 a night, plus state campgrounds; small towns fill early. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity2.6
Point to point: pick up your packet in Phoenicia, take the 03:30 bus to the Windham start and finish back in Phoenicia. · High confidence
- ValueFair3.3
The entry fee could not be confirmed. Runners praise food and volunteers, but there is no pacer, little crew access and a single drop bag. · Low confidence
Key facts
Checked against the 2026 edition on the official race site. Rules change, so confirm before you enter. Blank means the race does not publish it.
- Location
- Windham, Catskills, United States
- Region
- Northeast US
- Typical month
- June
- Latest or next date
- 19 June 2027
- Start time
- 05:00
- First held
- 2013
- Distance
- 53.2 mi (85.6 km)
- Course shape
- Point to point
- Surface
- Trail: Almost all rocky singletrack on the Black Dome, Escarpment, Devil's Path and Long Path trails, with about 2 mi (3 km) of road at the start and a road finish into Phoenicia. Official route is Windham to Phoenicia.
- Footing
- Official site: about 15,000 ft (4,570 m) of climbing, much of it rocky and precipitous, hand over hand in places. The race says the course gets harder as it goes and the Devil's Path comes in the last 24 mi (39 km). Summit elevations are not published by the race.
- Elevation gain
- 4,570 m (14,990 ft)
- Climbing rate
- 53 m per km (282 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 23 hours
- Pace to make the cutoff
- 25:54 per mi (16:06 per km)
- Cutoff notes
- The home page says 23 hours. The schedule lists the official finish closing at 04:30 Sunday, 23.5 h after the 05:00 first wave, and some pages say 24 hours. Plan for 23 h. The three cutoffs are clock times, so runners in later waves (05:00 to 05:30) have slightly less time.
- Aid stations
- 9
- Longest gap between aid
- 16 km (10 mi)
- Drop bags
- Some stations
- Crew access
- Some points
- Pacers
- Not allowed
- Support notes
- Nine aid stations: AS1 mile 2.0 (3.2 km) water only, AS2 9.3 mi (15.0 km), AS3 16.5 mi (26.6 km), AS4 20.5 mi (33.0 km), AS5 30.5 mi (49.1 km), AS6 37.5 mi (60.4 km), AS7 42.5 mi (68.4 km), AS8 47.0 mi (75.6 km), AS9 52.0 mi (83.7 km) water only. Longest gap is AS4 to AS5, 10.0 mi (16.1 km); the race warns of 3 to 4 h between stations. Drop bags only at Platte Clove (AS5), max 18 x 18 x 24 in (46 x 46 x 61 cm). The route page marks AS2, AS4, AS6 and AS9 as no crews and AS5 as limited crew access; AS3, AS7 and AS8 carry no crew note. The official crew page was not reachable (404). Pacers: 'NO PACERS ALLOWED'.
- Water crossings
- A few
- Water notes
- Warner Creek and small brook crossings are named on the official route; no wading is described.
- Night running
- Some
- Mandatory gear
- At least 1.0 L (34 oz) of water capacity, at least 300 calories, headlight or torch, cell phone. GPS track recommended.
- Entry
- Qualifier
- Qualifier needed
- A trail or mountain race of 50 mi (80 km) or more with at least 8,000 ft (2,440 m) of gain, mostly technical singletrack, finished within the last two years. The race director approves each entry.
- Fee notes
- Fee not shown on the official pages or the UltraSignup page that could be read.
- Field size
- About 125 runners
- Finish rate
- 83% of starters in 2026
- Weather notes
- Race reports describe heat near 32 C (90 F) and storms in 2024, heat and humidity in 2025, and cold rain and fog in 2023. Most runners finish after dark.
- Nearest airport
- ALB
- Stay notes
- Race lists B&Bs and motels in Phoenicia and Windham, Woodstock, and state campgrounds at North-South Lake, Woodland Valley and Wilson State Park. Buses leave Phoenicia at 03:30 for the Windham start; packet pickup is in Phoenicia on Friday.
- Course record (men)
- 10:24:28 (Justin Kousky, 2024, per MassUltra)
- Course record (women)
- 12:29:42 (2026 winner on UltraSignup; faster than the 13:15:55 reported as the 2024 record)
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What runners and reviewers say
- HMRRC Pace Setter (Bill Hoffman)Raced 2019 · blog · Positive
Third Manitou's for the author, who took 1 h 6 min off his best by racing the sunset. Calls the nine aid stations well stocked buffets with the best volunteers he has seen, notes stretches of up to 3 to 4 h between stations, 24 h limit, waves five minutes apart and 03:30 buses. Describes about 15,000 ft (4,570 m) of rocky, steep climbing and a well-marked course.
“best I have seen at any race”
- HMRRC Pace Setter (Tom O'Grady, pacer)Raced 2019 · blog · Positive
Pacing account from the 2019 edition (pacers were still allowed then). The last 24 mi (39 km) over the Devil's Path were a race against sunset; nutrition and broth fixed a low point, and the finish came after dark at 15:16:57. Praises the aid food and notes the trail is well marked and very demanding.
“You are trying to beat the sun”
- Prospect Park Track Club (Matthew Imberman)Raced 2017 · blog · Mixed
Second finish, in hot, very humid weather with slick rock and mud near Platte Clove. Efficient aid except where he lost time sorting a drop bag at Platte Clove, loved Silver Hollow Notch cold Coke, fell several times on the Escarpment and Devil's Path, lost about 5 min on a jeep road despite flagging. Praises the flagging, volunteers and the bus start; post-race food was thin.
“a humbling and amazing stretch of trail”
- VHTRC (John Calabrese)Raced 2023 · blog · Positive
Rain and fog all day on slick rock; one wet scramble took an hour for a mile (1.6 km). After dropping at mile 30 (km 48) in 2022 for missing a cutoff, he cleared all cutoffs with time in hand in 2023. Followed a runner ahead onto a waterfall detour and got bonus mileage.
“timed mountaineering experience”
- MassUltra 2025 roundupRaced 2025 · article · Mixed
Heat and humidity on 21 June 2025. Daniel Grip won in 11:09:22 and 95 runners finished inside the 24 h cutoff on the 53 mi (85 km) course with more than 14,000 ft (4,270 m) of climbing.
Show 4 more
- MassUltra 2024 roundupRaced 2024 · article · Mixed
117 started and 91 finished inside the 23 h limit in heat, humidity and thunderstorms. Justin Kousky set a men's course record of 10:24:28 and Elizabeth McGurk a women's record of 13:15:55. Roughly 14,000 ft (4,270 m) of climbing with scrambles.
- MassUltra 2023 roundupRaced 2023 · article · Positive
10th edition. About 1 mi (1.6 km) of road was removed so the course is 53 mi (85 km) with about 15,000 ft (4,570 m) of climbing; 99 finished inside 24 h and only one man broke 11 h. Described as highly technical, rocky, steep and gnarly.
- MassUltra 2017 roundupRaced 2017 · article · Positive
Fifth running on a 54.3 mi (87.4 km) course with a 24 h limit; 83 of 97 starters finished. Ben Nephew won in 10:57:49.
- MassUltra 2016 roundupRaced 2016 · article · Positive
72 runners finished inside the 24 h limit; Carlo Agostinetto won in 11:16:40 and Kehr Davis was top woman in 13:47:14.
Ran Manitou's Revenge 54 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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