Old Dominion 100 Mile Cross Country Run
Woodstock, Virginia · June · 100 mi
- Distance
- 100 mi (161 km)
- One big loop
- Climbing
- 4,267 m (14,000 ft)
- Hilly: 27 m per km (140 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 28 hours
- 16:48 per mi (10:26 per km) average
- Finish rate
- 76%
- of starters in 2019
Why runners love it
- One of the oldest 100s in the US (since 1979), volunteer run with no sponsors.
- One big circle around the Massanutten range from the fairgrounds; 62% is dirt and gravel road.
- One timed cutoff at mile 75 (121 km); 28 h to finish and 24 h for the silver buckle.
- 23 aid stations, mostly 2 to 6 mi (3 to 10 km (6.2 mi)) apart; crew and drop bags at 9.
- Free camping at the fairgrounds, with hotels minutes away.
Watch out for
- A 50 mi or longer qualifier is required and only 110 slots exist; registration opens 28 November.
- No pacers; safety runners only from mile 75 to 86 (121 to 138 km (85.7 mi)), with their own transport.
- Early June heat and humidity, highs near 28 °C (82 °F) in 2019, plus horse flies on exposed sections.
- Two leaders went wrong at the Little Fort overlap in 2024, despite ribbons and glow sticks.
- Crew reaches only 9 stations, up to 15 mi (24 km) apart, with one permitted vehicle per runner.
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 2014 to 2025 praise its history, low-key family feel and the horse-track finish; heat is the common complaint. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run3.9
Volunteer-run veterans with a mandatory briefing, medical checks and a detailed runner manual; in 2024 two leaders went wrong at an overlap junction. · Medium confidence
- Community and vibeLegendary4.5
100% volunteer, no sponsors, a police escort at the start and handwritten splits; reviewers call it low-key and family run. · High confidence
Support
Aid stations, crew access, drop bags and pacer rules. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
- Aid stationsGood4.3
23 stations, mostly 2 to 6 mi (3 to 10 km (6.2 mi)) apart, with sandwiches, ice and some hot food; a few are limited. · High confidence
- Crew accessSome points3.3
Crew reaches 9 of 23 stations, up to 15 mi (24 km) apart, with one vehicle and a parking permit per runner. · High confidence
- Drop bagsSome stations3.4
Drop bags at 9 of 23 stations (the same stops that allow crew), all dropped at the fairgrounds by 17:00 Friday. · High confidence
- PacersVery late only2.2
No pacers. Unregistered safety runners may join only from mile 75 to 86 (121 to 138 km (85.7 mi)), the dark Sherman Gap stretch. · High confidence
Course
Course marking, scenery, and how runners rate the trail itself. Counts for 15% of the overall score.
- Course markingClear3.5
Ribbons by day, double ribbons at turns and glow sticks at night, but the 2024 winner and runner-up both went wrong at Little Fort. · Medium confidence
- SceneryBeautiful3.6
Massanutten ridges, Fort Valley and creek-side forest, but much of the day is gravel and paved road through farm country. · Medium confidence
- Trail experienceFine3.4
The race says it is neither purely trail nor road; reviews cite runnable roads, a rugged 8 mi (13 km) ATV route, horse flies. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- FootingModerate3.3
62% dirt and gravel road and 16% pavement, but rugged trail on Lavender Trail, Opechee Peak and Sherman Gap. · Medium confidence
- RunnabilityMostly runnable3.8
Mostly roads and ATV routes, and a Trail Run Project listing calls it 92% runnable; the steep climbs get walked. · Medium confidence
- ClimbingRolling hills2.9
Climbs 140 ft per mi (27 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 cold2.5
Early June humidity and highs near 28 °C (82 °F), with horse flies; milder years exist. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.0
The race lists both dry, exposed years and mud-filled years; 2014 was unusually mild. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- AltitudeLow4.2
Massanutten ridges rather than high mountains; the race gives no high point. · Low confidence
Cutoffs
How generous the overall and intermediate cutoffs are for the terrain. Counts for 13% of the overall score.
- Overall cutoffGenerous3.8
28 h for 100 mi and 4,267 m (14,000 ft) is about 17 min per mile on mostly road; 32 of 63 broke 24 h. · Medium confidence
- Intermediate cutoffsGenerous4.4
One timed cutoff: out of Elizabeth Furnace (mile 75 / 121 km (75.2 mi)) by midnight, leaving 8 h for the last 25 mi (40 km). · High confidence
Intermediate cutoffs (2027 race info page (date, entry, fees, schedule) with 2026 hotel notes)
| Where | Distance | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Furnace check-out (mile 74.95, second medical check) | 121 km (75 mi) | 00:00 midnight (20:00 elapsed) |
Not part of the score
- First timer friendlyDoable3.1
Needs a prior 50 mi finish; 28 h and mostly roads help, but heat and 4,267 m (14,000 ft) bite; 76% finished in 2019. · Low confidence
- Getting inSells out2.8
110 slots; a qualifying 50 mi or longer finish (or a past sub-24 h finish) is required, with committee review. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Getting there, places to stay, race-day logistics and value. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Travel easeFair3.1
Woodstock is 82 mi (132 km) from Dulles and a rental car is required, off I-81 exit 283. · High confidence
- Places to stayGood4.0
Hotels minutes from the fairgrounds with a group rate, plus free camping and indoor bathrooms at race headquarters. · High confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.8
One start and finish at the fairgrounds, one crew vehicle with a permit per runner, and a mandatory Friday briefing. · Medium confidence
- ValueGood value4.0
$280 to $300 includes a banquet breakfast, a silver buckle for sub-24 h, 23 aid stations, free camping and a free hotel shower. · Medium confidence
Key facts
Checked against the 2027 race info page (date, entry, fees, schedule) with 2026 hotel notes edition on the official race site. Rules change, so confirm before you enter. Blank means the race does not publish it.
- Location
- Woodstock, Virginia, United States
- Region
- Mid-Atlantic US
- Typical month
- June
- Latest or next date
- 5 June 2027
- Start time
- 04:00
- First held
- 1979
- Distance
- 100 mi (161 km)
- Course shape
- One big loop
- Surface
- Mixed: About 62 percent dirt and gravel roads, 22 percent trails and singletrack, 16 percent pavement (official course page). Also ATV trails, logging roads, rocky singletrack and creek crossings.
- Footing
- Official: 14,000 ft (4,267 m) of gain with 14 significant climbs. Highlights from the official course page: a steep gravel switchback to Woodstock Gap, a rugged 2.5 mi (4 km) Lavender Trail near mile 10 (16 km), Duncan Hollow (the highest point of the day, no height given), an 8 mi (13 km) heavily used ATV route and rugged Opechee Peak after Edinburg Gap (mile 55 / 89 km (55.3 mi)), five Passage Creek crossings near Mudhole Gap, then the rocky, dark Sherman Gap after Elizabeth Furnace. Day course is ribboned with double ribbons at turns; the night is marked with chem lights.
- Elevation gain
- 4,267 m (14,000 ft)
- Climbing rate
- 27 m per km (140 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 28 hours
- Pace to make the cutoff
- 16:48 per mi (10:26 per km)
- Cutoff notes
- 28 h (08:00 Sunday) for an official finish, 24 h (04:00 Sunday) for the sterling silver buckle. Only timed intermediate cut-off listed: check out of Elizabeth Furnace (mile 75 / 121 km) by midnight, 20 h after the 04:00 start. The course closes at 08:00.
- Aid stations
- 23
- Longest gap between aid
- 12 km (7.2 mi)
- Drop bags
- Some stations
- Crew access
- Some points
- Pacers
- Not allowed; safety runners only from mile 75 to 86 (Elizabeth Furnace to Veach West)
- Support notes
- The course page text says 24 aid stations; the official chart lists 23 between start and finish (one unmanned water point, one limited-aid stop). Gaps run 1.9 to 7.2 mi (3 to 11.6 km); the longest is start to the first station at 7.2 mi (11.6 km), then 6.1 mi (9.9 km). Crew and drop bags are at the same 9 stations, up to 15 mi (24 km) apart. Crew is limited to 1 vehicle with a parking permit and may not drive on the marked course. Drop bags must be at the fairgrounds by 17:00 Friday. Safety runners provide their own transport; the race provides none.
- Water crossings
- A few
- Water notes
- Five crossings of Little Passage Creek on the Mudhole Gap trail plus other streams; horse flies are common (official course page).
- Night running
- Most runners run through one night
- Entry
- Qualifier
- Qualifier needed
- A 50 mi or longer race finished within its limit between last year's Old Dominion and this year's, or a previous Old Dominion finish under 24 h. Entries are subject to committee review.
- Entry fee
- About $280
- Field size
- About 110 runners
- Finish rate
- 76% of starters in 2019
- Air temperature
- 16–28 °C (61–82 °F)
- Weather notes
- First weekend in June. VHTRC 2019 recorded daytime highs in the low 80s F (about 28 C) and nighttime lows in the 60s F (16 to 20 C). Other years have been very dry and exposed, or muddy; horse flies are usually abundant.
- Nearest airport
- Washington Dulles (IAD), 132 km (82 mi) away
- Stay notes
- Dulles 82 mi (132 km), Reagan National 98 mi (158 km), BWI 130 mi (209 km); rental car needed. Hotels in Woodstock (Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express, about $130 to $140 plus tax for 2026). Free camping at the fairgrounds, indoor bathrooms at race headquarters and free showers at a partner hotel on Sunday.
- Course record (men)
- 15:10:00 Eric Clifton (1992)
- Course record (women)
- 18:25:48 Janice Anderson (1997)
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What runners and reviewers say
- Random Forest RunnerRaced 2024 · blog · Positive
Kelly won in 15:44, just short of the 1992 record, and praises the low-key, no-sponsor, no-tracker feel and police escort out of town. Footing was runnable gravel with muddy, rutted trail and a rocky ATV stretch of about 8 mi (13 km); he and runner-up Andrew Simpson both took a wrong turn at a T-junction near Little Fort. Mornings were cool, but the afternoon heat hit hard.
“I love that and hope it doesn't change.”
- The Ultra MinuteRaced 2025 · article · Positive
Describes the 47th running as old-school: weigh-ins, handwritten splits, a redbook, pack mules hauling aid supplies, no livestream or sponsor arches. Called the oldest 100 miler still run at full distance by an ultra historian; a 100 humid miles on horse trails and gravel backroads.
“It's never tried to be anything else.”
- VHTRCRaced 2019 · article · Positive
Of 79 starters, 60 finished and 48 percent broke 24 h. Daytime highs in the low 80s F (about 28 C) and nighttime lows in the 60s F (16 to 20 C) wore on runners in exposed sections. The course mixes jeep roads, gravel, pavement and steep rocky Massanutten trail; VHTRC hosted a lively aid station at mile 87 (140 km).
“The race has managed to maintain its low-key, family run atmosphere.”
- RunWashingtonRaced 2019 · article · Positive
Finished in 22:25 with a friend crewing and then serving as safety runner over miles 75 to 86 (121 to 138 km (85.7 mi)) through Sherman's Gap and Veach Gap in the dark. Course is country roads, ATV trail and rocky singletrack with about 14,000 ft (4,267 m) of gain; humidity was her main challenge and the finish is a lap of the half-mile fairground horse track.
“Maybe there is something to this specificity thing after all.”
- Blue Ridge OutdoorsRaced 2016 · article · Positive
Robinson placed 5th in 22:35:17 in a hot, humid, then muddy year with 58 starters and 31 finishers (13 under 24 h). The family-run race through the George Washington National Forest has crew-accessible aid stations with grilled cheese and soup plus remote self-serve caches; his wife crewed and his son was safety runner in the night section.
Show 3 more
- VHTRCRaced 2014 · article · Positive
Notes about 60 starters and VHTRC members' strong showing in an unusually mild 2014, with the first VHTRC finisher in 19:37. The author notes the race has marked the start of summer's first serious heat wave in past years.
“The weather conditions were unusually benign for the race”
- VHTRCRaced 2016 · article · Positive
Short results note for 2016: 53 starters, 32 finishers, 31 within the 28 h limit and 13 under 24 h for the buckle.
- Trail Run Projectaggregator · Positive
Course description copied from the race: good footing on Moreland Gap and Crisman Hollow, rugged Lavender Trail and Opechee Peak, an ATV route, five creek crossings at Mudhole Gap and Elizabeth Furnace as the only cut-off. Lists about 102.6 mi (165 km), 13,572 ft (4,137 m) of gain and 92 percent runnable; one 4.0 star rating.
Ran Old Dominion 100 Mile Cross Country Run? 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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