Uwharrie 100 Mile Trail Run
Troy, North Carolina · October · 100 mi
- Distance
- 102.5 mi (165 km)
- Loop course
- Climbing
- 5,310 m (17,420 ft)
- Hilly: 32 m per km (170 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 36 hours
- 21:06 per mi (13:07 per km) average
- Finish rate
- 59%
- of starters in 2025
Why runners love it
- Five 33.0 km (20.5 mi) loops of almost entirely single track, passing the start every lap.
- Drop bags at all 3 stations on every lap, plus a fire and cooking at Crossroads.
- Pacers allowed from mile 41 (66 km), one at a time.
- Food praised in every report, from bacon to shrimp and grits.
- Small field: about 53 100-mile starters in 2025.
Watch out for
- Official course page calls it unrelenting: 1,062 m (3,484 ft) of climb per loop and little flat ground.
- Rocks and roots hide under fall leaves, and the first 66 km (41 mi) cannot be paced.
- Last-lap cutoffs: start by 29 h elapsed and clear Kelly's Kitchen by 33 h, strictly enforced.
- Only 3 stations per loop; about 14.5 km (9 mi) between Crossroads visits when Kelly's is closed.
- Needs a 50 mi (80 km) qualifier, and 2025 saw 58.5% finish.
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: Very tough
- Runner satisfactionLoved4.2
Reports from 2015 to 2021 praise the support and volunteers, even from a 2019 DNF at 165 km (100 mi). · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.4
Directors Ryan and Meghaan Hampton run clear policies and are praised; one runner got lost twice in 2018. · Medium confidence
- Community and vibeLegendary4.5
Volunteers are called the heart of the race, with an overnight fire, cots and cooking at Crossroads; about 53 starters in 2025. · Medium confidence
Support
Aid stations, crew access, drop bags and pacer rules. Counts for 25% of the overall score.
- Aid stationsGood4.0
Food is praised in every report, but only 3 stations per 33.0 km (20.5 mi) loop and 14.5 km (9 mi) between Crossroads visits. · Medium confidence
- Crew accessSome points3.3
Start and Kelly's Kitchen are reachable by crew, Crossroads is not (narrow forest roads); runners pass the start every 33.0 km (20.5 mi). · Medium confidence
- Drop bagsMany stations4.3
Bags at all 3 stations on every lap, returned to the start by about 6:00 pm Sunday; crew cannot fetch from Crossroads. · High confidence
- PacersMuch of the race4.0
Allowed from mile 41 (66 km), one at a time, covering about 60% of the race. · High confidence
Course
Course marking, scenery, and how runners rate the trail itself. Counts for 15% of the overall score.
- Course markingClear3.6
Repeated loops help, but the 2018 women's winner got lost twice; little other evidence exists. · Low confidence
- SceneryPleasant3.3
Rolling forest under canopy, rocky creeks and fall colour; no big views reported. · Medium confidence
- Trail experienceFine3.4
Runners call it a grinder: constant small climbs and trip hazards under leaves, but all single track. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- FootingTechnical1.9
The race describes rocks, roots and boulders on single track, hidden under leaves in October. · High confidence
- RunnabilityMixed2.8
Rolling with little flat ground; a 2019 winner guessed 80% runnable, while a 2015 runner found few flat stretches. · Medium confidence
- ClimbingHilly2.4
Climbs 170 ft per mi (32 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 temperaturePleasant3.9
Mid October, roughly 8 to 20 °C (46 to 68 °F); cold and wet nights have caused trouble. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.2
Rain in 2018 and a tropical storm in 2019 with hypothermia risk, but dry in 2015. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- AltitudeSea level4.8
Low hills of the Uwharrie 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 cutoffNormal3.0
36 h for 165 km (102.5 mi) with 5,310 m (17,420 ft) of rocky gain; 2025 finishers came in as late as 35:19. · Medium confidence
- Intermediate cutoffsReasonable3.4
Only two published cutoffs: 29 h to start the last lap and 33 h at Kelly's Kitchen; a 2019 runner missed the first. · Medium confidence
Intermediate cutoffs (2026)
| Where | Distance | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Start of lap 5 (mile 82) | 132 km (82 mi) | 29:00 elapsed (11:00 am Sunday) |
| Kelly's Kitchen on lap 5, southbound (mile 93.7) | 151 km (94 mi) | 33:00 elapsed (3:00 pm Sunday), strictly enforced |
Not part of the score
- First timer friendlyDoable2.5
Needs a 50 mi (80 km) finish first, and 58.5% finished in 2025; a 2015 runner still called it a feasible first 100. · Medium confidence
- Getting inSells out3.0
Needs a 50 mi (80 km) qualifier and a shared cap of 150, and the 2026 page showed a waitlist link. · Low confidence
Stay and travel
Getting there, places to stay, race-day logistics and value. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Travel easeFair3.2
Rural start about 14.5 km (9 mi) from Troy, North Carolina; the race gives no airport details, and Charlotte is the nearest major one. · Low confidence
- Places to stayBook early3.2
Albemarle has hotels 19 km (12 mi) from the start, with forest camping and Airbnbs at Baden Lake. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple4.4
One start and finish at Wood Run with loops, pizza at packet pickup and one vehicle per runner at the start. · High confidence
- ValueGood value3.8
The fee is not on the official pages; runners praise the food, drop bags at every aid station and volunteers. · 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
- Troy, Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, United States
- Region
- Southeast US
- Typical month
- October
- Latest or next date
- 17 October 2026
- Start time
- 06:00
- First held
- 2014
- Distance
- 102.5 mi (165 km)
- Course shape
- Loop course, 5 laps of 33 km (21 mi)
- Surface
- Trail: Almost all single track in a 20.5 mi (33.0 km) figure-8 loop with a few forest road crossings. The official course page calls the 100 mile course 102.5 mi (164.9 km).
- Footing
- Official course page: single track with rocks, roots and boulders, rolling with little flat ground and three big climbs per loop (Sasquatch Summit near mile 7.4, plus Soul Crusher and Hallucination Hill). Runners report rocks and roots hidden under fall leaves. Elevation is 3,484 ft (1,062 m) of gain per loop, 17,420 ft (5,310 m) total, per the course page; another official page says about 3,800 to 4,000 ft per loop (about 19,000 ft or 5,800 m (19,030 ft) total). High point is not stated.
- Elevation gain
- 5,310 m (17,420 ft)
- Climbing rate
- 32 m per km (170 ft per mi)
- Overall cutoff
- 36 hours
- Pace to make the cutoff
- 21:06 per mi (13:07 per km)
- Cutoff notes
- Finish by 6:00 pm Sunday (36 h). The only intermediate cutoffs on the official general information page are the last-lap start and Kelly's Kitchen on the final lap. A 2021 runner also quoted a 20.5 h cutoff to start lap 4, but that is not on the current official page so it is not recorded here.
- Aid stations
- 3
- Longest gap between aid
- 15 km (9.0 mi)
- Drop bags
- Every lap
- Crew access
- Some points
- Pacers
- Allowed after mile 41 (66 km), one at a time
- Support notes
- Aid at Start/Finish and Crossroads (about mile 6 and 15 of each loop), fully stocked, plus Kelly's Kitchen (mile 11.7) with liquids and light snacks, open only a few hours per race. The official aid page tells runners to carry calories for about 9 mi (14.5 km) between Crossroads visits when Kelly's is closed. Drop bags at all three stations are handed in by 5:30 am on race morning and come back to the start at about 6:00 pm Sunday; crew cannot reach Crossroads (narrow roads), crew tracking runners can reach Kelly's Kitchen. Pacers must check in for a bib and cannot carry gear. One vehicle per runner at the start/finish.
- Water crossings
- A few
- Water notes
- Small creek crossings, often dry in October (2019 report) but shin deep after the 2019 storm. An unofficial 2015 report counted roughly 50 small crossings over the race.
- Night running
- Most runners run through one night
- Entry
- Qualifier
- Qualifier needed
- Completed a 50 mi event within that race's time limit (Uwharrie 40 Mile Mountain Run or Mount Mitchell Challenge also accepted).
- Field size
- About 150 runners
- Entry notes
- Cap of 150 runners across the 100 mi and 100K combined. Registration closed 10 Oct 2026 on UltraSignup; the page showed a waitlist link. Fee is not listed on the official pages (a third-party calendar quotes 275 USD, unverified). 50% refund until 1 May, no transfers, one deferment allowed.
- Finish rate
- 59% of starters in 2025
- Air temperature
- 8–20 °C (46–68 °F)
- Weather notes
- Not an official figure: runner reports show about 16 to 20 C (60s F) by day and 8 to 10 C (upper 40s to 50s F) at night, with rain in 2018 and a tropical storm in 2019.
- Nearest airport
- CLT (Charlotte Douglas)
- Stay notes
- Airport distance not given by the race. Albemarle, NC (about 19 km / 12 mi west of the start) has hotels; camping is allowed throughout Uwharrie National Forest and there are Airbnbs near Baden Lake. Packet pickup Friday 4 to 7 pm at the Wood Run trailhead, with pizza. A 2015 runner drove about 4 hours from Atlanta.
- Course record (men)
- 20:27:04 (Matthew Estes, 2017)
- Course record (women)
- 26:43:04 (Daisy Weill, 2018)
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What runners and reviewers say
- Distance Ahead (Scott Peters)Raced 2015 · blog · Positive
Finished 10th in about 32 hours (lap times 5:07 to 7:32). Calls it a grinder with constant small ups and downs and very few flat runnable stretches. Rates the aid the best he has seen and the volunteers tireless; recommends it for easy logistics.
- Beltway Runner (Daisy Weill)Raced 2018 · blog · Mixed
Women's winner in 26:43 (course record). Describes 3,839 ft (1,170 m) of gain per loop, three aid stations with huge food spreads, light rain on lap 2 and a cold second night. She got lost twice, napped and cried at aid, and says she will not return. Only 21 of the 100 mi starters finished that year.
“a deceptively tough race”
- Colin's Running RamblesRaced 2018 · blog · Positive
Finished last, just under the 36 h limit, with a swollen ankle from lap 2. Cool low 60s F (about 16 C) start, four hours of rain, and three pacers on laps 3 to 5. Praises the aid food and says the course is deceptive; he would run a more conservative start.
- Uwharrie 100 recaps (Liza Rivera)Raced 2019 · blog · Positive
Missed the cutoff to start the fifth lap and took the 100K finish instead. Dry and fast at the start, then Tropical Storm Nestor brought hours of rain, wind and slick trail. Loved the food and volunteers; found the steep downhills brutal and the race simply unrelenting.
“simply unrelenting”
- Chris Moroch blogRaced 2019 · blog · Positive
Overall winner in 2019. Rocks and roots hidden by leaves, no forest road breaks, about 80% runnable by his estimate. A tropical storm arrived Saturday evening with sideways rain, dry creeks turned shin deep and temperatures sat in the upper 40s F (about 9 C). He praises the directors and fires at Kelly's Kitchen.
“a first class race”
Show 5 more
- Scott's Running (Substack)Raced 2021 · blog · Positive
Paced a first-time 100 miler to a 35:45 finish, about 15 minutes inside the 36 h limit. Crossroads aid ran all night with cooking, a fire and cots. The pair lost their time bank near mile 87 and had to push hard for the 6 pm cutoff. The author paced the final 20.5 mi (33.0 km) lap.
- Back from the Dead (Lou Guerra, Substack)Raced 2021 · blog · Positive
Finished in 35:50 on minimal training, 10 minutes inside the limit; his brother missed the 33 h Kelly's cutoff by seconds and was allowed to continue. Describes crew and borrowed pacers from mile 40 and 67, fog at night and hallucinations. Praises the directors and says the slogan describes a mindset more than the course.
- VHTRC news (2014 results)Raced 2014 · article · Mixed
Inaugural year write-up: each loop began with a 3.75 mi (6.0 km) forest service road section before the single track loop. Winning 100 mi time was 30:31 and only one woman finished, which the author reads as a very low finish rate on a serious challenge.
- UltraRunning Magazine (Gary Dudney), summary from search excerptRaced 2017 · article · Positive
Page could not be opened directly (bot block); based on the search excerpt only. Describes protruding rocks and tangled roots camouflaged by leaves, three significant climbs with Soul Crusher the hardest, and volunteers who keep 100 mi runners going overnight. On the last lap two runners gave the writer gummy bears and a drink.
- UltraSignup results and event pageRaced 2025 · aggregator · Mixed
2025 results list 31 finishers, 22 DNFs and 5 DNS; the slowest finisher took 35:19 and the winner 22:21. Event page confirms the 36 h limit, 150 runner cap shared with the 100K, a 50 mi qualifier and a 2026 start of 6:00 am on 17 Oct.
Ran Uwharrie 100 Mile Trail 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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