Dead Horse Ultra
Moab, UT
- 50 Miler, 50K, 30K, 15K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
There’s a reason the Dead Horse Ultra is one of the biggest trail running events in the country! Moab in November is a trail runner’s dream…perfect weather and world class single track make this event one you don’t want to miss. Featuring the Magnificent Seven trail system, the course will … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Nov 14):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 60 | 52 | 63 | 42 | 59 |
| L (°F) | 37 | 22 | 30 | 26 | 30 |
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Perfect Running Day
Fourth year in a row, great weather, 41 degree start-66 degree finish. As always a great group of runners and the volunteers on the course were great. Very well put … MORE
Fourth year in a row, great weather, 41 degree start-66 degree finish. As always a great group of runners and the volunteers on the course were great. Very well put together, trail marking was perfect, no lost souls, the tinsel markings worked well. Turn out was a record. Staged starts working well too. The medal the best, each year it changes and improves. Always on the list to do.
Last running event of the season.
Great weather, hills, rocks and sand, lots of good people, Very well organized. The medal in in the photos and it is very cool. Starts at 7am, you have all … MORE
Great weather, hills, rocks and sand, lots of good people, Very well organized. The medal in in the photos and it is very cool. Starts at 7am, you have all day to get done, no pressure.
Beautiful course
Review for '22 race. Deadhorse 50k was my first ultra. I really enjoy the races put on by Mad Moose and they do a great job at creating a fun … MORE
Review for ’22 race. Deadhorse 50k was my first ultra. I really enjoy the races put on by Mad Moose and they do a great job at creating a fun environment at the start and finish. I feel like there could’ve been one more aid station on the backend of the race but otherwise no complaints. You’re running on slickrock and dirt the whole time in the beautiful desert surrounding Moab so just strap in and enjoy the ride.
Oldest runner (73) ... still fast!
See also my review of 2017 race. Be prepared for a cold day this time of year in the Moab area! It was below 30 degrees at the start and … MORE
See also my review of 2017 race.
Be prepared for a cold day this time of year in the Moab area! It was below 30 degrees at the start and didn’t get significantly warmer. Never shed any layers all day although the weather was good.
It’s a great course and really FAST!!
And Mad Moose Events put on a great races!
Just a fine, fun race.
I believe this one was a cold one. Start was 16 degrees. Good course, good run, no trail issues, very well organized, good aid stations. Fun people and good support … MORE
I believe this one was a cold one. Start was 16 degrees. Good course, good run, no trail issues, very well organized, good aid stations. Fun people and good support from everyone. This group, ( Mad Moose-Utah ), I have ran many of their runs, Utah, and Colorado. I think they are fantastic. Sometimes cutoffs are hard but most often they are doable.
Beautiful race, wonderful views.
Organization is superb. Nice distribution of aid stations. Course was super good. Technical at times with enough elevation gain to not burn you out. Most of course is on slick … MORE
Organization is superb. Nice distribution of aid stations. Course was super good. Technical at times with enough elevation gain to not burn you out. Most of course is on slick rock. Nice views of beautiful Moab desert and the La Sal Mts.
Beautiful Course; Slick Rock Galore
This is a beautiful course for anyone who's into the desert aesthetic. Challenging race with much of it being run on slick rock and very little flat sections (the course … MORE
This is a beautiful course for anyone who’s into the desert aesthetic. Challenging race with much of it being run on slick rock and very little flat sections (the course map basically looks like two mountains that you ascend and descend). Good size and very well-produced race. This was my first 50 miler, and I can’t imagine having a better time. Would strongly recommend, as it is overall quite a runnable course. Just make sure that you’ve got good foot protection!
This race rocks if you like rocks!
This course meanders by beautiful and strange sandstone formations, red canyons, and natural bridges off of the Gemini Bridges Road about 10 miles North of Moab, UT. The first 4.5 … MORE
This course meanders by beautiful and strange sandstone formations, red canyons, and natural bridges off of the Gemini Bridges Road about 10 miles North of Moab, UT. The first 4.5 miles is along a rough jeep road that gives the large field a chance to spread out before hitting the slick rock and sandy trails. Once you hit the single track trails, the first half of the course is a gradual uphill and then is mainly uphill in the second half. The red sandstone, greasewood, Mormon tea (Ephedra sp.), juniper, and pinyon pine give the course an ageless appearance. I didn’t see much in the way of big game animals, but there was a sign near the start that stated that the area was a desert bighorn sheep lambing area. I saw a couple of bushy-tailed woodrat nests along some of the undercut sandstone cliffs, and ravens could be heard making their “kraak” calls along the trail, along with some small, blue birds about the size of a lazuli bunting. The weather was mostly sunny with a low of about 24 degrees and a high of about 60, which made for a difficult decision on what to wear. I decided on a pair of tights, long-sleeved technical shirt, and an ultralight jacket which I took off after I got to the first aid station. Speaking of aid stations, they had almost anything you would want, including peanut butter and honey wraps, quesadillas, pierogies, pancakes, and the ubiquitous boiled potatoes. The swag included a nicely designed short-sleeved t-shirt, Boco hat, and a nice finisher’s medal. This was a challenging course for me as I wasn’t used to running on rocks with all the attendant hopping from one ledge to another, but there were no steep climbs either. Many of the hills were gradual enough that you could run them, but don’t forget to take the time to stop and take in the views as they are spectacular. I skipped a short detour off of the official course to a point where you could see the Gemini Bridge, and regretted it later as the pictures that I saw later were spectacular. It was all good though as I was able to meet a couple of other runners about the same age as myself for the last 10 miles of the race, and helped pace one of them to a new personal record.
Fast and scenic course
Adjoining Dead Horse State Park, the course is mostly a first half uphill to Gemini Bridges, then mostly downhill to the finish (except for the long hill climb about 3 … MORE
Adjoining Dead Horse State Park, the course is mostly a first half uphill to Gemini Bridges, then mostly downhill to the finish (except for the long hill climb about 3 miles out … slow run it if you can!). Has some exposed slickrock on the top, but trail conditions and grades make for a fast course. Stunning views out across to the Manti-La Sal mountians! Moab is a great location for boarding and brewpubs too!
Awesome Race!
This was an awesome race. Very scenic run through Moab's countryside. Great swag was surprised to get a hat as well as the shirt. Thinking about upgrading and running the … MORE
This was an awesome race. Very scenic run through Moab’s countryside. Great swag was surprised to get a hat as well as the shirt. Thinking about upgrading and running the 50 miler next year! Love going to Moab and would love to run this one again!