Race Through New River Gorge National Park
The highball was a railroad signal meaning the track ahead was clear—time to move forward at full speed. At Highball to Thurmond, we’re raising the ball on an unforgettable ultra marathon adventure through the heart of New River Gorge National Park.
Choose from the 50 Mile, 50K, or 50 Mile Relay and race point-to-point to Thurmond, West Virginia—once a thriving rail town, now home to just a handful of residents and a whole lot of finish line magic. Runners, ruckers, and relays will tackle steep climbs, wild trails, and jaw-dropping views before arriving in the historic ghost town of Thurmond.
After your race, board the Amtrak train back to Montgomery for a well-earned celebration and champagne toast with your fellow adventurers. The last call whistle blows at 6:45 PM—don’t miss your ride!
50 Mile & 50 Mile Relay
The 50 Mile starts at 4:45 AM EST in Montgomery, WV and finishes in Thurmond, West Virginia. This gives athletes enough time to catch the train from the finish line back to Montgomery! The train leaves at 6:59 PM EST with the last call whistle at 6:45 PM EST.
This course is a mix of paved road (about 12 miles), awesome mountain dirt roads, and gorgeous trails with a spectacular view through New River Gorge National Park. With about 5,000′ of elevation gain, athletes will earn their finisher medal, post race food, and awesome awards.
The 50 Mile Relay can be run with 2-4 people. Athletes can run as many or as few legs as they want as long as each member of the team runs at least one. You have the freedom to hand off at any official aid station. Just make sure to say “choo choo!” for the hand off to be official!
50 Kilometer
This will be a full daylight event starting at Hawks Nest State Park and finishing in Thurmond, West Virginia. This point-to-point course takes participants along the beautiful New River Gorge trails. With 3,100′ of elevation gain, the race is both manageable and challenging. This trail 50K is well-aided, extremely well-marked, and a beginner-friendly ultramarathon with a very reasonable cutoff time! Finish before the train leaves to earn your medal, post race food, awesome awards, and catch your ride back to the 50 Mile starting line in Montgomery.
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Epic destination trail race adventure
Highball to Thurmond offered 55k, 50 mile relay and 50 mile solo options. My review will be about the 50 miler. I will include what I did for this race … MORE
Highball to Thurmond offered 55k, 50 mile relay and 50 mile solo options. My review will be about the 50 miler. I will include what I did for this race and whether it worked for me. Or not.
For the 50 miler, runners could choose to start early, at 4:45 am. They would not be eligible for awards but would have a 14 hour time limit. The regular start time was 6 am, with a 12.75 hour time limit. The time limits for the 50 mile race were mainly for the train. Since the 50 mile course was point to point, runners had the option of taking an Amtrak train from the finish line back to the start, or else make their own transportation arrangements. The course started in Montgomery, WV, went through New River Gorge National Park and finished in Thurmond, WV.
I chose the 4:45 am start, which worked well for me, as I was able to make the cutoffs. Due to miscalculating how long it would take me to get ready and get to the start, I arrived at the start area at 4:41 am. This worked out, as I was able to park about half a block from the start line. I would not recommend doing this though, as it was all street parking and I just plain got lucky 😂.
The first 9 miles consisted of rolling hills, then the next 10 or so were gravel/dirt roads and a more serious, 4 or so mile climb. There was then a two mile descent, with some waterfalls along the side of the road. After going across Hawk’s Nest Dam, this brought me to the first drop bag location. I switched from road shoes to trail shoes, which worked out well. I did not have the rock guards in my Altra trail shoes, but I wish did. There were parts of the course that has some sharp rocks underfoot. I would also include bug spray in the first drop bag.
Mile 20 or so was when the trail running began, starting with a steep but thankfully short climb to a single track trail. There were rock cliffs on one side of the trail and steep drop offs on the other side. Parts of the trail (both here and later on) were muddy, but not terribly so.
The trails varied between technical single track, flat rail trail, and steep, rocky descents and ascents. The section of trail descending to Kaymoor Miners Trail had wooden steps and rock steps. My trail shoes did fail me a bit. The first time, both feet slid forward out from under me as I was going down a steep part, landing me on my butt. No harm done. That time. While trying to be cautious on the rocks, my toes had a tendency to slide forward in the shoes despite using a heel lock method of lacing. This caused bruised toes and I will lose at least one toenail.
There were some brief sections of road when connecting between some trails. Some trails had a steep drop off to one side, so be careful if you’re afraid of heights. Or have a fear of tripping and stumbling down the side of a mountain, like I do.
The second bag drop was at roughly mile 40. I definitely needed the bug spray that I had in there but might have preferred another change of shoes. I think trail shoes were still needed (more on that shortly) but maybe some with more cushion. There was a fairly steep paved section that my knees and quads didn’t like as my zero drop trail shoes just didn’t provide enough cushion.
After following a fairly flat rail trail for a few miles after that, there was one final brief but very steep ascent. This climb was just that…a steep 300 foot climb up a rocky trail, more suitable for hiking with poles. Unless you use your hands to practically pull yourself up the trail. A nice wide and flat rail trail with a couple wooden bridges was the reward for completing that ascent.
The last mile and a half or so was paved and I once again wished for a more cushioned shoe. This section is also the namesake of this race, being that you could “highball” it into the town of Thurmond. Crossing the finish line, you were given your medal, which had an enclosed train that slid back and forth, and doubles as a drink coaster. There were refreshments waiting along with our third and final drop bag. I had a change of clothes in my bag, but purposefully did not include another pair of shoes. I might have enjoyed a pair of recovery sandals, but knew I would be afraid to see what my feet looked like after 50 miles.
Since I finished within the time limit, I was able to grab a sloppy joe and some chocolate milk after changing my clothes. Those of us that purchased a train ticket then went to the Amtrak station to catch the 6:59 train. Since the train didn’t actually show up until 7:30, the race organizers popped the champagne bottles early, on the station platform. The train ride took about 50 minutes and was a nice way to chat with other people with the same interests and had also just completed the same awesome achievement. Champagne continued to flow. Race director Rich spent time talking to every runner in the train car, once again proving how much he cares about the runners.
The entire course was very well marked and easy to follow. There were 8 aid stations, stocked with a variety of foods, tailwind, and water. I did wear my hydration vest, which was a very wise choice. The volunteers at the aid stations were very helpful and supportive, and seemed more like your own personal crew. There were so many beautiful sections of trail that I ended up taking over 100 pictures during the run. I could not resist photo-documenting this achievement.
A couple of notes about the 55k: this route was an out and back that started at 7 am in Thurmond, where the 50 mile runners finished. The 55k runners had the dubious pleasure of both descending and ascending the 300 feet rocky trail on the side of the mountain. They also would have to contend with two way traffic on the section of trail that had the big drop off and was barely wide enough for single file. Taking the train after finishing wasn’t really an option for them either.
Pre-race stuff: there was TONS of communications prior to the race. Personalized coaching including a custom training plan was available for $20. I did this and credit the Coach Becki and the plan for helping me be prepared for this run. There were two virtual meetings with Rich, Jen and Becki so that runners could ask questions and get advice. A nice tech shirt was included but a jacket was available for purchase. I had preordered the jacket and was pleased with my purchase. There was a mandatory meeting the night before (or you could join the virtual meeting a couple days before). There was an optional pasta dinner following the meeting. Packet pick-up, the preface meeting and pasta dinner were held at the Historic Glen Ferris Inn, which is also where I chose to lodge for this race. The athlete guide detailed the course section by section and included all the details one might need. It even listed what foods and flavors of tailwind would be at each aid station. I took a screenshot of the page with the time cutoffs, so I could reference it during the run to be sure I would make the cutoffs in time.
While parts of the trails were quite difficult for me, I am immensely happy that I chose this 50 mile race. Trivium Racing is easily my favorite race organizer.
SO BEAUTIFUL & best communication EVER
This race, and all of the Trivium races for that matter, has the absolute best communication I have ever experienced with any race. They sent daily emails about weather updates, … MORE
This race, and all of the Trivium races for that matter, has the absolute best communication I have ever experienced with any race. They sent daily emails about weather updates, course conditions, suggestions on road or trail shoes (wow!). They checked on the course multiple times throughout the upcoming week and constantly sent updates. The athlete guide packet was so detailed — it described the course segments to a tee, every mile, the terrain, the elevation, what to expect.
This was my first ultra, and I felt so calm and prepared largely thanks to all of the communication they offered. There were NO unknowns.
As far as the course, it was absolutely beautiful. There was a lot more road than I expected. The giant hill between 9.5-11, I think most people walked. It was massive, but so fun to fly back down. The rest ten miles were easy peasy. Flat or downhill with road and smooth trail. The middle 10 miles were more technical and exhausting. (It was a 15 mile out and back). My plan was to floor it on the last 10, but the technical bit took a lot out of me. It was a little warm at the top of the mountain, and humid from the rain storms the night before, and the last aid stations were toooooo far apart. I ran out of water before one and another didn’t really have very good fuel so I ended up running out of fuel too. That sucked, but otherwise, amazing race. The swag was beautiful. The volunteers were so kind. I can’t speak highly enough about this race. I will definitely be back and be recommending it to everyone. It’s a relatively flat, smooth entry into ultra running and through the most beautiful national park.
Horse Flies, Carry Me Away
This was both my first time doing this race and my first time visiting WV. The state and race are beautiful! So many trees! I enjoyed the run overall and … MORE
This was both my first time doing this race and my first time visiting WV. The state and race are beautiful! So many trees!
I enjoyed the run overall and am very happy with my performance, despite sweltering conditions. I kept up on electrolytes, fuel, and water which was key. Aide stations were adequately stocked though I would have like salt for the watermelon.
Conditions were somewhat muddy and wet although not too bad. What was super annoying were all the darned horse flies. Persistent little buggers. My arms and shoulders got the better workout from all the swatting !! haha.
The other runners were cool and the RD obviously cared a great deal about putting on a great event! Also, his mom handled end of run food and her pancakes were outstanding!