Grayson Highlands

Grayson Highlands runs every May in Grayson Highlands State Park, high on the shoulder of Mount Rogers in southwest Virginia. The 2027 running is the thirteenth. Four distances share one start and finish at the park visitor center: a 50 miler and a 50K on the Saturday, and a 25K and an 8 miler on the Sunday. Only the two Saturday races are ultras.

The draw is the terrain. The park sits above the treeline in places, on grassy balds kept open by a herd of wild ponies, and the courses run out along the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail before turning back. The 50 miler climbs about 7,500 feet and holds a 16-hour limit; the 50K climbs about 4,500 feet and holds 11 hours. Entry is straight sign-up on UltraSignup. It is not a Western States 100 qualifier.

Everything starts and finishes at the Grayson Highlands State Park visitor center, at the top of the park road, and the courses go out and back rather than in loops. The 50 miler runs out to Fox Creek, on to Little Laurel and Skulls Gap, then retraces to Fox Creek before coming home by Seed Orchard and the camp store. The 50K takes the shorter arc, out to Seed Orchard and the camp store, then Rock House Ridge and back through the visitor center.

The organiser's own aid-station charts put the 50 miler at 50.50 miles and the 50K at 30.00 miles, and it says plainly that the distances are approximate: "Everyone's GPS reads differently, and our mapping software might be slightly different than what you actually run." Aid-station cutoffs are the time a runner has to have left the station, not to have reached it. Pacers are not allowed at either ultra distance, and the 50 miler's only drop bag sits at Fox Creek, which runners pass twice, though the bags are there only on the second pass at mile 35.

Entry is first-come sign-up on UltraSignup, with no lottery, no application and no qualifying standard. The organiser publishes no field cap and says on its own FAQ that it can rarely say how many places are left. Entry for 2027 is open and closes on Friday, April 30, 2027, the day before the race. The 50 miler is $175 and the 50K $155 until September 30, 2026, after which they go to $195 and $160. There is also a $10 park entrance fee per car, payable in cash on the day.