Sky to Summit

Sky to Summit is a mountain 50K run out of the Sky Valley Resort in Rabun County, in the far northeast corner of Georgia where the state meets North and South Carolina. The course is a single loop that climbs Rabun Bald, the second-highest point in the state, and the race says there are views of three states from the high ground.

The 50K runs on the Saturday with 7,500 feet of climbing and an 11-hour limit, and a 25K follows on the Sunday morning with 3,500 feet and five and a half hours. Entry is straight sign-up on UltraSignup and the organiser publishes no field cap. The race is not a Western States 100 qualifier, which no 50K can be.

A single loop starting and finishing at the Sky Valley Resort, over Wilson Gap, Hale Ridge and Beegum Gap and across the summit of Rabun Bald, with 7,500 feet of climbing and the same descent. The organiser calls it "a rugged mountain race with lots of up and down" and warns that legs between aid stations can take hours despite being short. Roughly four aid stations serve the 50K. Crew are barred from the course under the race's permit and may see runners at the start and finish only, and the organiser states it has put over 3,500 hours of trail work into the course.

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 so itself, that it "can rarely tell you EXACTLY how many spots are left at a given time", and it advises runners to use UltraSignup's watch list for both the opening and the point at which a race nears capacity. A waitlist appears on UltraSignup only where one has been enabled, and none is shown for either distance. Prices step up after February 13, from $125 to $135 for the 50K and $105 to $115 for the 25K.