Chicago, IL, United States · Saturday, October 31, 2026

Fixed Distance 50 mi

Chicago Lakefront Fall 50 Mile Race

45 days away
80 km Distance
not publishedn/a Climbing
4.0 est Grit · Challenging

Calculated from 80 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 4.0 as a floor, not a verdict.

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41.8500° N, 87.6500° W© OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 11 hours 8:15 min/km average. Comfortable. Room to walk the climbs and stop at aid. Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. Among the tightest 50 mi cut-offs we track. Measured against 455 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →
Field size ~32 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2025 edition (50mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, October

Daytime high 15°C
Night low 10°C
Rainfall Showers likely
Daylight 10 h 27 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for October — NASA POWER, grid elevation 181 m. Not a forecast.

The Aid Station

Course-specific beta from the community

👟 gear

With trail terrain, choose a shoe with moderate cushioning for optimal performance.

By UltraHub Expert

Gear for this race

Chosen for 80 km of trail.

  • Trail Running Shoes80 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
  • Race Nutrition80 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
  • Hydration VestsFlask capacity for 80 km, without the bounce.
  • Headlamps80 km almost certainly means running into the night.
  • GPS WatchesBattery life first — a 80 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Adidas

Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra

★★★★★ 4.5

Salomon

Ultra Glide 4

$159.95 ★★★★★ 4.6

Tailwind

Endurance Fuel

All-in-one calorie and electrolyte drink mix. 200 calories per serving.

$25 ★★★★★ 4.8

Salomon

ADV Skin 12

Industry-standard 12L race vest with front flask pockets and minimal bounce.

$180 ★★★★★ 4.8

Petzl

NAO RL

1500-lumen reactive lighting headlamp with 15-hour runtime. Automatic brightness adjustment.

$150 ★★★★★ 4.7

Suunto

Vertical

Titanium GPS watch with solar charging, offline maps, and 140-hour GPS battery.

$630 ★★★★★ 4.5
All gear guides →

Course Notes

Consists of 3 out-and-back segments. The race follows the Lakefront running path. Mostly gravel with some asphalt sections. One of the flattest 50k’s in North America.

Similar races

Other 50 mi trail ultras, closest in distance first.