Looking Glass 100K

Event overview

The Looking Glass 100k is a single-loop trail ultramarathon held in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, on November 15, 2025. The course distance is about ~62 miles with approximately 10,500 ft of elevation gain and loss. The route starts and finishes at the field across from Davidson River Campground off FS 5069 near the Pisgah Ranger Station. The event has a 20-hour time limit.

Course, support, and rules

The course uses a mix of smooth and technical singletrack, grassy double track, gravel, and a short section of pavement. It passes near Looking Glass Rock and includes sections on the Art Loeb Trail, the high balds of Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain (above 6,000 ft), and multiple waterfalls and stream crossings. The loop moves through several ecosystems, including cove hardwood forest and boreal balsam woods.

Aid stations are located roughly every 4.5–9 miles and will provide at minimum water and Skratch Labs electrolyte drink. Minimum foods listed include bananas, orange slices, potato chips, pretzels, PB&J, pickles, Snickers, and M&Ms. Runners and pacers must carry required safety gear at all times, including a headlamp with backup batteries, a seam-sealed weatherproof jacket, an emergency bivy (blanket not accepted), insulating base layer, warm hat and gloves, emergency whistle, a 32oz+ hydration carrier, and the race GPS tracker. Mandatory gear checks will be conducted and race staff may remove participants from the course. Crews are allowed at specified full aid stations and must service runners within a 50-yard radius. Packet pickup is the Friday before the event at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Fletcher, NC; there is no race-morning pickup and runners must collect their own packets. Pacers may join at Aid 5 (mile 41.8) and must complete the final ~20 miles. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.