San Juan Solstice 50 Mile

San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run

The San Juan Solstice 50 Mile is a 50 mile trail ultramarathon held in Lake City, Colorado near the summer solstice on June 20, 2026. The event is limited to 300 runners and uses a lottery system for entries. Registration is handled through UltraSignUp; registration opens January 15 at 7:00 AM Mountain Time and closes January 31 at 7:00 AM. Lottery results and the waitlist will be posted on February 1. Runners selected through the lottery are charged and entered. Waitlisted runners are not charged until they move onto the runners list, at which point they may accept or decline the invitation.

The route includes Alpine Gulch with seven creek crossings and features recent course adjustments to reduce congestion. The Williams Creek cutoff has been extended to 10:15. For the third and fourth creek crossings in Alpine Gulch, three marked options will be available: the standard crossing with a short trail section of about 175 feet, a route along the creek on the right of about 175 feet, and a steeper scramble across the top of about 225 feet. In testing, the three options differed by about nine seconds.

The event requires MAProgress live tracking; participants must carry a tracker registered with MAProgress. Eligibility rules require participants to be at least 18 years old and to have completed a prior trail ultramarathon. The race began in 1995 and was renamed in 2002 as a benefit for local emergency medical services; the race date has been held in the vicinity of the summer solstice since then. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.