The 50K will start at the Pine Trailhead and finish at our facility called “the barn” on the West side of Hwy 87. All 50K runners will receive a technical running shirt or cap and dinner voucher (must register by April 18 for a shirt). The dinner voucher can be used at the Saturday Taco Feast community dinner or for a $15 credit at Bandits Restaurant in Strawberry (https://www.facebook.com/banditsrestaurant). During registration there is an option to purchase burrito breakfasts for family, friends and support crews. The breakfast will be served at the finish area at the barn from 8:00 AM until about 10:30 AM. In addition, during online registration only, you will be able to purchase discounted vouchers for the Taco Feast community dinner for $12. See the Event Details page for more information.
Note that the course will be marked with yellow ribbons and pin flags.
You will begin the 50K course going eastward from the Pine Trailhead on the Highline Trail #31, which is part of the Arizona Trail, for 8.6 miles to Aid Station #1 at the Geronimo Trailhead.
From there, go back westward about 0.4 miles on the Highline Trail and then turn right (north) on the Geronimo Trail #240. Go 1.9 miles on the Geronimo Trail, then bear left onto the West Webber Trail #228 and stay on it for 2.0 miles to the top of the Mogollon Rim, where you come to Aid Station #2 at Milk Ranch Point Road, Forest Road (FR) 218.
Go right (north) on FR 218 for 3.3 miles, then bear left onto FR 218A. Go northward on FR 218A for 1.4 miles, where you will cross a cattle-guard. About 100 feet after the cattle-guard, turn left onto FR 9385S. After passing the FR 9385S post, bear right through the trees, following the line of course markers for about 200 feet where you emerge into a meadow with a seasonal pond (Baker Lake). Follow the markers to the left, heading west on the Crook Trail #130. Follow the Crook Trail for 1.5 miles to FR 6038. Turn left on FR 6038 and pass through a wire gate, heading southward. Aid Station #3 is located just past the gate under some big Ponderosa pine trees.
Follow FR 6038 southward for a few hundred feet, until the dirt road merges onto the Pine Canyon Trail #26. Follow the Pine Canyon Trail southward. After about 0.5 mile, it drops steeply off the Mogollon Rim into Pine Canyon. Stay on the Pine Canyon Trail for 7.3 miles to Aid Station #4, at the junction with Good Enough Trail.
From there, continue southward on the Pine Canyon Trail for another 2.3 miles to the Pine View Trail #28. Turn left and follow the Pine View Trail for 1.3 miles to its junction with the Highline Trail. Continue straight ahead onto the Highline Trail/Arizona Trail westbound, and go 1.0 miles to the Pine Trailhead where you started. The last 3/4 mile of the race will go through a culvert under Hwy 87 to our barn.
The free parking is located off Hwy 87 about a half mile south of the Pine trailhead (.1 mile north of mile marker 266 – look for the event signs). All runners will be bused from the parking area to the starting line. Please do not try to park at the Pine Trailhead. You will be assigned wave numbers for bus loading purposes only. All runners will start at the same time.
There will be a gear drop at the starting line. We can transport drop bags to Aid Stations, #1, #2 or #3. There will be a separate area to drop your bag for each aid station. Please be sure your bib number is on each bag as the bag will be sorted by bib number at the aid stations. When each aid station closes the drop bags left at the station will be taken to the barn. There will be bags available at the registration desk and you will receive one tag with you bib number on it that can be tied to a bag.
There are four (4) Aid Stations on the 50K course, as shown on the map. Open hours of each Aid Station are given in the Schedule below. All Aid Stations will be manned, have first aid and emergency communications.
Aid Stations #1, #2, and #3 will have water, electrolyte/energy drink, soda, snack foods, and portable restrooms.
Aid Station #4 is at a remote location with no motorized vehicle access. Therefore, Aid Station #4 will have only water, electrolyte/energy drink, and a few snacks (no portable restrooms and no drop bags).
Crews and their vehicles are allowed at Aid Stations #1 and #3 only. Aid Station #2 is located several miles down a dirt road that is part of the runners’ course, so to avoid raising dust, crews are not allowed to drive vehicles to Aid Station #2. Aid Station #4 is not vehicle-accessible; it is about 3/4-mile up a steep, rough trail from the nearest parking area to the Aid Station location. Therefore, crews are discouraged from trying to meet their runners at Aid Station #4.
Driving Directions to Aid Stations 1 & 3
To Aid Station #1: From the race parking area or the Pine Trailhead, go south on Highway 87 for about 2 miles. Turn left on Control Road (Forest Road 64). Go approximately 5.5 miles, and turn left on FR 440 (just past the concrete bridge). Go about 2 miles. The Geronimo Trailhead is on the right. There should be room to park vehicles along FR 440 prior to (south of) the Trailhead location.
To Aid Station #3: From Aid Station #1, go back the way you came (FR 440 and FR 64) to Highway 87. Turn right (north) on Highway 87 and go back through the town on Pine. Continue going north on Highway 87 past Strawberry, and up onto the Mogollon Rim until you pass the junction of Highways 87 and 260, about 11 miles from Pine. Continue north on Highway 87 for 1.2 miles past the 260 junction. Where the highway makes a swooping curve to the left, approximately .7 miles past mile marker 279, turn right onto FR 6038, a minor dirt road (look for the aid station popup just inside the fence). There is no sign on Highway 87 indicating this junction. Wait for an aid station volunteer to open the gate for you.
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- Friday May 3rd
- 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Late registration & packet pickup, PSFR Barn, Pine (3180 N. Old County Rd. in Pine – see barn icon on map above)
- Race Day – Saturday, May 4th
- 5:00 AM – 5:30 AM: Parking & packet pickup, parking area (Hwy 87, just N. of mile marker 266 – watch for event signs) – There is no race day registration for the 50K race
- 5:30 AM: Mandatory prerace brief, at parking area
- 5:45 AM: Start loading buses
- 6:00 AM: Race start, Pine Trailhead
- 6:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Bus transportation available between parking area & Pine Trailhead
- 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Burrito breakfast (must pre-purchase)
- 10:00 AM: Time limit to leave aid station #1
- 12:30 PM: Time limit to leave aid station #2
- 3:00 PM: Time limit to leave aid station #3
- 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Taco Feast dinner at the barn
- 5:00 PM: Age-Graded award presentation & door prize drawing at the barn
- 5:30 PM: Time limit to leave aid station #4
- 7:00 PM: Time limit to finish
Note: Finisher and place awards will be given to runners as they finish
- Friday May 3rd
- Medals for all finishers
- Medals for top 3 finishers in each 10 year age group
- Plaques for top 3 female and male overall finishers
- Plaque for top overall age-graded winner
- Door prize drawings for various items, including items handcrafted by our volunteers. Your bib is your entry number. Must be present to win.
Participation in the Pine Trail Run 50K is open to runners twelve years of age and older and is limited to 100 runners. There are time limits to leave each aid station and a finishing time limit (see schedule above).
- Register by December 31, 2023: $105
- Register by February 29, 2024: $115
- Register by April 21, 2024: $120
- Register onsite May 3th: $125
- There is no race day registration for the 50K
You must register on or before April 21, 2024 to be guaranteed a technical shirt.
