Nine Colorado 50K trail races within 300 km of Denver, with Suffer Better (10 Oct 2026) and Bobcat (17 Oct 2026) closing first
Scope: trail 50K, within 300 km of Denver (straight-line), intermediate runner finishing a 50K in about 7 hours (no entry-standard filter applied; cutoffs flagged). Your stated window, May to October 2025, is already past (today is 6 October 2026), so I read it as the next season: now through October 2027, focused on May to October 2027. Distances from Denver are my approximate straight-line estimates from town coordinates (script: data/dist.py), not driving distances. Access date for all organizer pages: 6 October 2026.
Ranked events
Ranking rule: confirmed cutoff compatible with a 7-hour finish first, then format match, then distance, then open registration. Cutoffs I could not read are marked "unconfirmed", so those events rank lower on eligibility certainty.
| Event | Date | Location (approx. distance) | Format | Eligibility / level | Entry fee (next increase) | Reg. opens | Reg. deadline | Sell-out risk | Fit note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffer Better 10th Annual Fall Trail Runs 50K (2026) | Sat 10 Oct 2026 | Pine, CO (about 46 km) | 50K, 7:30 AM start | 9.5-hour limit, with Aid Station 2 by 3:30 pm | $117.60 incl. $7.60 fee; no increase listed | Open now | Ends 10 Oct 2026, 11:59am MDT | High: 1 spot left | Closest race, 7h pace leaves about 2.5 h margin; one spot only | Organizer |
| Greenland Trail Races 50K (2027) | Sat 1 May 2027 | Larkspur, CO (about 58 km) | 50K, lapped loop, 7:00 AM start | Finish closes 3:00 PM (8 h); hard cutoff 1:00 PM to start final lap; 18+ | Tiers $90 / $95 / $100 / $105 (header reads Early / Starting 1/1 / Starting 4/1 / Race Day; excludes service fees) | Unconfirmed (page shows tiers; no opening date read) | Unconfirmed | Unknown (no counter) | Lapped loop; a 7h pace should clear the 8h finish limit with about an hour to spare (my arithmetic) | Organizer |
| Sheep Mountain Trail Runs 50K (2027) | Sat 7 Aug 2027 | Fairplay, CO (about 104 km) | 50K, 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM window | Average elevation over 10,600 ft; 16-hour window | $138.80 incl. $8.80 fee; no increase listed | 1 Dec 2026, 12:00am MST | Unconfirmed for 2027 | Unknown (296 spots left shown before opening) | Altitude will make a 7h pace harder than the generous window suggests (inference) | Organizer |
| Bobcat Trail Races 50K (2026) | Sat 17 Oct 2026 | Palmer Park, Colorado Springs (about 99 km) | 50K, 7:00 AM start | Open; cutoff unconfirmed | $165.00 ($179.22 incl. taxes/fees); no increase listed | Open now | Mon 12 Oct 2026, 11:59 PM MT | Unknown | Urban-park trail; check cutoff first | Organizer |
| Bridge Burner Ultra 50K (2026) | Sat 24 Oct 2026 | Canon City, CO (about 146 km) | 50K (also 35 mi, 35K, 10K) | Open; cutoff unconfirmed | $165.00 ($179.22 incl. taxes/fees); no increase listed | Open now | Tue 20 Oct 2026, 11:59 PM MT | Unknown | Closes in 14 days | Organizer |
| Colorado Cold Rush Ultra 50K (2026) | Sat 21 Nov 2026 | Bear Creek Regional Park, Colorado Springs (about 103 km) | 50K, 8:00 AM start | Open; cutoff unconfirmed; permit subject to Pike National Forest approval | $170.00 ($184.55 incl. taxes/fees); no increase listed | Open now | Tue 17 Nov 2026, 11:59 PM MT | Unknown | Winter race; snow possible per organizer | Organizer |
| Valkyrie Trail Race 50K (2027) | Sat 8 May 2027 | Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado Springs (about 113 km) | 50K, 7:00 AM start | Open (women-focused event; men appear in past results); cutoff unconfirmed | $140.00 ($152.60 incl. taxes/fees); $155.00 after 31 Oct 2026 | Open now | Thu 6 May 2027, 11:59 PM MT | Unknown | Price rises in 25 days; confirm eligibility with organizer | Organizer |
| Pikes Peak Ultra 50K (2027) | Sat 24 Jul 2027 | Bear Creek Regional Park, Colorado Springs (about 103 km) | 50K (also 50 mi, 30K, 20K) | Open; cutoff unconfirmed | Unconfirmed (not shown on the organizer page read) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unknown | Summit of Mt. Rosa on the 50K and 50 mile; difficulty vs a 7h target unconfirmed | Organizer |
| Winter Park Trail Runs 50K (2027) | Sat 7 Aug 2027 | Winter Park, CO (about 68 km) | 50K (also 21K, 10K) | Open; cutoff unconfirmed | $180.00 ($195.20 incl. taxes/fees); $200.00 after 14 Jan 2027 | Open now | Wed 4 Aug 2027, 11:59 PM MT | Unknown | Price rises in 100 days; same date as Sheep Mountain | Organizer |
Act this week
- Suffer Better 50K, by 10 Oct 2026 (4 days): registration ends 10 October at 11:59am MDT with one spot left. Decide now if you want it.
- Bobcat 50K, by 12 Oct 2026 (6 days): registration closes 12 October. Race is 17 October.
- Bridge Burner 50K, by 20 Oct 2026 (14 days): registration closes 20 October.
Do next
- Read the cutoff sheets for Bobcat, Bridge Burner, Cold Rush, Valkyrie and Winter Park before paying; I could not read them.
- Note 1 December 2026, when Sheep Mountain registration opens.
- Note 31 October 2026, when Valkyrie's 50K price rises.
- Confirm Greenland's tier dates with the organizer; the page header and four prices do not map unambiguously.
Near misses and open items
- Kessel Run Ultra (7 Nov 2026), North Fruita Desert: 50K offered but Fruita is about 327 km from Denver by my estimate, outside 300 km.
- Quad Rock (Lory State Park, Fort Collins): the organizer page describes 50 mile and 25 mile courses; I found no 50K.
- Devil on the Divide 50K: organizer page appears stale (2023 content); not listed.
- Not verified: Rattler, Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race, Red Feather and Barr Lake 50K; I did not open their organizer pages.
- Conflicts: Suffer Better's description text quotes $110 while the registration page shows $117.60 incl. fees; I used the registration page. Winter Park's "Website" link on UltraSignup points to an unrelated page.
Coverage
Organizer pages on UltraSignup, RunSignup and Mad Moose, Colorado Runner Events, Revenant and Gnar Runners were read. I did not reach federation-style calendars beyond these, and no cutoff documents (Google Docs linked by Mad Moose) were opened.
Sources
- Suffer Better Fall Trail Runs, RunSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Greenland Trail Races, Colorado Runner Events (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Sheep Mountain Trail Runs, RunSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Bobcat Trail Races, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Bridge Burner Ultra, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Colorado Cold Rush Ultra, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Colorado Cold Rush Ultra, Revenant Running (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Valkyrie Trail Race, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Valkyrie Trail Race, Mad Moose Events (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Pikes Peak Ultra, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Pikes Peak Ultra, Mad Moose Events (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Winter Park Trail Runs, UltraSignup (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Kessel Run Ultra, Mad Moose Events (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Quad Rock, Gnar Runners (accessed 6 Oct 2026)
- Devil on the Divide 50K (accessed 6 Oct 2026)