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Ultras · US · PA

Pine Creek Challenge

100 Mile · 100M
Registration open
Race dateSeptember 12-13, 2026
Duration2 days
Start6:00am
Whenin 21 days
First held2011
Free, and always will be. NavRun makes money from race-day planning for runners who want it, never from this. Ultras change constantly, sometimes the morning of. Always confirm with the race director and the official website before you rely on anything here.
Distance 100M
Climb not checked yet
Descent not checked yet
High point not checked yet
Time limit 30:00:00
Aid stations 17
Started not checked yet
Finished not checked yet
Finish rate not checked yet
The course

Where it goes out and back · 17 aid stations · rust marks a stop your crew can reach

Course line from the race's own GPX. Source file.

Start at Asaph, out-and-back north to Wellsboro Junction (~6 mi each way), back to Asaph, then out-and-back south to Blackwell (~19 mi each way) -- one full 50-mile lap -- repeated twice for 100 miles and 4 passes through the Pine Creek Gorge canyon section.

Course is a converted rail-trail: finely crushed limestone, 20 ft wide, ~2% average grade (900 ft loss over the full 63-mile trail, not all of which is on this course). Marketed and widely reported as flat and beginner/first-100-friendly, but one entrant's caveat is worth keeping: "flat course doesn't always mean easy course." The Darling Run to Blackwell leg (used, e.g., by a solo relay runner since no exchange is allowed at Tiadaghton) is 16.9 miles, the longest gap between any two aid stations on the course.

The race

What this one is

An out-and-back ultra on the Pine Creek Rail Trail through the Pine Creek Gorge (the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania") near Wellsboro, PA, run concurrently at four distances (100 Mile, 100K, 50 Mile, Marathon) from a shared start/finish at Asaph. The trail is finely crushed limestone, 20 feet wide, closed to motor vehicles, and loses only about 900 feet over 63 miles (a 2% grade) -- flat enough that the race markets itself as beginner-friendly and a common choice for a first 100-miler.

First run at least by 2011 (UltraSignup results are on file back to 2011). The 100-mile course was originally longer: a 2013 crew report describes the out-and-back continuing south past Blackwell through Slate Run and Cedar Run aid stations to a turnaround near the village of Cammal (Blackwell was passed at mile 79.1, not the turnaround). By 2016 (per an archived course-map image) and continuing through the current 2026 listing, the course has been shortened to turn around AT Blackwell, with the Slate Run/Cedar Run/Cammal stations no longer part of the race.

Getting in

Getting in Entry, lottery and what the race asks of you before race day.

Lottery
No
Lottery opens
not checked yet
Lottery draw
not checked yet
Field cap
not checked yet
Registration
UltraSignup ultrasignup.com
Qualifying
No mandatory qualifying requirement; the race "strongly recommend[s] that you have already successfully completed a run of 50 miles or more." sites.google.com
Minimum age
not checked yet
Transfers
not checked yet
Deferrals
not checked yet
Crew, pacers and drop bags

The rules that shape your day Anything marked "not checked yet" is a gap in what we hold, never a no from the race.

Crew allowed
Yes
Vehicles per runner
not checked yet
Pacers
Yes
Muling
Not allowed sites.google.com
Drop bags
Yes
Cupless
No sites.google.com
Course marking
Fully Marked sites.google.com
Night running
Yes sites.google.com
Dogs
not checked yet
Headphones
Allowed sites.google.com
Crew rules
Handlers/friends may only assist runners at official aid stations. No crew or spectator access to Tiadaghton. Continuous shuttle service is provided along the course; parking in the roadway is discouraged. sites.google.com
Pacer rules
Pacers must sign a waiver (available at check-in or any aid station) and must join a runner at an aid station (not mid-trail). Only one pacer at a time, except for the final few yards to the finish. Pacers may use a bicycle. Pacers should not "mule" (carry the runner's gear/supplies) or go ahead to arrange things at an aid station. sites.google.com
Drop bag rules
Drop bags may be left at the start (Marsh Creek/Asaph) and are transported to Blackwell; bags are returned as stations close and can be collected at the start area before noon Sunday. No drop bags are held at Asaph itself for mid-race pickup. sites.google.com
Cutoff philosophy
not checked yet
Aid stations

Every stop, and what you get there ● yes   · no   ? nobody has checked

Mile Station Cutoff Crew Bag Pacer Med To next
0.00 Asaph (USGS Building) ? · ? 6.00
6.00 Wellsboro Junction ? ? ? 6.00
12.00 Asaph (USGS Building) ? · ? 3.00
15.00 Darling Run ? ? ? 8.00
23.00 Tiadaghton
None · no cell service
? · · · ? 7.50
30.50 Blackwell ? ? 7.50
38.00 Tiadaghton
None · no cell service
? · · · ? 8.00
46.00 Darling Run ? ? ? 4.00
50.00 Asaph (USGS Building) ? · ? 6.00
56.00 Wellsboro Junction ? ? ? 6.00
62.00 Asaph (USGS Building) ? · ? 3.00
65.00 Darling Run ? ? ? 8.00
73.00 Tiadaghton
None · no cell service
? · · · ? 7.50
80.50 Blackwell ? ? 8.50
89.00 Tiadaghton
None · no cell service
? · · · ? 8.00
97.00 Darling Run ? ? ? 3.00
100.00 Asaph (USGS Building) ? ? ? ? ?
Driving your crew

Getting your people there 3 stops with directions the race published.

Wellsboro Junction mile 6.00

From start: head south on Marsh Creek Rd toward US-6 W (0.4 mi); turn left onto US-6 E (8.1 mi); turn left onto PA-287 N (0.2 mi); turn left onto Butler Rd; destination on left at end of road (Pag-O-Mar Market on Butler Rd has sandwiches/drinks/ice cream).

sites.google.com
Darling Run mile 15.00

From start: head south on Marsh Creek Rd toward US-6 W (0.4 mi); turn left onto US-6 E (0.2 mi); turn right onto PA-362 E (0.8 mi); destination on the right in approx 1/2 mile; turn right down the access road just past the brown 'Pine Creek Rail Trail Darling Run Access' sign.

sites.google.com
Blackwell mile 30.50

From start: head south on Marsh Creek Rd toward US-6 W (0.4 mi); turn left onto US-6 E (8.2 mi); continue onto Main St, Wellsboro (0.2 mi); turn left onto PA-287 S / Central Ave at the second light in Wellsboro; follow PA-287 S (11.7 mi); turn right toward PA-287 S/PA-414 W (207 ft); turn right onto PA-414 W (5 mi); turn right onto Blackwell Square/T301 -- Miller's Store is on the left (ice cream, drinks); aid station on the left; parking limited.

sites.google.com
Same race, other lines

Other distances and other years

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