Free. You can start with nothing.
A 54 mile course from the Shawnee State Park Lodge. It starts with a 7 mile opening loop, then runs a continuous 47 mile loop, mostly clockwise on the 40 mile Shawnee State Forest Backpack Trail, and finishes at the lodge. At mile 36 it turns onto the Wilderness Area side trail, known as The Dark Side, in the state's only designated wilderness area.
The course has 18 distinct hill climbs and many smaller ones, and very few flat sections.
A 50 Mile, 50K and 13.1 Mile trail race in Shawnee State Forest near West Portsmouth, Ohio. The 50 Mile and 50K run mostly on the backpack trail that loops the 63,000 acre forest, and apart from the lodge at the start and finish, runners pass one building on the whole course. The 50 Mile includes the state's only designated wilderness area, known as The Dark Side. The 13.1 Mile was added in 2023.
Race director Michael Owen first ran in Shawnee State Forest in 2007, as a cross country runner at nearby Shawnee State University, and built the Shawnee 50 Mile around it. The 50K and the 13.1 Mile were added later, the 13.1 Mile in 2023.
| Mile | Station | Cutoff | Crew access | Bag | Pacer | Med | To next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 |
Start
977 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ● | ? | ? | 12.10 |
| 12.10 |
Fire Tower
1,284 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ○ | ? | ? | 3.40 |
| 15.50 |
Bear Creek
866 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ○ | ○ | ? | ? | 4.60 |
| 20.10 |
Odell Creek
690 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ○ | ? | ? | 3.30 |
| 23.40 |
Camp Oyo
625 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ● | ? | ? | 4.80 |
| 28.20 |
Pond Lick
741 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ○ | ? | ? | 4.20 |
| 32.40 |
Hangover
1,192 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ○ | ○ | ? | ? | 5.80 |
| 38.20 |
Twin Creek #1
786 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ● | ? | ? | 4.80 |
| 43.00 |
Twin Creek #2
871 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ○ | ○ | ? | ? | 3.50 |
| 46.50 |
Mackletree Rd.
923 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ○ | ○ | ? | ? | 3.30 |
| 49.80 |
Lampblack
1,074 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ○ | ○ | ? | ? | 4.20 |
| 54.00 |
Finish
977 ft · Signal wrong?
|
? | ● | ● | ? | ? | ? |
From the start: exit the lodge parking lot and follow the Lodge Road (Forest Rd. 16) toward Rt. 125 for 1.4 mi, turn left onto OH-125 W for 0.4 mi, turn right onto Big Run Rd/State Forest Service Rd. 3 for 2.0 mi, then right onto Forest Service Rd. 6 for 2.9 mi. Total route 6.8 mi, about 23 mins. Part of Forest Service Rd. 6 is the race course for about half a mile: drive slowly and yield to runners.
Parking. Park in the gravel lot to the right, just before the Fire Tower. If it is full, park along Forest Rd. 6 on the right, as far over as possible. The aid station is a 500 foot walk further on.
seotrevents.comFrom Fire Tower: back-track on Forest Service Rd. 6 for 2.9 mi, turn left onto Big Run Rd/State Forest Service Rd. 3 for 2.0 mi, left onto OH-125 E for 5.9 mi, left onto Odle Creek Rd for 1.3 mi, then left onto Forest Service Rd. 14 for 1.2 mi. Total route 13.3 mi, about 31 mins.
Parking. Park before the aid station along the right side of Forest Service Rd. 14 in single file, as far over as you can, so other vehicles can pass. The aid station is on the right side of the road in a field.
seotrevents.comFrom Odell Creek: back-track on Forest Service Rd. 14 for 1.2 mi, turn right on Odle Creek Rd for 1.3 mi, right onto OH-125 E for 2.8 mi, then right onto Shawnee Rd./State Forest Rd 1 (Camp Oyo). Total route 5.5 mi, about 10 mins.
Parking. Park in the large gravel parking lot at Camp Oyo, on the left. The aid station is in the gravel lot. Runners enter and exit on Forest Service Rd. 1 and cross St. Rt. 125 after leaving, so give the aid station space when parking.
seotrevents.comFrom Camp Oyo: back to OH-125 for 0.1 mi, left onto OH-125 E for 1.6 mi, then right onto Pond Lick Rd/State Forest Rd 1 for 2.3 mi. Total route 4.1 mi, about 7 mins.
Parking. Park along the right side of the paved road, as far off the road as possible into the grass, next to the pond. The aid station is a short walk ahead, past the pond.
seotrevents.comFrom Pond Lick: follow Pond Lick Rd/State Forest Rd 1 back toward OH-125 for 2.3 mi, turn right onto OH-125 E for 2.3 mi, right onto US-52 W for 9.8 mi, then right onto Upper Twin Creek-Rocky Fork Rd for 4.3 mi. Total route 18.7 mi, about 32 mins.
Parking. Limited parking on a narrow paved road at a ford. Park off to the side of the road, before or after the aid station. Do not block the road: local residents live beyond this point and use it.
seotrevents.comFrom Twin Creek #1: follow Upper Twin Creek-Rocky Fork Rd toward US-52 for 4.3 mi, left onto US-52 W for 9.8 mi, left onto OH-125 E for 6.6 mi, then left onto State Forest Service Rd 16 (Lodge Road) for 1.2 mi. Total route 22.1 mi, about 34 mins.
Parking. Ample parking in the large Lodge and Conference Center parking lot. The runner has about 16 miles to the finish from Twin Creek #1.
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