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Ultras · US · IL

Tunnel Hill 100

13th Tunnel Hill 100/50/26.2/100km
100 Mile · 100M
Registration open
As of the scrape date (Aug 2026), UltraSignup showed 65 entry spots remaining across all distances; registration closes Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:59 PM CT. Marathon and 100km fields are described as "very limited" by the race director because total field size is capped and the race prioritizes the 100 Mile and 50 Mile (USATF Championship) distances.
Race dateNovember 14-15, 2026
Duration2 days
Start7:00am
Whenin 84 days
First held2014
Official website Entry Results Aid stations
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 1,800 ft
Descent 1,800 ft
High point 680 ft
Time limit 30:00:00
Aid stations 29
Started not checked yet
Finished not checked yet
Finish rate not checked yet
The course

Where it goes multi-loop · 29 aid stations

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

A double out-and-back on the Tunnel Hill State Trail, a converted rail corridor through the Shawnee National Forest. All runners start at Vienna City Park and run south to the southern turnaround at the Wetlands Center (13.1094 miles, a certified half marathon), then reverse and run north for 25 miles to the northern turnaround, then back to Vienna City Park for the 50-mile split. Runners repeat this exact 50-mile course for 100 miles. The signature tunnel, 543 feet long, sits 9.3 miles north of Vienna City Park and is passed through four times over 100 miles. Surface is predominantly crushed limestone with concrete in a few places, at a maximum grade of about 2%. 100-mile runners must begin their second 50 miles in under 15 hours of elapsed time.

Flat, fast crushed-limestone rail-trail with a maximum grade of about 2%, tree-lined, elevation ranging 340-680 ft. Dual-classified: USATF/World Athletics sanctioned, certified and ratified as a Road/Open course, while also recognized as a Trail course by the American Trail Running Association and the International Trail Running Association, so records set here count on both surfaces. IAU Golden Label course, certificate #20251065 (2025 cert, carried into 2026). USATF Sanction #26-21-162733; USATF certification #IL25006MN; World Athletics certification USA2025-307IAU. Course was remeasured before 2023 (moving the true 50-mile finish about a quarter mile into the woods) and remeasured again for 2025-26 so that all distances now start and finish at the same line. Historically fewer than half of 100-mile starters finish the full distance despite the fast course, largely because the race falls the first weekend after Daylight Saving Time ends (early darkness) and a runner's car is sitting right there at the 50-mile finish; close to 50% of finishers come in under 24 hours. Gaiters recommended to keep small crushed-limestone rock out of shoes, especially if it rains. Finishing the 100 qualifies a runner for the 2028 Western States 100 lottery.

The race

What this one is

A double out-and-back ultramarathon on the Tunnel Hill State Trail, a flat, crushed-limestone rail-trail through the Shawnee National Forest in Vienna, Illinois, built specifically for speed: fast times, qualifying standards, and 100-mile debuts, with a maximum grade of about 2% and no technical footing. Runners pass through the trail's signature 543-foot limestone tunnel, 9.3 miles north of the Vienna City Park start/finish. Offers 100 Mile, 100 km, 50 Mile (2026 USATF 50 Mile Road Championships) and Marathon distances, all starting and finishing together at 7:00 AM. Five world records and multiple American and off-road world's-best marks have been set on the course since 2014, and it is dual-certified as both a USATF/World Athletics Road course and an ITRA/American Trail Running Association Trail course.

Founded in 2014 by Steve Durbin, a six-time Barkley Marathons competitor who wanted a course built for pure speed rather than vertical gain, after he ran his first 100-miler in 2004 and grew fascinated with the Tunnel Hill State Trail's old rail tunnel near his home in Paducah, KY. Traci Falbo's 14:45 debut in the inaugural 2014 race set an American Record for a trail 100-mile; Camille Herron broke the women's 100-mile world record here in 2017 (12:42:40); Zach Bitter ran the fastest off-road 100 in 2018 (12:08:36); Charlie Lawrence set the men's 50-mile world record in 2023 (4:48:21); Courtney Olsen broke the women's 50-mile world record in 2024 (5:31:56); and in 2025 Anne Flower set a new 50-mile world record (5:18:57) and Caitriona Jennings set a new women's 100-mile world record (12:37:04) at the same event, the same year the race added a 100km distance and Courtney Olsen set a 100km American Record. Assistant Race Director Jason Claunch has partnered with Durbin since the first running.

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
not checked yet
Minimum age
not checked yet
Transfers
No ultrasignup.com
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 tunnelhill100.com
Vehicles per runner
not checked yet
Pacers
Yes, from mile 50.00 tunnelhill100.com
Muling
Not allowed tunnelhill100.com
Drop bags
Yes tunnelhill100.com
Cupless
Yes tunnelhill100.com
Course marking
not checked yet
Night running
Yes tunnelhill100.com
Dogs
Not allowed tunnelhill100.com
Headphones
not checked yet
Crew rules
All distances start and finish at the same line at Vienna City Park. Crews may access aid stations marked with crew access on the chart; stations marked "minor" have the same food, drinks and volunteers as any other station but are labeled minor because there is no parking lot, only roadside access, which can get congested early in the race. Heron Pond, the first aid station, is not accessible to crews until 9:30 AM to avoid dangerous crowding. Breeden Trestle is unmanned and has no vehicle access (IDNR restriction); gallon jugs of water are left for runners with no cups. Per USATF rules, no aid, including caching, may be provided by crew outside a designated aid station; crew members should not eat aid-station food, which is for runners only. tunnelhill100.com
Pacer rules
100-mile runners may use a pacer starting at dark, around 5:00 PM, and/or for the final 24 miles (Vienna Park as the runner begins the second trip out to the tunnel and back), whichever comes first. 100km and 50-mile runners may pick up a pacer at the nearest aid station once it gets dark. The race's own summary table lists pacer start simply as "Mile 50 or dark" for the 100 Mile course, which does not exactly match the detailed final-24-miles (mile 76) rule in the runner instructions and on UltraSignup; both numbers are recorded here, see _meta.notes. One pacer at a time; the pacer bib may be handed to a second pacer. Pacers must get a special bib at packet pickup (or the finish area if missed) and sign a waiver; a $15 cash fee covers the pacer's food and drink at aid stations. Pacers must enter and leave every aid station with their runner and may not carry anything for them (muling is expressly forbidden for pacers too). Anyone running for an American Record (including age-group record) may NOT have a pacer. tunnelhill100.com
Drop bag rules
Drop bags/boxes should be kept to a reasonable size: the runner instructions say roughly shoebox-sized, up to about 12" x 12" x 18", no large coolers; UltraSignup's race page gives a slightly different figure, "10" x 10" x 18" or smaller, or a little bigger" (both recorded, see _meta.notes for the conflict). Bags are dropped off Saturday morning near the white State building/finish area and placed in the corral for the desired location: Karnak, Vienna, or Tunnel Hill. Karnak appears at miles ~10/15 (50mi/100km/marathon) and ~10/15/60/65 (100mi); Vienna at ~26/50 (50mi/100km) and ~26/50/76 (100mi, plus start/finish); Tunnel Hill at ~36/41 (50mi) and ~36/41/86/91 (100mi). Do not pack car keys in a drop bag. Label each bag with name and bib number. When done with a bag, leave it in that station's Return to Finish area; bags are shuttled back to Vienna Park roughly hourly. Take drop bags home after the race; forgotten bags cannot be shipped. tunnelhill100.com
Cutoff philosophy
Runners must arrive at all checkpoints before posted cutoff times; there is no grace period and you are expected to hold a pace equal to or faster than a 30-hour finish. 100-mile runners must begin their second 50 miles in under 15 hours. The Tunnel Hill State Trail is closed at dark except to runners, pacers and crews still active in the race; if you miss a cutoff during dark hours you must leave the course and race staff will arrange a pickup. If you fail to reach an aid station within the allotted time during daylight you may continue, but will not be a counted 100-mile finisher; you will still be given the 50-mile buckle and your 50-mile split as your finishing time. The overall finish is a hard 1:00 PM Sunday cutoff with no leniency for any distance. ultrasignup.com
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 Vienna Park (Start) ? ● ● ? ? 5.20
5.20 Heron Pond Lake ? ● · ? ? 5.30
10.50 Karnak
340 ft
 ? ● ● ? ? 2.60
13.10 Wetland Center (Turn) ? ● · ? ? 2.60
15.70 Karnak
340 ft
 ? ● ● ? ? 5.30
21.00 Heron Pond Lake ? ● · ? ? 5.20
26.20 Vienna Park ? ● ● ? ? 2.80
29.00 Shelby Road ? ● · ? ? 4.10
33.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 2.80
35.90 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 ? ● ● ? ? 2.20
38.10 Northern Turnaround ? · · ? ? 2.30
40.40 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 ? ● ● ? ? 2.70
43.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 4.10
47.20 Shelby Road ? ● · ? ? 2.80
50.00 Vienna Park (50-Mile Split) 10:00pm ● ● ? ? 5.20
55.20 Heron Pond Lake ? ● · ? ? 5.30
60.50 Karnak
340 ft
 1:15am ● ● ? ? 2.60
63.10 Southern Turnaround ? · · ? ? 2.60
65.70 Karnak
340 ft
 2:40am ● ● ? ? 5.30
71.00 Heron Pond Lake 4:15am ● · ? ? 5.20
76.20 Vienna Park 5:48am ● ● ? ? 2.80
79.00 Shelby Road 6:52am ● · ? ? 4.10
83.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 2.80
85.90 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 8:57am ● ● ? ? 2.20
88.10 Northern Turnaround ? · · ? ? 2.30
90.40 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 10:21am ● ● ? ? 2.70
93.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 4.10
97.20 Shelby Road 12:10pm ● · ? ? 2.80
100.00 Vienna Park (Finish) 1:00pm ● ● ? ? ?
Same race, other lines

Other distances and other years

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