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Ultras · US · IL

Tunnel Hill 100

13th Tunnel Hill 100/50/26.2/100km
50 Mile · 50M
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 50M
Climb 900 ft
Descent 900 ft
High point 680 ft
Time limit 30:00:00
Aid stations 15
Started not checked yet
Finished not checked yet
Finish rate not checked yet
The course

Where it goes out and back · 15 aid stations

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

Combines both out-and-back legs of the Tunnel Hill State Trail once each. Runners start at Vienna City Park and head south to the Wetland Center turnaround (mile 13.1), returning to Vienna (mile 26.2, a certified marathon distance). From there runners continue north to the Northern Turnaround, 2.2 miles north of the Tunnel Hill aid station (mile 38.1), before returning to Vienna City Park for the mile-50 finish. Also the host course for the 2026 USATF 50 Mile Road Championships. 50-mile runners pass through the tunnel twice.

Host course for the 2026 USATF 50 Mile Road Championships (USATF membership and U.S. citizenship required for championship eligibility and awards; this rule applies only to the championship division). Course record holders (Charlie Lawrence 4:48:21 men, Anne Flower 5:18:57 women) both set world records here. Championship pacing rule: no pacing except by runners also entered in the 50-mile championship race. Second bib for championship entrants must be worn on the back. IAU Golden Label for the 50 Mile, certificate #20251064. USATF certification #IL25004MN; World Athletics certification USA2025-305.

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 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
100km and 50-mile runners may use a pacer at the nearest aid station once it gets dark. One pacer at a time; a $15 cash fee covers the pacer's food and drink at aid stations. Pacers must get a special bib at packet pickup and sign a waiver. For the 50-mile USATF Championship race specifically, no pacing is allowed except by runners who are themselves entered in that same championship race. USATF Championship entrants must hold active USATF membership and be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for championship awards. 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, the same limit as the 100 Mile and 100 km. The overall finish is a hard 1:00 PM Sunday cutoff with no leniency. 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
 1:33pm ● ● ? ? 2.60
13.10 Wetland Center (Turn) ? ● · ? ? 2.60
15.70 Karnak
340 ft
 4:36pm ● ● ? ? 5.30
21.00 Heron Pond Lake 7:50pm ● · ? ? 5.20
26.20 Vienna Park 10:45pm ● ● ? ? 2.80
29.00 Shelby Road 12:36am ● · ? ? 4.10
33.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 2.80
35.90 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 4:47am ● ● ? ? 2.20
38.10 Northern Turnaround ? · · ? ? 2.30
40.40 Tunnel Hill
680 ft
 5:58am ● ● ? ? 2.70
43.10 Breeden Trestle (south end) ? · · ? ? 4.10
47.20 Shelby Road 11:16am ● · ? ? 2.80
50.00 Vienna Park (Finish) 1:00pm ● ● ? ? ?
Same race, other lines

Other distances and other years

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