The Hitchcock Experience — 100 Mile

Event Overview

Listed edition overview
Date	Dec 5-6, 2026
Location	🇺🇸 Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek, Iowa, USA
Format	Fixed-Distance
Terrain	Trail
Region	North America
Distance	100 mi
State / area	Iowa (IA)
Course model	Loop
Cutoff	34 hours
Highlights	Loess Hills, Five 20-Mile Loops

Course & Terrain

Five approximately 20-mile trail loops through Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa's Loess Hills.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

Hitchcock Nature Center
Five returns through the same hilly loop system

Short, steep climbs and descents accumulate heavily across five loops; the organizer lists approximately 4,928 ft of elevation change per loop.

Entry & Logistics

Listed qualification and support details
Registration and fees	Check the official event website for current availability, deadlines, prices, taxes, and refund terms.
Logistics note	The loop structure simplifies race-base access, but runners should still verify aid, crew, pacer, lighting, and interim timing rules for the current edition.

Why This Race Matters

The Hitchcock Experience — 100 Mile is a useful reference point for runners comparing long fixed-distance ultras that still unfold over multiple days. Its format, terrain, and support model shape the kind of preparation required: not just fitness, but pacing discipline, nutrition planning, foot care, and the ability to make good decisions under fatigue.

Planning Notes

Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
Treat intermediate cutoff gates as part of the course. Build enough margin for aid stops and late-race slowdown, and verify every current gate in the official rules.
Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
Repeated steep hills create more cumulative load than the location may suggest
December conditions can alter footing and layers

Event FAQs

How is the Hitchcock 100 course arranged?

The 100-mile race uses five approximately 20-mile loops at Hitchcock Nature Center.

What is the Hitchcock Experience 100-mile cutoff?

The official event page lists a 34-hour cutoff.

Verification & Sources

Verification scope: the listed edition's date, location, format, and available logistics were checked against the event-specific official sources below during the directory review dated August 10, 2026. Organizers can revise details after review.

Official Hitchcock Experience page — https://www.goatz.org/the-hitchcock-experience
Multiday Running event directory review scope: August 10, 2026.