Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run

Results

Results pending: this edition has finished but the directory has not yet recorded a published result. Check the official event website for the latest standings.

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Point-to-point route beginning with a short forest-road section before moving predominantly onto Ozark Trail singletrack and finishing at Bass River Resort.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Mark Twain National Forest
• Water crossings and a Bass River Resort finish
• Sutton Bluff Campground at mile 14, the first crew and drop-bag stop
• Berryman Campground at mile 78.6, reached on a short out-and-back off the main trail
• The Courtois Creek crossing inside Bass River Resort, where any number of pacers may join for the run-in

Leaf-covered technical trail, rocks, roots, water crossings, and long nighttime singletrack can make navigation and footing more demanding. The race opens with about 3.5 miles of forest road, mostly a grassy out-and-back near the start, and finishes with a mile on Bass River Resort grounds; everything in between is the Ozark Trail, which runners must follow by its fixed OT markers, most with a square of reflective tape for night. The race adds only a few “OZARK TRAIL 100” signs and glow sticks near aid stations, plus ribbons and flags over the final mile. The surface ranges from smooth dirt to moderately technical. Jeff Browning, who won the first edition, called the 2009 route about 98% singletrack, rolling with no major climbs, and measured roughly 10,900 ft of ascent; he called it the most dangerous course he had run at night. Two aid stations, Highway DD (mile 47.2) and Berryman Campground (mile 78.6), sit on short out-and-backs off the trail, and runners who skip either check-in are disqualified.

The organizer’s guidance for race weekend is an average high around 63°F and a low around 44°F, with swings from the upper 70s down to the upper 20s, and rain, hail, sleet, snow or ice all possible. Sunrise is about 7:30 AM and sunset about 6:00 PM, so the 6:00 AM start goes off in the dark and runners need lights for the first hour or more and again all night. The inaugural 2009 race ran in unseasonable heat, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 70s.

Format & Support (as run)

Why This Race Matters

Co-race directors Paul Schoenlaub and Stuart Johnson launched the Ozark Trail 100 in November 2009 with volunteers from the St. Louis Ultrarunners Group, and the first edition set the tone: only 56 of 126 starters finished after storm blowdowns and leaf-buried rock. The 2026 race is the 18th running and the Missouri RRCA State Ultra Championship. The route is a true point-to-point, following the Ozark Trail’s own fixed blazes north through the Mark Twain National Forest to Bass River Resort near Steelville. Kyle Curtin’s 17:44:37 from 2014 is the course record, and in 2016 Oregon’s Ashley Nordell won outright in 19:58:58, still the women’s record. Missouri’s Tommy Doias has won the men’s race five times.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men: Kyle Curtin, 17:44:37, 2014
• Women: Ashley Nordell, 19:58:58, 2016 (first overall)
• Men’s masters (40+): Pierre-Loic Deragne, 18:33:34, 2012, at age 44, in his first 100-miler
• Most men’s wins: Tommy Doias, five (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019)

Preparing for a Race Like Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run

The 100-mile race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Gut training for ultrarunners: A six-week practice sequence for race-day fueling.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners who want a true point-to-point 100 on autumn singletrack rather than repeated loops
• Self-reliant runners comfortable following fixed trail blazes through a long night
• Midwest runners chasing a sub-32-hour buckle on a course with moderate climbing (about 12,000 ft)

Planning Notes

• 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.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare verified US 100-mile races
• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the 100-Mile format guide
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist