Mountains-to-Sea Trail 12M & 50K Challenge

APRIL 12, 2026

Join us for the 17th annual MST 12M & 50K Challenge! The race course will follow beautiful single track of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) as it winds through the woods along the Eno River.

**NEW FOR 2026** We are updating the 12M and 50K courses due to construction at Blue Jay Point County Park. We will post the new courses as soon as possible

You can expect that we will setup a well-marked course, well-stocked aid stations, accurate results, and a good time! We will do our best to make sure you enjoy your experience!

This is a trail race: very different than a road race. You will be exposed to many obstacles you would not normally see in a road race. The course is a single-track hiking trail, so there are roots, rocks, quick turns, logs, woodland critters, and possibly water to avoid. There are plenty of aid stations and volunteers on the course, but if it’s a hot day or if you think you need more fluids, we highly recommend carrying your own.

We ask that you do not run with your dog, run with an unregistered pacer, run with headphones, run with a jog stroller, and, of course, do not litter on the trail.

Questions?

Register & Volunteer

Race Date: SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2026

REGISTER HERE!

Not planning to run?

PLEASE SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER! We need you! Thank you 🙂

Race Logistics

Parking & Start/Finish
Both the 12M and 50K will start and finish at Riverside High School.
Parking for both races is available at the school. Races will start near the track.

Start Times
50K: 7:00am
12M: 8:30am

Aid Stations
Aid stations and crew access points will be located approximately every 3-4 miles on the course. Water, electrolyte drink, energy gels, snacks, and basic first aid supplies will be available at all aid stations. Plenty of food and refreshments will be available at the finish. 50K aid stations will be stocked with snacks and fruit (i.e. pretzels, trail mix, candy, oranges, bananas).

Restrooms
Restrooms facilities and porta-jons are available at the start/finish and at the 50K turn-around.

Drop Bags
Drop bags will be issued to 50K runners only. Bring these to the race start. These bags will be available for 50K runners at the turn-around and again at the finish area. 12M participants will be able to leave a bag at the finish line in a designated location.
No valuables, please!

Time Limits
The 50K race has an 8-hour time limit.
The 12M race has a 3.5 hour time limit.

Course Maps

COURSE MAPS ARE BEING UPDATED FOR 2026 AND WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY!

Packet Pickup Details

Pre-Race Packet Pickup:
Saturday, April 11: 2:30-5:30pm @ Bull City Running – South Durham
**pre-race pickup is highly encouraged!

Race Day Packet Pickup
Sunday, April 12: 6:15am-8:30am @ RACE START

Awards

Awards Categories:
A finishers award will be presented to all race finishers. In addition, the following awards will be given:

Top 3 Overall Finishers, M/F
Top Masters Finishers, M/F

Team Challenge:
If you have five others running, you can register as a team. No additional cost, just added fun. Team with the lowest combined score for all five finishers wins. Scoring: points will be scored for overall finish per gender – so if a male finishes 13th overall for men and female 10th for women the score would be 23. No awards, just bragging rights! Teams must be registered before race day.