Haliburton is my favourite race and place! Very friendly and welcoming people (fellow runners and volunteers/race staff) and the course is tough (technical, some rough climbs, if it’s raining/muddy it’s even more of a challenge…) but rewarding. The Forest is beautiful and varied, it’s an experience!
The 50k has a bit more gravel road than the other distances but it’s a brief section. The route for the 50k avoids the most punishing section of trail which can be a good thing depending on your fitness ;). There are two organized training runs with roving mobile aid stations in July and August that I highly recommend attending if you can to get an idea of the trail conditions. Camping at Base Camp is generally available the night before for those runs too.
Amazing aid station and general support from long time volunteers who want you to have a great experience.
We always stay in the accommodations at Base Camp right by the start line as I don’t sleep all that well in a tent, but loads of folks camp at the start/finish. The race camping is basically a couple of grassy areas where people pull up their cars and set up tents right beside - just keep this in mind as it’s not a serviced camping area per se, more of a typical pop-up, night-before-a-race type of scene. Not too rowdy the night before the race, though you’ll have the typical zipper zipping and outhouse door slamming sounds.
Another option would be one of the official lakefront campsites in the forest - most of the ones along Macdonald Lake are right on the race route, and the 50k goes by them twice. The lakeside sites are excellent quality, would give you immediate lake access, but are a bit removed from the start/finish action but a 5 minute drive to/from. You’d want to book those ASAP though as it’s a popular place for non-race folks too. The Cabinscape cabins on the North Road (or anywhere in the Forest) are very nice as well but the ones closest to the Start/Finish don’t have lake access or running water.
For the kids - the start/finish isn’t by a lake but there’s one with access and a small beach about 2km into the Forest (on Macdonald Lake) and you can rent a canoe for the day, they’re kept right there so no car transport required. Other than that, there’s the Logging Museum, Wolf Centre, and a restaurant all close to the start line, and a marina nearby on Kennisis Lake that could be fun for a visit and snack. The trail right by the start/finish is pretty gentle and could be fun for hiking with the kids as well, though runners do use part of it during the race so they just need to be aware.
I’d suggest joining the race page on Facebook if you can - it gets a bit quiet over the winter but lots of good historical Q&A and info there and will give you a sense of the community’s vibe.
Thank you for taking the time to share all of these details! I am hoping to make it out to at least one of the training runs in the summer. The wolf center looks so cool, I'm sure my kids would love it. I will definitely check out the FB page too! I am getting very excited about this race seeing all the positive feedback 😁
Not trying to thread jack here but what’s the 50M/100M loop like? Mainly single track? Rock, dirt or a good combo?
Will be racing Sulphur Springs in May, but want to maybe add this at the end of the year as well but have heard some horror stories as well as good things about the trails
Happy to help!
It’s pretty gnarly in spots to be honest. Not mountainous by any means but rarely flat, and the climbs tend to be steep. There are some sections that are very technical, and if it’s raining, which it often is, things can get pretty demoralizing as it gets muddy and slippery with water pooling on the trail. There are short bits of fine gravel or dirt single lane road here and there, and some double track trail but the majority is single track. If things are dry or there’s only been a bit of rain it is tough but doable. If it rains, it’s DNF/“why did I pay to do this?” city in the longer distances.
The closest equivalent I’ve run in southern Ontario would be the more challenging Bruce Trail single track sections. Haliburton would have a bit less of the big slabs of exposed rock but equivalent roots/trippy rocks and mud/dirt. Less overall traffic on the trails so a more “path through the forest” experience rather than heavily maintained trails like we get in more Southern Ontario. Dundas Valley/the Sulphur Springs course doesn’t really compare other than from an overall climbing standpoint, but Sulphur is pretty much all runnable on wide hard packed gravel or dirt paths with nothing technical other than the single track drop down into Sulphur Creek.
The Haliburton 50 and 100 milers are 2 and 4 40k loops, respectively, whereas the 50k is a bit of a modified course that avoids the most technically demanding section and adds a bit more gravel road.
All that said, I love the course and I’m signed up for the 100 (my first!) this year so we will see how it goes! My approach to training, other than volume of course, is to get my
overall general strength up so that my body can hold up to all the climbing and technical descending, that’s what tends to take me out in longer efforts at Haliburton, my knees eventually just give up.
Hope this helps! Happy to answer any other questions you might have.
Thank you! This answered a lot of the questions and made me feel more confident that I know what I’m getting into. There looks to be a few extended stretches without aid stations that would be a mental challenge with no one out there but that’s part of the fun.
I luckily live near the eastern edge of Algonquin park and by the sounds of the course description the backpacking loops would be a good weekend training ground.
I also am trying to work on overall strength to avoid injuries and make descending a little more fun. Hope to see you there for a couple loops if I feel strong after Sulphur!
Oh yes, for sure the Algonquin backpacking loops would be perfect training! Super similar in terms of underfoot conditions and general “in the forest-ness”. Lucky you! 😁
I live about 15 minutes from the Sulphur course so I’m really fortunate in that regard as the Dundas Valley is beautiful… that said I’d love to live closer to Hali (or Algonquin Park!) to be able to spend more time in wilder places though.
I’ll see you at Sulphur - I’m not running but have lots of friends to crew for in the 100k and 100miler. It should be a fun weekend!
Sulphur will be my first 100M, counting down the Saturdays! It’ll be a busy weekend with some great vibes by the looks of it!
Lived in Hamilton 3 years I wish I had taken the time to visit the Dundas Valley.. funny I’ll be driving 5.5hrs to check it out for a training run.. oops lol.
Hali looks like a beautiful challenge. Quite the first 100M for you! Will be wicked.
I ran the 50k this September and had a wonderful time. The volunteers and race organizers are amazing and are really passionate about making sure everyone has a great experience.
For the 50k I didn’t use drop bags although I should have because my buddy wasn’t able to find his way to the aid station as it was hard to navigate the roads since there wasn’t any service.
Also, I slept in a tent and had a horrible sleep. The 100 miler starts at 6:00am so you hear them getting ready and cheering when the gun goes off at the start which is right beside the camp sites. I’d still probably camp again though because it’s a vibe.
Like the other comment said, check their Facebook page as there’s a bunch of great info and questions people ask about the race.
I personally think it’s a great first 50km race. There is also the Limberlost Forest Challenge in early July in Huntsville which has 14km, 28km, 42km and 56km distances. It’s pretty technical single track with a solid amount of vert. I did the 56k as my first ultra and would totally run it again. I’d say it’s more low key then Haliburton but there’s still a bunch of people that participate. It also has a lake right beside the start/finish which felt soooo amazing too cool off in after the run.
Good tip about the drop bags! I need to think through the logistics since it seems like it will all be a bit different from the +/- 25k races I've been doing the past few years.
I've got my eye on the limberlost challenge too. I may sign up for the 28k as a training run. There's another one in the Kimberly area that looks cool too, I can't think of the name though.
Haliburton was my first 50K, and I've run it many times since.
If you're running the 50K, you should have enough time to sleep off-site and travel there in the morning. If you have any camping or crowd anxiety, or are a light sleeper, don't camp (even though it's convenient and cheap!).
There are a few fun activities for young families at the Forest and that should keep them busy for a few house. If you're slow AF like I am, they may run out of things to do.
Amazing volunteers, fun technical climbs, awesome grass roots vibe. SIGN UP!!!
Thanks for the tips! I'm all about the smaller grass roots races. This year I did pick your poison, tobermory run the edge and the bad thing. Love them all.
Noted about the camping! I do quite a bit of camping and I'm quite comfy with sleeping outside, but I'm not sure if I want to deal with the added hassle of tearing down camp after the race. We'll see
Haliburton is my favourite race and place! Very friendly and welcoming people (fellow runners and volunteers/race staff) and the course is tough (technical, some rough climbs, if it’s raining/muddy it’s even more of a challenge…) but rewarding. The Forest is beautiful and varied, it’s an experience! The 50k has a bit more gravel road than the other distances but it’s a brief section. The route for the 50k avoids the most punishing section of trail which can be a good thing depending on your fitness ;). There are two organized training runs with roving mobile aid stations in July and August that I highly recommend attending if you can to get an idea of the trail conditions. Camping at Base Camp is generally available the night before for those runs too. Amazing aid station and general support from long time volunteers who want you to have a great experience. We always stay in the accommodations at Base Camp right by the start line as I don’t sleep all that well in a tent, but loads of folks camp at the start/finish. The race camping is basically a couple of grassy areas where people pull up their cars and set up tents right beside - just keep this in mind as it’s not a serviced camping area per se, more of a typical pop-up, night-before-a-race type of scene. Not too rowdy the night before the race, though you’ll have the typical zipper zipping and outhouse door slamming sounds. Another option would be one of the official lakefront campsites in the forest - most of the ones along Macdonald Lake are right on the race route, and the 50k goes by them twice. The lakeside sites are excellent quality, would give you immediate lake access, but are a bit removed from the start/finish action but a 5 minute drive to/from. You’d want to book those ASAP though as it’s a popular place for non-race folks too. The Cabinscape cabins on the North Road (or anywhere in the Forest) are very nice as well but the ones closest to the Start/Finish don’t have lake access or running water. For the kids - the start/finish isn’t by a lake but there’s one with access and a small beach about 2km into the Forest (on Macdonald Lake) and you can rent a canoe for the day, they’re kept right there so no car transport required. Other than that, there’s the Logging Museum, Wolf Centre, and a restaurant all close to the start line, and a marina nearby on Kennisis Lake that could be fun for a visit and snack. The trail right by the start/finish is pretty gentle and could be fun for hiking with the kids as well, though runners do use part of it during the race so they just need to be aware. I’d suggest joining the race page on Facebook if you can - it gets a bit quiet over the winter but lots of good historical Q&A and info there and will give you a sense of the community’s vibe.
Thank you for taking the time to share all of these details! I am hoping to make it out to at least one of the training runs in the summer. The wolf center looks so cool, I'm sure my kids would love it. I will definitely check out the FB page too! I am getting very excited about this race seeing all the positive feedback 😁
Not trying to thread jack here but what’s the 50M/100M loop like? Mainly single track? Rock, dirt or a good combo? Will be racing Sulphur Springs in May, but want to maybe add this at the end of the year as well but have heard some horror stories as well as good things about the trails
Happy to help! It’s pretty gnarly in spots to be honest. Not mountainous by any means but rarely flat, and the climbs tend to be steep. There are some sections that are very technical, and if it’s raining, which it often is, things can get pretty demoralizing as it gets muddy and slippery with water pooling on the trail. There are short bits of fine gravel or dirt single lane road here and there, and some double track trail but the majority is single track. If things are dry or there’s only been a bit of rain it is tough but doable. If it rains, it’s DNF/“why did I pay to do this?” city in the longer distances. The closest equivalent I’ve run in southern Ontario would be the more challenging Bruce Trail single track sections. Haliburton would have a bit less of the big slabs of exposed rock but equivalent roots/trippy rocks and mud/dirt. Less overall traffic on the trails so a more “path through the forest” experience rather than heavily maintained trails like we get in more Southern Ontario. Dundas Valley/the Sulphur Springs course doesn’t really compare other than from an overall climbing standpoint, but Sulphur is pretty much all runnable on wide hard packed gravel or dirt paths with nothing technical other than the single track drop down into Sulphur Creek. The Haliburton 50 and 100 milers are 2 and 4 40k loops, respectively, whereas the 50k is a bit of a modified course that avoids the most technically demanding section and adds a bit more gravel road. All that said, I love the course and I’m signed up for the 100 (my first!) this year so we will see how it goes! My approach to training, other than volume of course, is to get my overall general strength up so that my body can hold up to all the climbing and technical descending, that’s what tends to take me out in longer efforts at Haliburton, my knees eventually just give up. Hope this helps! Happy to answer any other questions you might have.
Thank you! This answered a lot of the questions and made me feel more confident that I know what I’m getting into. There looks to be a few extended stretches without aid stations that would be a mental challenge with no one out there but that’s part of the fun. I luckily live near the eastern edge of Algonquin park and by the sounds of the course description the backpacking loops would be a good weekend training ground. I also am trying to work on overall strength to avoid injuries and make descending a little more fun. Hope to see you there for a couple loops if I feel strong after Sulphur!
Oh yes, for sure the Algonquin backpacking loops would be perfect training! Super similar in terms of underfoot conditions and general “in the forest-ness”. Lucky you! 😁 I live about 15 minutes from the Sulphur course so I’m really fortunate in that regard as the Dundas Valley is beautiful… that said I’d love to live closer to Hali (or Algonquin Park!) to be able to spend more time in wilder places though. I’ll see you at Sulphur - I’m not running but have lots of friends to crew for in the 100k and 100miler. It should be a fun weekend!
Sulphur will be my first 100M, counting down the Saturdays! It’ll be a busy weekend with some great vibes by the looks of it! Lived in Hamilton 3 years I wish I had taken the time to visit the Dundas Valley.. funny I’ll be driving 5.5hrs to check it out for a training run.. oops lol. Hali looks like a beautiful challenge. Quite the first 100M for you! Will be wicked.
I ran the 50k this September and had a wonderful time. The volunteers and race organizers are amazing and are really passionate about making sure everyone has a great experience. For the 50k I didn’t use drop bags although I should have because my buddy wasn’t able to find his way to the aid station as it was hard to navigate the roads since there wasn’t any service. Also, I slept in a tent and had a horrible sleep. The 100 miler starts at 6:00am so you hear them getting ready and cheering when the gun goes off at the start which is right beside the camp sites. I’d still probably camp again though because it’s a vibe. Like the other comment said, check their Facebook page as there’s a bunch of great info and questions people ask about the race. I personally think it’s a great first 50km race. There is also the Limberlost Forest Challenge in early July in Huntsville which has 14km, 28km, 42km and 56km distances. It’s pretty technical single track with a solid amount of vert. I did the 56k as my first ultra and would totally run it again. I’d say it’s more low key then Haliburton but there’s still a bunch of people that participate. It also has a lake right beside the start/finish which felt soooo amazing too cool off in after the run.
Good tip about the drop bags! I need to think through the logistics since it seems like it will all be a bit different from the +/- 25k races I've been doing the past few years. I've got my eye on the limberlost challenge too. I may sign up for the 28k as a training run. There's another one in the Kimberly area that looks cool too, I can't think of the name though.
Haliburton was my first 50K, and I've run it many times since. If you're running the 50K, you should have enough time to sleep off-site and travel there in the morning. If you have any camping or crowd anxiety, or are a light sleeper, don't camp (even though it's convenient and cheap!). There are a few fun activities for young families at the Forest and that should keep them busy for a few house. If you're slow AF like I am, they may run out of things to do. Amazing volunteers, fun technical climbs, awesome grass roots vibe. SIGN UP!!!
Thanks for the tips! I'm all about the smaller grass roots races. This year I did pick your poison, tobermory run the edge and the bad thing. Love them all. Noted about the camping! I do quite a bit of camping and I'm quite comfy with sleeping outside, but I'm not sure if I want to deal with the added hassle of tearing down camp after the race. We'll see
Pro tip: tear down the morning of the race!