The route
Next edition22-25 April 2027
160.4 km from the course's high point, China Wall Trailhead, down to Auburn — just 5,435 m of climbing.
Drawn with a pen, line by line
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Indicative figures computed by Plotrek on its illustrative route, with altitudes from a terrain model. They may differ from the organiser's.
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The course's highest point comes right at the start: from there, the race drops almost without a break all the way to Auburn, through canyons and river crossings.
The gun goes off at noon at China Wall Trailhead, already at the top of the route. After a short climb in the opening stretch, the profile does nothing but lose elevation, on trails cut through the California canyons.
The route passes Michigan Bluff, then the town of Foresthill, before crossing the American River near Ruck-a-Chucky. It comes back past No Hands Bridge, then the town of Cool, on the last canyon stretch.
The finish is in Auburn, at the end of a route that drops almost the whole way. 35 hours separate the start from the finish cutoff.
Paths and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Altitudes measured on the route.
03 · Your poster
The relief of the course, from China Wall Trailhead to Auburn, takes shape as contour lines: our pen plotter draws it with a pen, line by line. Your finisher name and time go in the title block, in A4, A3 or A2.
Shipped from our workshop in Le Bouscat
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Updated Route and text: Plotrek workshop (Fabrice Jolivet)
Plotrek's illustrative route, redrawn on OpenStreetMap paths, measures 160.4 km and 5,435 m of elevation gain. Start: China Wall Trailhead; finish: Auburn; on the way, Ruck-a-Chucky at km 70.2. The elevation loss measured on this route is 6,577 m. These figures are indicative; the organiser's rules prevail.
560 m of elevation gain in one go, from km 13.1 to km 18.5 of Plotrek's route. No other climb on the 160.4 km course is as long. Average gradient of this section: 10.4%. It accounts for 10% of the route's elevation gain. Altitudes measured on the route, with a terrain model.
Start: China Wall Trailhead. Finish: Auburn, at km 160.4 of Plotrek's route. First landmark on the route: Michigan Bluff (1,060 m, km 36.3). The start is at 1,528 m, the finish at 386 m. Times and course can change from one edition to the next; the organiser's website prevails.
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