AUGUST 23RD 2025
The anticipated race date for the 2025 edition of the ScoCo50 is August 23rd.
Registration will open at noon on Friday March 28th, 2025.
RACE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to the ScoCo50 presented by Sun Trail Running!
Please join us Saturday, August 24th for 50k and 10 mile trail races at the beautiful and diverse Scott County Park located just north of Davenport and I-80!
We take pride in crafting a unique race experience for all of our runners, from first timers to seasoned veterans and ScoCo is no different! We feel that this is a very beginner friendly course that caters to those new to trail and ultras but it also provides a venue for those more experienced to run fast and perhaps set a new trail PR! For those seeking rugged trails and lots of hills, ScoCo50 might not be the race for you but we recommend checking out some of our other events at Sun Trail Running that take place throughout the year.
As with all of our events, our commitment is to provide the highest value event possible by keeping the cost low and the focus on the runner, the trails and this great outdoor community. Your registration fee covers all the race basics as well as custom swag, stocked aid stations, awards, post-race food and drink and a guaranteed donation back to the park to help ensure future maintenance and conservation efforts.
Not only does Scott County Park feature a beautiful and eclectic trail system, the park is very family-friendly and boasts a large number of amenities. Large playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, a fishing pond, a heated Olympic sized swimming pool with slides and numerous modern campgrounds make it a great location to make a weekend out of! Some campgrounds/sites are reservable while others are first come-first serve. All information and the online reservation system can be found here: Scott County Park Camping
WHEN & WHERE
The 50k starts at 7am and the 10 miler at 8:15am with an 3pm final cutoff for both race distances.
The start/finish is located at the Whispering Pines Shelter at Scott County Park.
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/4ks9h6dzKVzhiHSk6
Park address in Google: 18850 270th St, Eldridge, IA 52748
Coordinates will get you directly to the start/finish: 41.703790, -90.528802
The park and start/finish is very easy to get to from any direction and sits a little east of US-61.
Coming in from the main south park entrance in Park View off 270th street, follow the park road past the entrance station and down the hill. Take the first right at the intersection, following signs for Whispering Pines Shelter and turn right at the top of the hill into the shelter’s parking lots.
PACKET PICKUP
No pre-race packet pickup. Check in & packet pickup will start race day at 6:15am and go until 6:45am for the 50k and until 8:00am for the 10 miler. Please note that the park opens at 6am so please plan accordingly.
COURSE
The course is an approximately 10.5mi loop with ~950ft of elevation gain per loop and less than a mile of 2-way trail. The 50k completes the loop 3 times while the 10 miler completes the full loop once.
We utilize an eclectic mix of trails at the park which will include mostly dirt and grass, through both wooded and prairie areas. There will be a couple of short stretches that follow the paved park road but a wide and softer surfaced shoulder is available to run on. As we mentioned above, this is a very forgiving course with a fun and gentle flow to it and only occasional short hills to conquer but please do not forget that this is a SUMMER trail race through and through! We have no doubt that heat will play a factor in your race day and we do not want that to catch anyone off guard. While there’s plenty of shaded and wooded sections, there are also stretches of open trail that will receive a lot of direct sun on a hot summer day so we encourage folks to prepare accordingly and spend plenty of time training in the heat!
AID STATIONS/CREW/PACERS
One fully stocked aid station at the start/finish and one on course at about the 5mi mark that has fluids and some basic nutrition. Both aid stations allows drop bags but crew is ONLY allowed at the start/finish aid station by Whispering Pines shelter. Pacers are allowed for the 50k distance ONLY and are only allowed to join their runner at the start/finish for the last 10 mile loop.
REGISTRATION
No paper registration form. No race morning registration. Online registration only.
***NO BIB TRANSFERS, REFUNDS OR DEFERRALS***
Summer weather is tumultuous at best in the Midwest, even more so in recent years. With this in mind, please understand that the race reserves the right to modify the course for matters related to runner safety and/or trail condition concerns or to cancel the race in the case of natural disaster, pandemics, park closures, city/county/state restrictions, etc. In situations like these, there will be no refund of registration fees. These types of decisions will be weighed heavily and ALL effort will be made to hold the event as planned.
In addition, this is a very small, grassroots event. The majority of race costs are paid well ahead of race weekend. Please only sign up if you fully understand that we do not offer any refunds, deferrals or transfers of any kind. We hope you understand and will register early to help us provide the best possible race experience!
WAITLIST
Once we hit capacity, a waitlist is maintained and runners will be added to the event as spots become available in the order they joined the wait list. If you do not get signed up on time, please do not despair! Instead, register like normal via ultrasignup to be added to the waitlist. When a spot opens up, waitlisters will be notified via email of their selection and will have 3 days to either accept or decline the invitation. Three weeks from race day, that window of time shortens to 24 hours. When that time is up, the invitation will be passed to the next person on the wait list. Please note that you are charged and your registration finalized ONLY if you accept the waitlist invitation. The waitlist is public and can be viewed by clicking on Waitlist on the top banner of this ultrasignup page.
SWITCHING DISTANCE
Runners are allowed to switch distance after registration by contacting the race directly. If switching to a longer distance, you will be required to pay the difference in registration cost. Switching down does not cost anything additional but does not issue any refund. The deadline to switch is Thursday night before the race. Distance switching will NOT be allowed race morning.
RULES
The race distance you start is the race distance you are scored in. There is no dropping down after the race has begun. If you do, you will be entered into the final results as a DNF.
All runners, as well as their pacers and crews, must follow the rules listed below at all times during the event. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
1.) Leave No Trace!
2.) No cutting the course under any circumstances – any runner accepting a ride for any reason will be disqualified. If you leave the course for any reason, you must return to the spot you deviated from the original route and then continue from there.
3.) Trekking poles are allowed.
4.) Dogs are unfortunately not allowed to accompany their runner on the race course.
5.) Cutoffs will be strictly enforced. Runner must LEAVE the AS by posted cutoff time.
6.) No muling from pacers and only one pacer at a time.
7.) Be respectful and courteous to all other trail and park users.
Event's current local time: 6:44 AM CT
