Badlands Race Series
BADLANDS RACE SERIES
Event Details
Get your headlamps out! The Badlands 50K and 100K take place entirely within the scenic Island Lake Recreation Area, winding through its extensive trail network. We are looking to change things up a bit with two of the three races taking place as NIGHT RACES starting at 10pm. All three races start and finish at the same hub, with the 100K runners taking on two full loops of the 50K course for the ultimate challenge. Badlands is primarily a night race with the 50K and 100K participants starting at 10pm and running to dawn and into the day. An additional 50K taking place during the daytime will start at 7am on Sunday morning.
Participant and Race Details
We will host up to 450 total participants, distributed evenly across three race divisions, each capped at 150 runners:
Race 1 – Nightfall 50K: Starts at 10:00 PM on SATURDAY, May 16th, 2026 (9 Hours)
Race 2 – Overnight 100K: Starts at 10:00 PM on SATURDAY, May 16th, 2026 (18 Hours)
Race 3 – Daybreak 50K: Starts at 7:00 AM on SUNDAY, May 17th, 2026 (9 Hours)
If you have questions related to the race, please send us a message at Jay@blackwoodracing.com
Important Information
IMPORTANT DETAILS
COST:
Early Bird Pricing: Ends December 31st, 2025:
50K: $163.25 (incl. taxes & fees)
100K: $243.12 (incl. taxes & fees)
January 1st - February 28th, 2026:
50K: $189.87 (incl. taxes & fees)
100K: $269.75 (incl. taxes & fees)
March 1st - May 16th, 2026:
50K: $216.50 (incl. taxes & fees)
100K $296.37 (incl. taxes & fees)
COURSE MAP:
Check out our course map: https://caltopo.com/m/Q8LAL4J/1307V00KM1HBKSMP
PACKET PICKUP/RUNNER CHECK IN:
Packet pick up will be on Saturday May 16th before the race starting at 7pm for the NIGHT races and 5am Sunday May 17th before the DAYBREAK 50K race starts
Prize Purse - $9,750 Total
Prize Purse
There will be two competitive categories, Female and Open (Men's). For qualification standards, please see the Runner’s Guide or contact us with questions.
$2,250 for Night 50K (Open (Men's) & Women's)
$750 First Place in Each Category (Total $1,500)
$250 Second Place in Each Category - (Total $500)
$125 Third Place in Each Category - (Total $250)
$4,500 for Overnight 100k (Open (Men's) & Women's)
$1,500 First Place in Each Category (Total $3,000)
$500 Second Place in Each Category (Total $1,000)
$250 Third Place in Each Category (Total $500)
In each of the above races, Blackwood Racing will offer an additional $500 prize to first place if they beat the previous Course Record time bring our total prize purse to $9,750. This will be the first running of this race and the winners of each of the two races will automatically qualify for this additional prize.
*The DAYBREAK 50K will not have a prize purse and will be for those out to have a good time.
** Blackwood reserves the right to adjust prize amounts at any time for any reason. The distribution of the prize purse is at the sole discretion of Blackwood Racing. Any attempt to obtain a prize through cheating, course cutting, performance-enhancing drugs, or competing outside of one’s gender category will result in forfeiture of awards. Women will compete in the Women’s Division. All other participants will compete in the Open (Men's) Division.
We are offering prizes as a way to give back to our trail running community—not as the main reason to toe the line. Please respect the spirit of the sport and the integrity of the event. Abuse of this policy may result in prizes being removed from this race as well as all future races.
If you have any questions related to the prize purse that have not been answered in the Runner's Guide - please contact Ian@blackwoodracing.com for clarification prior to the event.
Inaugural Event!
This will be the inaugural running of our event, and we’re dedicated to making it as seamless as possible! We’re going all out to ensure it feels every bit as professional, fun, and memorable as the other races you love.
Merch
We are still working on finalizing our Merch for this event but all registrations will include a Tech Hoody ( we will contact you at a later date for sizing ) as well as a number of other smaller goodies. Runners who finish the race within cutoff will receive finisher medals and finisher awards for the fastest people out there!
Runner Guide
We are still working on our Runner Guide - if you have any questions pertaining to this document, we are open to sharing our work in progress but know that changes are still being made!
Refunds, Credits & Cancellations
Refund and Credit Policy for 2026 Registrants:
Refunds or credit toward future races are available by date of request:
Before February 1, 2026: 50% refund or 100% credit toward 2027 race.
February 1 to March 15, 2026: 25% refund or 100% credit toward 2027 race.
March 15 to April 15, 2026: No refunds. 100% credit toward 2027 race.
After April 15, 2026: No refunds or transfers.
Important Notes:
No transfers of event registration to other people is allowed.
Ultrasignup fees are non-refundable.
Requests for exceptions (including medical notes) will not be accepted.
All refund/credit decisions are final once confirmed via email.
Email: Jay@blackwoodracing.com
Event's current local time: 11:06 PM ET
