RacesSoutheast

Regional100M

Cruel Jewel 100

Demand

5 out of 5

How much it asks

Worth

3 out of 5

Worth the flight + fee

Blue Ridge, Georgia, United States

Blood Mountain from Vogel State Park, Georgia Thomson200 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Scorecard · is it worth it?

Strong weekend if you already live nearby.

The card

Cruel Jewel is a 5 on demand and a 3 on worth, and that split is the whole point of regional. Dumass Events publishes a 104-mile out-and-back from Camp Morganton in Blue Ridge, Georgia: about 33,000 feet of gain and loss, Dragon's Spine, Toccoa River, 48 hours, qualifications, WSER and Hardrock qualifier. Demand is 5 because that vert at that distance in May humidity is a mountain-trail siege without a 14er. Altitude is a 1. The climbing is the altitude. A 5/3 looks like a contradiction until you remember that demand is the day and worth is whether the weekend is a default flight. This day is enormous. The weekend is still Georgia.

Worth is 3, regional. If you live in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, this is one of the hardest honest 100s you can drive to. If you are in California choosing a flight, 33,000 feet is not a reason to skip Ouray or HURT. The Chattahoochee is real forest. It is not a destination default. Regional means worth it if you are nearby, not a plane ticket you book because the gain number is loud. Organization confidence is medium. dumassevents.com is specific about quals and aid.

The next edition is May 14, 2027. Georgia Death Race is the shorter savage in this batch; it is also regional. Cruel Jewel is the 100. Neither one is a skip. Neither one is a plane-ticket default. If you wanted the vert number without the humidity, Colorado is still Colorado. If you wanted the vert number without the lottery, this is the East Coast answer for people who already live on the East Coast.

Who it is for

Experienced trail 100-mile runners in the South who want 33,000 feet of gain without a Colorado lottery, and who can handle humidity.

Who should skip

Anyone treating this as a first 100, or anyone flying from the West because the vert number is large. If you need a plane, Ouray and HURT are the destination versions of this ask.

Finisher pace · 2026

Median finishers (~50th percentile of 143 finishers). Not a predicted you. · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Deep Gap 2.7 mi
Aid–aid
0.6 h
Elapsed
0.6 h
Clock
12:36 pm
43.2 h slack
Deep Gap (bib punch) 8.5 mi
Aid–aid
1.1 h
Elapsed
1.7 h
Clock
1:42 pm
2.0 h slack
Stanley Gap 13.2 mi
Aid–aid
1.3 h
Elapsed
3.0 h
Clock
3:00 pm
2.8 h slack
Old Dial Road 19.1 mi
Aid–aid
1.2 h
Elapsed
4.2 h
Clock
4:12 pm
4.0 h slack
Skeenah Gap 29.5 mi
Aid–aid
3.5 h
Elapsed
7.7 h
Clock
7:42 pm
5.0 h slack
Fire Pit 41.7 mi
Aid–aid
4.6 h
Elapsed
12.3 h
Clock
12:18 am +1d
5.7 h slack
Fire Pit 56.5 mi
Aid–aid
6.1 h
Elapsed
18.4 h
Clock
6:24 am +1d
after cutoff
Old Dial Road 79.1 mi
Aid–aid
9.3 h
Elapsed
27.7 h
Clock
3:42 pm +1d
after cutoff
Deep Gap 95.4 mi
Aid–aid
6.0 h
Elapsed
33.7 h
Clock
9:42 pm +1d
10.1 h slack
Deep Gap (bib punch) 101.2 mi
Aid–aid
2.0 h
Elapsed
35.7 h
Clock
11:42 pm +1d
after cutoff
Camp Morganton 103.9 mi
Aid–aid
0.8 h
Elapsed
36.5 h
Clock
12:30 am +2d
11.5 h slack

Miles	Station	Aid–aid	Elapsed	Clock
2.7	Deep Gap	0.6 h	0.6 h	12:36 pm43.2 h slack
8.5	Deep Gap (bib punch)	1.1 h	1.7 h	1:42 pm2.0 h slack
13.2	Stanley Gap	1.3 h	3.0 h	3:00 pm2.8 h slack
19.1	Old Dial Road	1.2 h	4.2 h	4:12 pm4.0 h slack
29.5	Skeenah Gap	3.5 h	7.7 h	7:42 pm5.0 h slack
41.7	Fire Pit	4.6 h	12.3 h	12:18 am +1d5.7 h slack
56.5	Fire Pit	6.1 h	18.4 h	6:24 am +1dafter cutoff
79.1	Old Dial Road	9.3 h	27.7 h	3:42 pm +1dafter cutoff
95.4	Deep Gap	6.0 h	33.7 h	9:42 pm +1d10.1 h slack
101.2	Deep Gap (bib punch)	2.0 h	35.7 h	11:42 pm +1dafter cutoff
103.9	Camp Morganton	0.8 h	36.5 h	12:30 am +2d11.5 h slack

Local clock derived from published start + finisher splits, not a forecast.

Finishers only (DNFs missing, so the real back of the field is slower).

Weekend

Official handbook facts

Start: 12:00
Poles: Allowed

Cruel Jewel 100 race page / 2026 runner packet · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Field

Last editions · 100M scored distance

Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.

2026

Starters: 197
Finishers: 143
DNF: 27%
Win: 25:04:28
Median: 36:30:56

2025

Starters: 187
Finishers: 114
DNF: 39%
Win: 27:31:11
Median: 40:04:58

2024

Starters: 196
Finishers: 148
DNF: 24%
Win: 21:41:31
Median: 36:26:03

Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
Year	Starters	Finishers	DNF	Win	Median
2026retrieved 2026-09-03	197	143	27%	25:04:28	36:30:56
2025retrieved 2026-09-03	187	114	39%	27:31:11	40:04:58
2024retrieved 2026-09-03	196	148	24%	21:41:31	36:26:03

Latest median 36:30:56 (2026) vs the 48-hour cutoff already listed in Gate. Not a hardness score.

Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.

Climate

Typical May at the start area · historical race-week weather

Typical high: 75°F (24°C)
Typical low: 57°F (14°C)
Typical precip: 4.0 in (101 mm) / May
Days with rain: 44% of days
High point: 4,593 ft (1,400 m)

BewareRain on race weekend in 3 of the last 3 years.

2015–2024 May means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Map

Official course map ↗

RD-linked interactive Gaia GPS course map/track

Retrieved 2026-09-06

Terrain around Blue Ridge / North Georgia mountains. Not an official course map. OpenTopoMap / OSM / SRTM

Dimensions

Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.

Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium

Distance & format

How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask?

104 miles, 48 hours, qualifications required. Longer and slower than a standard 100.

Vertical

How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker?

Published 33,000 ft of gain and loss. This is the demand, not the elevation poster.

Technicality

Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road?

Dragon's Spine, steep descents, rocks, roots. Technical Southeast trail, not a towpath.

Climate

Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon?

May in the North Georgia mountains: heat, humidity, storms. Climate is a full dim.

Altitude

Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point?

Chattahoochee high country, not a 14er. The vert is the air problem.

Logistics

How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules?

Blue Ridge / Camp Morganton. A drive if you live in the South. Not a default plane ticket.

Prestige & field

Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like?

WSER and Hardrock qualifier. Respected by people who like suffering. Not an icon.

Organization

From public evidence, does the event look competently run?

Dumass Events, public quals, 20 aid stations. Medium-high from the public record.

Value

Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course.

A 5 on demand in Georgia. Worth 3 because the flight is optional if you already live nearby.

Adventure & scenery

Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score?

Toccoa River, hardwood, ridges. Handsome. Not a reason to cross a continent by default.

Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
Dimension	Score	Why
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask?	5 out of 5	104 miles, 48 hours, qualifications required. Longer and slower than a standard 100.
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker?	5 out of 5	Published 33,000 ft of gain and loss. This is the demand, not the elevation poster.
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road?	4 out of 5	Dragon's Spine, steep descents, rocks, roots. Technical Southeast trail, not a towpath.
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon?	4 out of 5	May in the North Georgia mountains: heat, humidity, storms. Climate is a full dim.
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point?	1 out of 5	Chattahoochee high country, not a 14er. The vert is the air problem.
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules?	3 out of 5	Blue Ridge / Camp Morganton. A drive if you live in the South. Not a default plane ticket.
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like?	3 out of 5	WSER and Hardrock qualifier. Respected by people who like suffering. Not an icon.
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run?	4 out of 5	Dumass Events, public quals, 20 aid stations. Medium-high from the public record.
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course.	3 out of 5	A 5 on demand in Georgia. Worth 3 because the flight is optional if you already live nearby.
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score?	3 out of 5	Toccoa River, hardwood, ridges. Handsome. Not a reason to cross a continent by default.