RacesColorado Rockies
Never Summer 100K
Demand
4 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
4 out of 5
Whether the ticket is worth it
Gould, Colorado, United States
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the trip if the mountains match what you want.
The card
Never Summer is the Colorado 100K you fly for if 100 miles is the wrong length and Leadville is the wrong surface. Gnar Runners stages out of the Gould Community Center, almost entirely inside State Forest State Park, between the Never Summer range on the north edge of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bows north of Cameron Pass. The published 100K is about 65.7 miles and 14,500 feet of gain, high point 11,852, average elevation over 10,000, 24 hours on the clock. Demand is 4 because that combination of air, ridge, and technical trail is a mountain day, not a fast 100K.
Worth is 4. You get extended alpine running, lakes, and a course that still reads like a wilderness event rather than a circuit stop. You do not get Hardrock myth or Ouray's vertical prank. Logistics are a Front Range drive plus a small mountain town, which is the right kind of friction. Organization confidence is medium: the Gnar pages are specific about terrain, fauna, and cutoffs.
If you want a destination 100K in Colorado that is actually in the mountains, this is on the short list with San Juan Solstice as the 50-mile sibling in a harder range. If you wanted a runnable 100K to pad an Index, look elsewhere.
The first 20 miles tour the northern Never Summers and alpine lakes, then the course crosses below Cameron Pass into the southern Medicine Bows. Gnar's own language is 'true mountain wilderness' between 10,000 and 12,000 feet, with moose as a listed course feature rather than a joke. Registration is capped. That cap is not a lottery religion, and it is also not unlimited. We are not going to invent a 2026 date or a fee band; gnarrunners.com is the source of truth for both. If you cannot get into High Lonesome, this is a serious Plan B that is still in the mountains. If you wanted Steamboat with a 100-mile sticker, that is a different card, and it is a 3 on worth.
Who it is for
Mountain runners who want a high-alpine 100K in Colorado without a 100-mile lottery religion.
Who should skip
Anyone who thinks 100K means rolling singletrack at 6,000 feet. This is ridge and air.
Elevation
Tap or hover for miles, clock, and aidft
Dark from 20:20 to 06:00 local. The median finisher is in the dark from Michigan Ditch onward (8:18am).
Bottom ticks are aid. Longest gap 11.4 mi.
Finisher pace
Not yet sourced.
Where the cutoff bites
Least margin: Ruby Jewel, 72 min for the back of the field.
Finishers only. DNFs are missing, so the real back of the field is slower.
Hardest stretch
Hardest stretch: Start to Michigan Ditch, 2,875 ft in 11.4 mi.
Segment gains from the course elev profile.
| From | To | Mi | Gain | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Michigan Ditch | 11.418.3 km | 2,875 ft876 m | 1,553 ft473 m |
| Michigan Ditch | Diamond | 8.113 km | 878 ft268 m | 1,715 ft523 m |
| Diamond | Montgomery | 6.09.7 km | 2,666 ft813 m | 1,070 ft326 m |
| Montgomery | Ruby Jewel | 6.19.8 km | 309 ft94 m | 1,823 ft556 m |
| Ruby Jewel | Kelly Lake | 4.77.6 km | 1,831 ft558 m | 596 ft182 m |
| Kelly Lake | Clear Lake 1 | 4.67.4 km | 118 ft36 m | 1,582 ft482 m |
| Clear Lake 1 | Clear Lake 2 | 4.47.1 km | 1,164 ft355 m | 1,261 ft384 m |
| Clear Lake 2 | Canadian | 6.210 km | 530 ft162 m | 1,114 ft340 m |
| Canadian | Bockman | 5.99.5 km | 900 ft274 m | 613 ft187 m |
| Bockman | Ranger Lakes | 6.210 km | 1,055 ft322 m | 774 ft236 m |
| Ranger Lakes | Finish | 2.13.4 km | 0 ft0 m | 219 ft67 m |
- Start
- 9,073 ft2,765 m
- Finish
- 9,073 ft2,765 m
- Net
- 0 ft0 m
- Longest climb
- 2,379 ft725 m
- Above 10,000 ft
- 28 mi44 km
Start and finish are within 400 ft. Treat net as a loop.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
- Start
- 05:30
- Crew
- 19.5, 31.6, 51.5, 57.4 mi
- Drop bags
- 19.5, 31.6, 40.9, 51.5, 57.4 mi
- Pacer from
- 51.5 mi
- Kit
- Required · Jacket, hat, gloves, whistle, 1 L water, light (100K).
- Tracker
- Open
- Course file
- Open
Gnar Runners Never Summer 100K page · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 100K scored distance
Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
DNF over the years
DNF 35% in 2026, 34% the year before.
2026
- Starters
- 280
- Finishers
- 183
- DNF
- 35%
- Win
- 11:52:15
- Median
- 20:39:11
2025
- Starters
- 283
- Finishers
- 187
- DNF
- 34%
- Win
- 11:57:06
- Median
- 20:26:20
2024
- Starters
- 308
- Finishers
- 191
- DNF
- 38%
- Win
- 11:39:48
- Median
- 19:53:30
2023
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 201
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 12:30:50
- Median
- .
2022
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 219
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 13:08:39
- Median
- .
2021
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 204
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 11:19:21
- Median
- .
2020
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 212
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 10:58:04
- Median
- .
2019
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 219
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 11:47:06
- Median
- .
2018
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 264
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 11:47:46
- Median
- .
2017
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 226
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 12:11:10
- Median
- .
2016
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 192
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 12:29:21
- Median
- .
2015
Finishers from UltraRunning Magazine calendar results table (100 KM). Starters/DNF not published on this page.
- Starters
- .
- Finishers
- 147
- DNF
- –
- Win
- 12:42:49
- Median
- .
Latest median 20:39:11 (2026) vs the 24-hour cutoff already listed in Gate. Not a hardness score.
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Where people drop
DNF by last recorded station · 2026. 280 starters.
- Michigan Ditch (mi 11.4)3
- Diamond (mi 19.5)19
- Montgomery (mi 25.5)3
- Ruby Jewel (mi 31.6)35
- Clear Lake 1 (mi 40.9)12
- Clear Lake 2 (mi 45.3)5
- Canadian (mi 51.5)12
- Bockman (mi 57.4)7
- Finish (mi 65.7)0
Most drops: Ruby Jewel, 35 of 280 in 2026
OpenSplitTime 2026 dropped last-station countsretrieved 2026-09-07
Climate
Typical July at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 73°F (23°C)
- Typical low
- 47°F (8°C)
- Typical precip
- 1.8 in (45 mm) / July
- Days with rain
- 32% of days
- High point
- 11,854 ft (3,613 m)
BewareHigh point 11,854 ft (3,613 m). the air is part of the weather.
2015–2024 July means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Dimensions
Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.
Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
A 65.7-mile 100K with a 24-hour cutoff. Longer and slower than a runnable 100K.
About 14,500 ft of gain. Enough to be a mountain race, not an Ouray prank.
Alpine ridge, rough trail, rocks, occasional snow. Gnar means gnar.
High-country July: storms, cold nights, sun. Above treeline for real stretches.
Average over 10,000 ft, high point 11,852. The air is part of the 100K.
Gould is a drive, not a flight circus. State Forest State Park, not Chamonix.
Respected Colorado mountain 100K, not a global final.
Gnar Runners publishes course, caps, and terrain honestly. Medium-high from the public record.
A true alpine 100K without a stones economy.
Never Summers, Medicine Bows, RMNP on the horizon, alpine lakes. Wild.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 4 out of 5 | A 65.7-mile 100K with a 24-hour cutoff. Longer and slower than a runnable 100K. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 4 out of 5 | About 14,500 ft of gain. Enough to be a mountain race, not an Ouray prank. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 4 out of 5 | Alpine ridge, rough trail, rocks, occasional snow. Gnar means gnar. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 4 out of 5 | High-country July: storms, cold nights, sun. Above treeline for real stretches. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 4 out of 5 | Average over 10,000 ft, high point 11,852. The air is part of the 100K. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 3 out of 5 | Gould is a drive, not a flight circus. State Forest State Park, not Chamonix. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 3 out of 5 | Respected Colorado mountain 100K, not a global final. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Gnar Runners publishes course, caps, and terrain honestly. Medium-high from the public record. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 4 out of 5 | A true alpine 100K without a stones economy. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 4 out of 5 | Never Summers, Medicine Bows, RMNP on the horizon, alpine lakes. Wild. |