The 8 Easiest Ultramarathons for Your First Finish

If you've run a marathon, you're closer to an ultra than you think. A 50K is only about 5 miles longer. The trick is picking the right first one: flat or mostly downhill, a generous cutoff, and enough runners that you're never alone out there.

Every race on this list is one of the more popular 50Ks in the country, plus one trick you can pull at any city marathon. Here they are, counting down to the easiest.

At a glance

Finisher counts are for the 50K in 2025 unless noted.

8. Antelope Canyon Ultras 50K

• Where: Page, AZ
• When: March 6, 2027
• Elevation gain: ~2,800 ft
• Cutoff: 13 hours
• 2025 finishers: 457

One of the most scenic 50Ks in the country, in the slot-canyon and slickrock country around Page, Arizona, right by Horseshoe Bend. It's put on by Vacation Races, and the 13-hour cutoff is one of the most generous on this list.

The catch is the sand. Long stretches are deep, soft sand that slows everyone down, so expect to be on your feet a lot longer than your marathon time would suggest.

Sign up for Antelope Canyon Ultras →

7. Marathon + 5

• Distance: 5 miles + 26.2 miles = 31.2 miles (a 50K is 31.1)
• Where: Any city marathon you want to do

This one isn't a race you sign up for. It's a trick. Pick a city marathon you already want to do, and run 5 miles before the start. Then run the marathon. That's 31.2 miles, and you've run your first ultra.

I say before, not after, because the crowd will help carry you in. And you probably won't want to run another 5 miles after finishing a whole marathon.

It won't show up as a 50K in the official results, but you'll know you did it.

6. Dead Horse Ultra 50K

• Where: Moab, UT
• When: November 14, 2026
• Elevation gain: ~2,800 ft
• Cutoff: ~10 hours
• 2025 finishers: 573

One of the biggest 50Ks in the country. The course climbs the Gemini Bridges Trail, then follows the Bull Run Trail with views of Arches National Park, the La Sal Mountains and the Moab Valley.

There's some slickrock and a few rocky climbs, but most of it is runnable, and November in Moab means cool running weather. The aid stations are cupless, so bring your own bottle or cup.

Sign up for Dead Horse Ultra →

5. Austin Rattler 50K

• Where: Reveille Peak Ranch, Burnet, TX
• When: November 15, 2026
• Elevation gain: ~2,500 ft
• Cutoff: Finish by 4 p.m.
• 2025 finishers: 291

Part of the Leadville Race Series, and the 50K is a qualifier for the Leadville Trail 100. I've run Leadville twice, so I love that a first 50K in Texas can be your first step toward it.

The course is built on loops at Reveille Peak Ranch in the Hill Country, a mix of singletrack and jeep roads, so you come back through the aid station on every lap.

Sign up for Austin Rattler Run →

4. Black Canyon 50K

• Where: Mayer to Black Canyon City, AZ
• When: February 14, 2027
• Elevation gain: ~2,000 ft up, ~4,000 ft down
• Cutoff: 11 hours
• 2025 finishers: 527 (848 in 2026)

A point-to-point course on the Black Canyon Trail through the Sonoran Desert, and it's mostly downhill: about 2,000 feet up and 4,000 feet down. There are well-stocked aid stations every 6 to 8 miles.

It's also one of the fastest-growing 50Ks in the country, with 848 finishers in 2026. Don't let the downhill fool you, though. Go out too fast early and your legs will pay for it late.

Sign up for Black Canyon Ultras →

3. Dallas 50K

• Where: Dallas, TX
• When: December 13, 2026
• Course: Flat city roads
• Cutoff: Reach mile 18.5 by noon (8 a.m. start)
• 2025 finishers: 286

Basically my marathon + 5 idea as an official race. The Dallas 50K runs alongside the Dallas Marathon on the same city roads, so you get the crowds, the aid stations and the closed streets of a big marathon, plus a finisher medal that says 50K.

The one thing to watch is the cutoff. Last year, 50K runners had to reach mile 18.5 by noon on an 8 a.m. start, which is about a 13-minute-mile pace. If you're slower than that, look at Cowtown or Brazos Bend instead.

Sign up for Dallas 50K →

2. Cowtown Ultra

• Where: Fort Worth, TX
• When: February 28, 2027
• Course: Flat, paved
• Cutoff: 7.5 hours
• 2025 finishers: 255

A 50K on the Cowtown Marathon road course in Fort Worth. It's flat or nearly flat and paved the whole way, and you get the whole race-weekend atmosphere of a big marathon.

The 7.5-hour cutoff gives you more breathing room than Dallas, and there are sag vehicles following the ultra runners if your day goes sideways.

Sign up for Cowtown Ultra →

1. Brazos Bend 50K

• Where: Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, TX
• When: April 10, 2027
• Elevation gain: ~10 ft
• Event window: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• 2026 finishers: ~149

I ran the Brazos Bend 100 in December 2022, and it was flat as a pancake. The 50K is two laps of a loop through Brazos Bend State Park, with about 10 feet of elevation gain. It's known as the fastest trail course in Texas.

Yes, there are alligators. You'll see them sunning themselves right next to the trail. But they're really nothing to worry about, and they make for a great story at the finish.

Sign up for Brazos Bend 50 →

My tips for your first ultra

• Break the race down segment to segment. Don't think about how many miles you have left. Just get to the next aid station, then the next one.
• Sign up before you feel ready. Deadlines drive decisions and action. Once there's a date on the calendar, the training gets real.

Thinking bigger after your first 50K? Here's how to find ultramarathons near you, my bucket list 50-mile races and the complete guide to your first 100.

Common questions