A trail runner on a grassy ridge above a sea of clouds

Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run

The Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run is a 161 km mountain ultra held in the San Gabriel Mountains between Wrightwood and Altadena, California. Run since 1986, it qualifies for Western States 100, Badwater 135 and the UTMB Index.

Prepare for Angeles Crest 100

A plan built from your answers and your race date.

trail training plan

The Angeles Crest 100 unfolds in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, on a mountain route linking Wrightwood and Altadena. The terrain mixes ridge trail, high-elevation conifer forest and dry, sun-exposed slopes. The temperature swing between the high passes and the canyon bottoms is part of what runners have to manage.

The event has been held since 1986 and belongs to the established tier of American 100-milers. It serves as a qualifier for the Western States 100 lottery and for Badwater 135, and it feeds the UTMB Index. m. start.

The formats

One format only.

Format	Distance
100 Mile	100 mi

Organizer information, checked on September 21, 2026 · ac100.com

When to start

At this distance, a build usually runs 12 to 24 weeks. The 2027 date is not published, so counting back from October puts the start around April 26, 2027.

These ranges are working conventions, not a research finding — no trial has compared plan lengths against each other. What matters more is that the plan was built for the weeks you actually have, rather than shrunk down from a longer one.

How to choose your start date

When to start

April 26, 2027

→ July 19, 2027

Worth reading before you enter

Races and distances Trail distances: what changes off the road Distance stops being the useful number. What decides a trail race is how long you are out, how much you climb, and how much the descents have wrecked your legs by the end. Read Training Eating and drinking: what’s proven, what isn’t This is where confident advice most often runs ahead of the evidence. Some of it is well tested. Some is opinion wearing a number. And one common habit can kill you. Read Races and distances When to start preparing your race Most plans fail before the first session, because the block started too late and everything had to be squeezed. Counting back from the date is the dullest and most useful thing you will do. Read

Questions

What is the date of Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2027?

The organizer has not published the 2027 date for Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run yet. The race is usually held in October, in Altadena / Wrightwood.

Does the Angeles Crest 100 qualify for Western States?

Yes. The Angeles Crest 100 is a qualifier for the Western States 100 lottery and for Badwater 135, and it counts toward the UTMB Index, making it a gateway race to several major American events.

Is the Angeles Crest 100 course hard?

Yes: 161 km of San Gabriel mountain terrain, with altitude, heat and long night sections.

Other races

This list keeps growing; it draws no line. A race that is missing is prepared for in exactly the same way.

Honolulu · United StatesUltra HURT 100 Jan 16 Its five-loop, 20-mile-per-lap format carries a famously high drop-out rate. Bandera · United StatesUltra HOKA Bandera Endurance Trail Race January The HOKA Bandera Endurance Trail Race is a trail and ultra weekend held in Bandera, Texas, inside the Hil Moab · United StatesUltra Moab 240 Endurance Run January 7 km ultramarathon with 9,620 m of vertical gain, run as one continuous loop out of Moab, Utah. It is par Your race is not here? Tell us about your race You can prepare for it all the same. Any race, anywhere, and even a goal without a race.

Your race is on the calendar. Your plan should be too.

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