About This Event
Set in the rolling terrain around Willard, Missouri, the Elk-Kings Trail Races bring together trail runners for a challenging day on technical forest paths. The event offers three demanding distance options, each tackling the same rugged landscape with significant elevation changes that test runners across varied terrain.
Choose Your Distance
11 Miles
The 50K follows the Wilson River Trail end-to-end, starting at Keening Creek campground and running east to Elk Creek before returning to finish at Smith Homestead. Terrain varies from smooth dirt ribbon to rocky riverside sections with consistent elevation changes throughout. The 25K requires technical scrambling up rocky paths to summit both Elk and Kings mountains, followed by steep, quad-testing descents before finishing on the Wilson River Trail. The 11-mile course stays entirely on the Wilson River Trail from Elk Creek to Smith Homestead, offering a point-to-point route through the forest without the technical mountain ascents.
25K
The 50K follows the Wilson River Trail end-to-end, starting at Keening Creek campground and running east to Elk Creek before returning to finish at Smith Homestead. Terrain varies from smooth dirt ribbon to rocky riverside sections with consistent elevation changes throughout. The 25K requires technical scrambling up rocky paths to summit both Elk and Kings mountains, followed by steep, quad-testing descents before finishing on the Wilson River Trail. The 11-mile course stays entirely on the Wilson River Trail from Elk Creek to Smith Homestead, offering a point-to-point route through the forest without the technical mountain ascents.
50K
The 50K follows the Wilson River Trail end-to-end, starting at Keening Creek campground and running east to Elk Creek before returning to finish at Smith Homestead. Terrain varies from smooth dirt ribbon to rocky riverside sections with consistent elevation changes throughout. The 25K requires technical scrambling up rocky paths to summit both Elk and Kings mountains, followed by steep, quad-testing descents before finishing on the Wilson River Trail. The 11-mile course stays entirely on the Wilson River Trail from Elk Creek to Smith Homestead, offering a point-to-point route through the forest without the technical mountain ascents.