Escarpment Trail Run

Escarpment Trail Run The Escarpment Trail Run was founded by Dick Vincent in 1977 and traverses the Escarpment Trail over Limited to 200 runners, qualifying standards apply.

The 35th Annual Escarpment Trail Run is a highly technical 30 kilometer trail run in the North Catskill Mountains. With 10,000 feet of elevation change, this event is for Mountain Goats Only.

Matt Munro is a first time Escarpment runner traveling to the Catskills from Colorado Springs, CO. Wonder how Escarpmen...
06/14/2026

Matt Munro is a first time Escarpment runner traveling to the Catskills from Colorado Springs, CO. Wonder how Escarpment will compare to races in the Rockies?

Matt met a local ultra runner (Patrick Sheeley) at a business conference in Denver in 2022. It was a “hey I run, and you run, let’s go for a run...” Now they’re running friends who talk each other into races all over the country. This year’s first meeting is at Escarpment which will be their third New York race.

Good luck Matt!

The ETR wait list is here. Escarpment Trail Run registration is at full capacity. Runners can continue to register to b...
06/02/2026

The ETR wait list is here. Escarpment Trail Run registration is at full capacity.

Runners can continue to register to be placed on a wait list. Qualified runners will be accepted off the wait list as spots become available.

Carrying water to the aid stations is another fun way to experience the race. And you get an amazing Beast of Burden ETR tee shirt! If you would like to volunteer, contact Dick Vincent at [email protected].

05/29/2026

The second edition of Ian does Escarpment strength training is here!

Ian () is back to share some more training tips for all you people getting ready for race day in the Catskills! This is a breakdown of some entry point exercises that anyone can mix in without needing access to a gym or the kitchen sink for equipment. Ian reviews some Isometric Hold-Type exercises that can be done after training, or heck, while you’re just getting your coffee in the morning!

Ian goes over a few forms and techniques to mix in, as well as some views from recent spring training getting ready for Escarpment.

First timers…There always has to be a first time–and for many, the first Escarpment has been a long time coming. Traini...
05/14/2026

First timers…There always has to be a first time–and for many, the first Escarpment has been a long time coming. Training to get ready for a marathon effort, getting over the “I can’t” doubts, finding the time in our busy lives to make the trip. For some, the “first time” is when we are young and nimble on the rocks. For others, the first time happens when we have many years of running under our belt and are ready for a new challenge.

We are stoked to have many first timers this year! When I last checked, about 46% of the entrants were newbies. A quick scan of the data shows that the majority of the first timers used a good old-fashioned road marathon to qualify. A bunch more used the “run with Dick” option, including runs as long as 50 miles. And others chose to run the listed qualifying races–7 Sisters, Hyner 25K, Squatchywaska, Breakneck….

I reached out to some first timers to find out “Why the 2026 Escarpment?”

Heidi Hemak, 53, Jermyn, PA
Why the Escarpment? The Catskills hold my heart and I love a goal. I heard of this race years ago in Trail running magazine and it led me to explore the Catskills, but the race in my mind has always been out of reach. I work hard at staying a trail runner as the years go by, and I finally overcame imposter syndrome enough to sign up!

Katie Hudson, 31, Danbury, CT
I heard about this race 4 years ago and ever since then it’s been on my running goals life list. Escarpment has some of the best technical trail running on the east coast. I’ve hiked the 3500 challenge and run all sections of this trail multiple times and I look forward to bringing it all together to see what I’m made of. Plus blackhead and blackdome are my favorite mountains to run in the Catskills 😊

Carly Quinn, 30, Rumford RI
I chose to run Escarpment to try something new, be outdoors trail running and camping for a weekend, and meet other trail runners. My boyfriend has done the race before and has encouraged me to try it for years because he has enjoyed it so much.

Can’t wait to see y’all on the trail on July 26!

05/07/2026

Come join the fun before Escarpment Trail Run 2026 fills up! Once registration reaches 315, entrants will be placed on a waiting list to be let in as spots open. As of May 7 there are 47 spots left.

Check out the new qualifying standards on the website (escarpmenttrail.com). There are many ways to qualify.

Thanks to Joe Azze of Mountain Peak Fitness for this video from 2014 showing Karen Bouloucon descending from the last aid station at North Point.

Nicholas Thompson is coming back to Escarpment! Since he recently set an American men 50+ record at 50K, we’re thinking...
05/01/2026

Nicholas Thompson is coming back to Escarpment! Since he recently set an American men 50+ record at 50K, we’re thinking big things for Nick at ETR this year.

So, let’s play with the numbers to see what he might run…

Since Nick ran ETR in 2019, he has dropped his marathon PR by slightly over 5 minutes. I admit that the 2:29:13 was months after his last Escarpment, but let’s ignore that. Using my math skills, his marathon PR time dropped by 3.4%. If his Escarpment PR of 3:16:28 does the same, we are looking at a finish of about 3:09:48–an impressive time for a 50+ runner, but not under Tim Van Orden’s 50+ record of 3:06:31.

But, if we take this number madness to the next level, according to Riegel’s formula (it’s a race time calculator on the internet which multiplies the input time by the target distance divided by the input distance raised to the 1.06 power. Why? Don’t know.), a 3:10 50K finish converts to an equivalent 30K time of 1:50:33. That seems a bit fast for Escarpment, so let’s throw in an extra hour for the rocks.

Finally, let’s do a little home cooking in the numbers department. Nick ran 5:43 to win the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug 50M in April 2025. To convert that to an ETR time, I found that last year’s winner, Andrew Hutchinson, ran the JFK 50M last year in 5:46. Using some kind of twisted logic, since the 50M times are virtually identical, that also suggests that Nick is ready to run 2:49–Andrew’s winning time from last year.

Yes, I realize that none of this makes any sense. But it’s been fun, and we’re excited to have Nick take time away from promoting his book, The Running Ground, and his busy professional life to take on ETR 2026!

Mad City 50K photo credit: Steve Sprieser. Escarpment photos by David Martin.

This year 5 intrepid 70+ runners will toe the Escarpment Trail Run starting line. This group of runners is doing tough ...
04/23/2026

This year 5 intrepid 70+ runners will toe the Escarpment Trail Run starting line. This group of runners is doing tough stuff well into what we used to call “old age.” Inspiring!

Seamus Hodgkinson, 77. When Seamus finishes his 19th Escarpment this year, he will be the oldest ETR finisher ever! PR: 4:31:09 from 2001.

Larry Creveling, 74. 2026 is Larry’s first Escarpment. The weekend before ETR he is doing the Silverton Alpine 50K and Kendall Mt. 12 mile in Colorado.

John Paul Ouellette, 72. 2026 is John Paul’s 33rd ETR. HIs PR of 3:57:18 was set in 1989.

Jim Jones, 71. Jim is coming back to ETR for the first time since 2003. His PR of 3:00:06 was set in 1992. Thanks to Ultrarunning Magazine for allowing us to use the iconic photo of Jim from the cover of their magazine.

Stewart Dutfield, 71. 2026 will be his 500 mile shirt year (his 27th trip). He ran his PR (2:59:30) in 1989.

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