Lake Sonoma 50 is a 50-mile ultra marathon race held near Healdsburg, California. The course circumnavigates the Warm Springs arm of Lake Sonoma on hiking trails. It takes place annually on the second Saturday in April.[1] The race was first run in 2008. In recent years it has become one of the most highly competitive ultra marathons in the United States.[2] [3]
Registration is limited to only 400 runners. As a result, entry into the race is determined by lottery.[4]
The Lake Sonoma 50 has a 14 hour time limit, with the gun-time being 6:30am on the day of the race.
According to the official course website, 86% of the course is single track, 9% dirt roads, and the first 2.4 miles on a paved road. There are twelve creek crossings and around 10,500 ft of elevation gain throughout the race.
| Island View | 4.3 | 7.3 | No | No | ||
| Warm Springs Creek | 11.6 | 5.3 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Wulfow | 16.9 | 1.9 | No | No | ||
| Madrone Point | 18.8 | 6.4 | Yes | No | ||
| No Name Flat | 25.2 | 5.7 | 1:15 PM | Yes | Yes | |
| Madrone Point | 30.9 | 1.9 | Yes | No | ||
| Wulfow | 32.8 | 5.3 | No | No | ||
| Warm Springs Creek | 38.0 | 7.5 | 4:45 PM | Yes | Yes | |
| Island View (full) | 45.5 | 4.8 | 7:10 PM | No | No | |
| Finish | 50.29 | 8:30 PM | Yes | Yes |
Rules:[6]
If a participant violates the no littering rule or is observed being rude or unsportsmanlike they will be disqualified from the race.
Furthermore, there is a zero tolerance policy regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
No pacers are allowed during the duration of the race.
The first two men and women finishers of the Lake Sonoma 50 mile race are rewarded a guaranteed entry into the Western States Endurance run.[7] Because of this it is considered highly competitive in the ultra running community.
Key:
| Edition | Year | Male winner | Country | Time (h:m:s) | Female winner | Country | Time (h:m:s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2022 | Matthew Seidel | 7:07:14 | Brittany Charboneau | 7:27:14 | |||
| 12 | 2021 | Mario Mendoza | 7:10:13 | Keely Henninger | 7:40:20 | |||
| - | 2020 | race cancelled due to pandemic | ||||||
| 11 | 2019 | Jared Hazen | 6:08:29 | Anna Mae Flynn | 7:13:55 | |||
| 10 | 2018 | bgcolor=#A9F5A9 | 5:51:16 | Keely Henninger | 7:13:55 | |||
| 9 | 2017 | 6:17:55 | YiOu Wang | 7:22:34 | ||||
| 8 | 2016 | 6:00:52 | YiOu Wang | 7:14:45 | ||||
| 7 | 2015 | Alex Varner | 6:09:39 | Stephanie Howe Violett | bgcolor=#A9F5A9 | 7:08:23 | ||
| 6 | 2014 | Zach Miller | 6:11:10 | Emily Harrison | 7:26:15 | |||
| 5 | 2013 | 6:14:55 | Cassie Scallon | 7:47:42 | ||||
| 4 | 2012 | Dakota Jones | 6:17:27 | Joelle Vaught | 7:52:44 | |||
| - | 2011 | race cancelled due to bad weather conditions | ||||||
| 3 | 2010 | Hal Koerner | 7:08:20 | Devon Crosby-Helms | 8:26:53 | |||
| 2 | 2009 | Jonathan Olsen | 7:30:58 | Suzanna Bon | 8:43:30 | |||
| 1 | 2008 | Dan Barger | 8:24:31 | Clare Abram | 9:44:13 | |||