Golden State Trail Run

Summer at Fort Ord National Monument. Rolling hills, vast fields of wildflowers, smooth single‑track, sandy hills, and exposed fire roads. The Golden State Trail Run returns on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the Fort Ord Day Camp in Marina, California. Choose 50k, 35k, half marathon, or 10k. Each course is different from the winter Fort Ord Trail Runs — a grand tour of this former military base. 9‑hour time limit for 50k/35k (must be off course by 4:30 PM). Cupless event — bring your own bottle or reusable cup. All finishers receive a custom medal; 50k finishers also get a pint glass. Dead Last Finisher (DLF) award. No refunds, but 50% credit toward a future Inside Trail event if you cancel at least 3 weeks prior.

Location & Venue:

• Fort Ord National Monument, Marina, California — former U.S. Army base, now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Start/Finish: Fort Ord Day Camp — Watkins Gate Rd. & W. Camp St., East Garrison, CA 93933
• Parking available within the Day Camp site, adjacent to start/finish. Do not park outside the Day Camp area or within the East Garrison community. Carpool strongly encouraged.
• Fort Ord is home to a vast array of endangered and rare species of plants and animals — maritime chaparral, grasslands, marshes, and gorgeous flower fields

Course Terrain:

• Smooth single‑track, sandy hills, exposed fire roads
• Rolling hills — not extreme vert, but constant undulation
• Summer conditions: golden grasses, wildflowers, warm temperatures (coastal influence keeps it moderate)
• BLM Special Recreation Permit authorizes Inside Trail Racing to use these trails

Aid Stations:

• Fully stocked with Gu Energy gels, chews, Stroopwafels, trail mix, pretzels, potato chips, Oreos, Coke, Ginger Ale, water, Skratch Labs sports hydration mix, Pickle Juice, PB&J sandwiches, M&Ms, salt tablets, bananas, watermelon, tangerines
• General first aid items, Salt‑Stick tablets (no anti‑inflammatory medicine)
• As distances between aid stations vary, runners must carry at least one 20 oz bottle

Cupless Event:

• No paper cups at aid stations
• Runners must carry their own water bottle or reusable cup (silicone collapsible cups available for $5, soft flasks for $12)
• Keeps hundreds or thousands of paper cups from being thrown away or littering the trails

What's Included:

• Chip timing
• Custom finisher medal for all distances
• 50k finishers also receive a pint glass with race logo
• Top 3 overall male/female per distance — custom trophy
• Top finisher (male/female) per distance — special item from an Inside Trail sponsor
• Age group medals (3 deep) for male, female, non‑binary — categories: 13 & under, 14‑19, 20‑29, 30‑39, 40‑49, 50‑59, 60‑69, 70+
• Dead Last Finisher (DLF) in each event — custom award
• Performance shirt (District Perfect‑Tri tri‑blend fabric, UPF 30, moisture‑wicking, stain release). Guaranteed shirt and size if registered by June 6, 2026.
• Post‑race food
• Medical support on course
• Bag drop at start/finish

Packet Pickup:

• Early pickup: Friday, June 19, 3:00‑7:00 PM at Fleet Feet Monterey (472 Alvarado St, Monterey, CA)
• Race morning: Saturday, June 20, 6:30‑8:30 AM at Fort Ord Day Camp (start/finish area)

Refund & Cancellation Policy (No Refunds):

• Entry fees are non‑refundable in all cases. No transfers, deferrals, or credits except as below.
• 50% credit toward a future Inside Trail event if you cancel at least 3 weeks prior to race. Credit expires after 1 year.
• No credit for cancellations within 3 weeks of race (no exceptions for injury, conflict, emergency, death, etc.).
• If ITR cancels the event for any reason (earthquake, flood, extreme weather, unsafe air quality, pandemic, Act of God) — no refunds. ITR may choose to offer credits or deferrals at its sole discretion.
• ITR does not cancel races due to rain or heat.
• If permitting agencies require course changes — no refunds, credits, deferrals, or transfers (except as above). If race location changes but same date, registration automatically transfers. If postponed, all entrants transferred to new date.

Volunteers:

• Free race shirt, free food, earn credit toward a future Inside Trail event based on hours worked
• Roles: setup, check‑in, aid stations, course marshaling, timing, post‑race food
• Online volunteer form available on event page

Top Performances (50k Men):

• Ryan Neely — 3:44:11 (2024)
• Nick Reshetnikov — 3:52:40 (2023)
• Spencer Zeljak — 3:53:31 (2024, age 18)

Organizer: Inside Trail Racing.