Your plan in four answers
Fire Fest Ultra is on November 21, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- 100 miles, Marathon
- Sport
- Running
Course
The Fire Fest Ultra course
Fire Fest Ultra is built on a marked 17.1-mile desert trail loop from a staging area at the Logandale Trail System, about an hour north of Las Vegas off Highway 169. The organizer describes backcountry trails in the Valley of Fire area of the Mojave Desert, with sandstone formations and petroglyphs left hundreds of years ago.
Read the full course notes
Every distance is that loop plus an out-and-back: the 100-mile runs it five times plus 1.3 miles, the 100K three times plus 5.4 miles, the 50-mile twice plus 7.9 miles, and the 50K and marathon once plus 6.98 and 4.55 miles. The 24-hour and 12-hour events loop through the start/finish all day, so crews and spectators see runners every lap, and pacers can join at mile 50 or at sunset. Cutoffs are 35 hours for the 100-mile and 100K, 25 hours for the 50-mile and 8 hours for the marathon, and the race is cupless, so carry your own bottle.
- Distances
- 100 miles, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- November in this corner of the Mojave is usually dry, with average highs near 71 °F and nights dropping to around 40 °F. Ultra runners will race through both, so plan a sun hat and sunscreen for the afternoon and warm layers, gloves and a headlamp for the night. Dry desert air hides how much you sweat, so drink and take electrolytes on a schedule rather than by thirst.
What to train for
Train for time on your feet over dirt and sandy trail: back-to-back long runs (for example 20 to 30 miles on Saturday and 10 to 15 on Sunday) teach your legs to keep moving when tired.
Practice night running with a headlamp and the layers you will race in, because 100-mile and 24-hour runners will spend hours in the dark.
The race is cupless and aid is spread around the loop, so carry a bottle or vest on every long run and dial in 200 to 300 calories an hour. Use the loop format to your advantage by rehearsing quick, planned stops at a home base every 17 miles.
Sample week
A sample Fire Fest Ultra training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 10 × 2 min up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 8 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 18–20 mi on trail, with as much climbing as you can find
- Sunday Key session
- Second long day, 10–12 mi easy on tired legs
Taper
Tapering for the Fire Fest Ultra
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Fire Fest Ultra (Marathon) in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Fire Fest Ultra training questions
How long should I train for the Fire Fest Ultra?
Most runners give a 100-mile twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Fire Fest Ultra course hilly?
Fire Fest Ultra is built on a marked 17.1-mile desert trail loop from a staging area at the Logandale Trail System, about an hour north of Las Vegas off Highway 169.
What is the weather usually like at the Fire Fest Ultra?
November in this corner of the Mojave is usually dry, with average highs near 71 °F and nights dropping to around 40 °F. Ultra runners will race through both, so plan a sun hat and sunscreen for the afternoon and warm layers, gloves and a headlamp for the night. Dry desert air hides how much you sweat, so drink and take electrolytes on a schedule rather than by thirst.
When should I start tapering for the Fire Fest Ultra?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp.
Do I need an account to get a Fire Fest Ultra training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.