Your plan in four answers
Set for August 7, 2027, about 41 weeks out.
- Distances
- 50 miles, Half marathon
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- Capped at 300 runners
- Taper starts
- July 20, 2027
Course
The Sheep Mountain 50 course
Start and finish are at the Town of Fairplay Beach, and the 50-mile and 50K head into the mountains on the western slope of the South Park Valley, mixing technical terrain with remote Forest Service roads. The ultras average more than 10,600 feet of elevation, so altitude shapes the whole day.
Read the full course notes
Aid stations at Brown's Pass, Horseshoe, Watrous, Round Hill and Pasture (mile 36.5) break the 50-mile into manageable sections, and runners can step down mid-race: 50-milers to the 50K at Brown's Pass, or either ultra to the half at Horseshoe on the first pass. The half marathon (the Heavy Half) starts at 8:00 a.m. on flowing dirt county roads and a partly rocky USFS fire road. The ultras start at 6:00 a.m. and every distance has a 16-hour time limit.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 50 miles, Half marathon
- Field
- Capped at 300 runners
- Weather on race day
- Early August is monsoon season in Colorado's high country: the race lists an average low of 43 °F and an average high of 70 °F, but rain, hail, wind, thunderstorms and even snow are all possible. The sun is strong and the air dry at this altitude, so drink and take electrolytes more often than you would at sea level. Carry a waterproof jacket and keep moving steadily if afternoon storms build.
What to train for
Altitude and climbing are the job: build weekly vertical with long runs and hikes on steep ground, and practice power-hiking at a strong, steady effort.
If you live low, arrive in Fairplay several days early if you can, and keep the first hours of the race easy no matter how good you feel.
Back-to-back weekend runs (for example 4–5 hours Saturday and 2–3 hours Sunday) prepare your legs for the 50-mile, and rocky descents on tired legs get you ready for the fire roads. Rehearse your fueling at a steady 200–300 calories an hour on every long run.
Sample week
A sample Sheep Mountain 50 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Sheep Mountain 50
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. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on August 7, 2027, your taper starts around July 20, 2027.
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 Sheep Mountain Trail Runs (Half marathon) on August 7, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Sheep Mountain 50 training questions
How long should I train for the Sheep Mountain 50?
Most runners give a 50-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 Sheep Mountain 50 course hilly?
Hilly. Start and finish are at the Town of Fairplay Beach, and the 50-mile and 50K head into the mountains on the western slope of the South Park Valley, mixing technical terrain with remote Forest Service roads.
What is the weather usually like at the Sheep Mountain 50?
Early August is monsoon season in Colorado's high country: the race lists an average low of 43 °F and an average high of 70 °F, but rain, hail, wind, thunderstorms and even snow are all possible. The sun is strong and the air dry at this altitude, so drink and take electrolytes more often than you would at sea level. Carry a waterproof jacket and keep moving steadily if afternoon storms build.
When should I start tapering for the Sheep Mountain 50?
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. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on August 7, 2027, your taper starts around July 20, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Sheep Mountain 50 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.