The Longest Night (50mi - 50k - 26.2 - 13.1 - 10k)

  Upstate Race Series The Longest Night Lakewood Nature Preserve · Greenville, SC

A backyard elimination race, run from dusk to dawn 🌙

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A 1.5-mile loop extending from a central barn, run through the longest night of the year, on a lap schedule that requires every loop under 25 minutes. Four laps is a 10K. Nine is a half. Eighteen is a marathon. Twenty-one is a 50K. Thirty-four is fifty miles. It begins at six in the evening and does not care what time you would normally go to bed.

Running through the night changes the whole shape of an effort. The loop is short and the trails are wide and grassy, so navigation is never the problem — the problem is the hours between midnight and dawn, when the field has thinned out, the temperature has dropped, and the only thing keeping you on schedule is the fact that you said you would be.

The barn is the whole world for the night: packet pickup, the aid station, hot soup and broth, and the place everyone regroups between laps. When you finish, don't disappear into the dark — stick around for music and a post-race hangout where the celebration continues under the stars, with good tunes and good people.

Race Day Details

What	The Longest Night — 50 Mile (34 laps), 50K (21 laps), Marathon (18 laps), Half Marathon (9 laps), and 10K (4 laps) on a 1.5-mile loop
When	Saturday evening into Sunday, December 19–20, 2026 — 6:00 PM start
Where	Lakewood Nature Preserve, Greenville, SC — the barn is the start/finish hub
Address	220 Lakewood Drive, Greenville, SC 29607
Packet Pickup	Begins at 4:30 PM inside the barn, 90 minutes prior to the start. All packet pickup is done right on site, and you pick up your own.
Time Limit	All runners must adhere to the posted lap schedule, completing each lap in under 25 minutes. The full lap-by-lap schedule is below.

Course

The course extends 1.5 miles from the central barn on wide grassy trails, run as a loop. All runners must adhere to the posted lap schedule, completing laps in under 25 minutes.

View Course Map →

Lap Schedule

Every lap sets off on the clock below, 25 minutes apart, from six on Saturday evening to a quarter to eight on Sunday morning. There are no early starts — if you finish a lap ahead of schedule, you wait for the next one with everyone else. Your distance ends on its final lap, marked here.

Saturday evening
Lap 1	6:00 PM	All races start
Lap 2	6:25 PM
Lap 3	6:50 PM
Lap 4	7:15 PM	10K final lap
Lap 5	7:40 PM
Lap 6	8:05 PM
Lap 7	8:30 PM
Lap 8	8:55 PM
Lap 9	9:20 PM	Half marathon final lap
Lap 10	9:45 PM
Lap 11	10:10 PM
Lap 12	10:35 PM
Lap 13	11:00 PM
Lap 14	11:25 PM
Lap 15	11:50 PM
Sunday morning
Lap 16	12:15 AM
Lap 17	12:40 AM
Lap 18	1:05 AM	Marathon final lap
Lap 19	1:30 AM
Lap 20	1:55 AM
Lap 21	2:20 AM	50K final lap
Lap 22	2:45 AM
Lap 23	3:10 AM
Lap 24	3:35 AM
Lap 25	4:00 AM
Lap 26	4:25 AM
Lap 27	4:50 AM
Lap 28	5:15 AM
Lap 29	5:40 AM
Lap 30	6:05 AM
Lap 31	6:30 AM
Lap 32	6:55 AM
Lap 33	7:20 AM
Lap 34	7:45 AM	50 Mile final lap

Parking

Barn parking holds 150 spots, first come first served. Once that fills, use the field lot adjacent to the barn, and after that participants may park along the road. Your registration covers the facility reservation cost to host the event.

Aid Stations

One central aid station at the barn, which is also the start/finish hub — you reach it every 1.5-mile lap.

Available snacks:

Hot soup and broth (veggie) Pickles Chips Candy Fig Newtons

Hydration:

Water Coke Ginger ale Wildly Charged Hydration

Cup-less event — please bring your own hydration vessel.

What's Included

Hot Soup and Broth All Night Veggie, and exactly what you want at 3:00 AM in December. Custom Race Bib Your badge of the journey. Chip Timing & Live Results Track your effort, splits included. Custom Finisher Medal To commemorate the triumph. Custom Race Tattoo Wear the moment proudly. Event-Themed Giveaways A little extra swag for finishing strong. Race Sticker Keep the memory riding shotgun on your bottle, cooler, or laptop. Wildly Charged Hydration Sample A little extra refresh after you've conquered the trail. Post-Race Vibes

Complimentary professional race photos capture the grit and the glory — hang around at the finish line and celebrate.

Race Awards

Finish and You Have Beaten the Night This is a backyard elimination race run against a lap schedule rather than against the field. Every finisher earns a medal. Shirts are ordered and shipped separately. Age Group Awards (Male & Female) The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each of 15 age categories will earn an age group medal — a custom piece to add to your finisher's lanyard at the end of the event. Series Recognition This race counts toward season-long age group recognition in these two series: Upstate Trail Series Upstate Ultra Series Giving Back

Every Upstate Race Series event is part of the Upstate Giving Series, which connects our 30 races with 30 nonprofit organizations serving communities across the Upstate. Your registration and any donation you add at checkout go to work close to home — you are not just running a race, you are funding the work of a neighbor.

Upstate Giving Series Age Group Categories 0–9 10–12 13–16 17–19 20–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65–69 70–79 80+

Groups & Teams

$5 Discount & Refund for Groups with 5+ Members

The Upstate Running Club welcomes all local and regional running clubs to our events — the more the merrier. Calling all running clubs and social run groups: Upstate Race Series welcomes crews of all kinds to join the fun. Whether your squad is full of weekend warriors, sunrise chasers, or runners motivated by the promise of a cold drink at the finish, we've got an event for you.

Sign up, share with friends and local running clubs, and cash in on race discounts and refunds when your team, run club, or band of misfits hits 5 runners or more.

Good to Know

Are dogs allowed on the course? Yes, just on a leash. Are headphones or earbuds allowed? Yes — rock out. Can someone else pick up my packet for me? No. All packet pickup is done right on site, so they are welcome to collect it when they arrive. Don't be late. Is there race-day registration? Yes, but this race will and has sold out. Where are the start and finish lines? Right at the barn. Is there gear check or somewhere to leave personal items? Your gear can go with your personal aid station setup, either inside or outside the barn. Are there restrooms near the start/finish? Four of them, right on site. Can I bring a portable firepit, table, tent, or cooler? Yes, all are fine — just make sure the firepit is above and off the ground. Are pacers allowed? No. With so many runners registered, we are unable to have anyone on course who is not participating. Will I get a medal or a shirt? Medal, yes. Shirts are ordered and shipped separately.

Managing Your Registration

Everything about your entry lives in your RunSignUp profile. Sign in, find this race under your upcoming events, and make the change yourself — there is no need to email us first. From there you can:

•	Transfer your entry to another runner
•	Switch to a different distance at this race
•	Transfer your entry to a different Upstate Race Series event
•	Update your personal details — name, address, emergency contact, shirt size
•	Manage add-ons, store items, and apparel purchases

All entries are final. We do not offer refunds or deferrals — but every option above stays open to you right up to race day, so a change of plans does not have to mean a wasted entry.

Manage My Registration →  

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