Ragnar Trail Arkansas.
Ragnar Trail Arkansas is a team relay in Fayetteville: roughly 200 kilometres split into eight equal shares, and yours is made up of the yellow, red and green loops. Those 25-odd kilometres hold no long mountain but very little level ground, and that is what your preparation has to answer.
Ragnar Trail Arkansas 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
Yellow, red and green are the three loops that make up the course at Fayetteville. Laid end to end they finish where they began, and they stay inside a narrow band the whole way: the low point sits just under 400 metres, the high point around 460. Even so they collect 554 metres of ascent, because the ground almost never settles. Only about a tenth of the distance is level, and the rest climbs and falls in nearly equal measure.
The hardest work comes in the first quarter of that sequence. Between kilometres 1.7 and 4.5 three climbs stack up close together, each only a few hundred metres long. The middle one, at kilometre 3, is the steepest: it gains 50 metres in just under half a kilometre and peaks at 15 percent. Later the gradients turn gentler and more drawn out, such as the stretch of just over a kilometre from kilometre 14.4, before short ramps at kilometres 18 and 22 bite once more.
What really shapes the race, though, is the format. It runs across 2 and 3 April, and what you do on these loops is one share of a relay: the team distance is only complete once all eight have been run.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 1.7 | 0.7 km | 6.7 % | 9 % | +45 m | — |
| km 2.8 | 0.5 km | 10.5 % | 15.3 % | +50 m | — |
| km 4 | 0.5 km | 8 % | 10.5 % | +42 m | — |
| km 7.3 | 0.7 km | 6.1 % | 8.4 % | +39 m | — |
| km 13.6 | 0.5 km | 4.9 % | 9.3 % | +25 m | — |
| km 14.4 | 1.2 km | 3.5 % | 6.5 % | +40 m | — |
| km 18.2 | 0.5 km | 5.5 % | 13.6 % | +26 m | — |
| km 22.3 | 0.4 km | 7.5 % | 10.3 % | +26 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Ragnar Trail Arkansas.
Start under control
Kilometre splits are a poor guide here, since up and down almost cancel out and hardly any level stretch lets a pace settle. Run to effort and keep it as even as you can across the waves: ease off on each rise and let the descents run freely, rather than pushing in both directions.
Hold your rhythm
Your share is decided on the three climbs between kilometres 1.7 and 4.5. Force the ramp at kilometre 3 at running pace and you pay for it over the next two kilometres, because the following climb leaves little time to recover. A brisk walk up the steepest metres costs less than fighting for them.
Spend what is left
The real trap is that every climb looks cheap. None lasts more than a few minutes, so each one gets run slightly too hard, and the bill only arrives on the late ramps. That goes double if you measure yourself against a faster teammate: your whole share is the unit that counts for the relay, not any single loop.
Training plan for Ragnar Trail Arkansas: 12-week build
Build the base
For age-group runners your share adds up to roughly 2:45 to 4 hours of running. The load is anything but steady: short spikes on the ramps, with descents between them that work the legs differently and barely relieve them. Aerobic fitness carries you through the distance, while the ability to repeat hard climbs decides how well it goes.
Train race pace
The most useful sessions are therefore hill sets that copy the section between kilometres 1.7 and 4.5: three climbs of 300 to 500 metres at around ten percent, separated only by a short descent, repeated over several rounds. Practise switching between running and fast walking at the steepest point until it no longer breaks your rhythm.
Rehearse the course
For longer sessions, look for rolling ground at around 20 metres of climbing per kilometre rather than one big hill. Running downhill fast and under control matters as much as going up, since more than four tenths of the course descends. And because the others run between your loops in a relay, days with two or three hilly runs are worthwhile, so you learn how tired legs feel at the next start.
Arrive fresh
With race day in early April, the key weeks fall in the winter months. Schedule the hill sessions firmly, and try to rehearse the sequence once with your team.
Courses
Download the Ragnar Trail Arkansas course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
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Everything about Ragnar Trail Arkansas.
How long is Ragnar Trail Arkansas?
Ragnar Trail Arkansas is 25.11 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Ragnar Trail Arkansas have?
Ragnar Trail Arkansas has around 554 m of elevation gain over 25.11 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Ragnar Trail Arkansas?
Ragnar Trail Arkansas is classified as Hilly, averaging 22 vertical metres per kilometre. 12% of the route is flat, 37% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 7% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Ragnar Trail Arkansas have?
The hardest climb of Ragnar Trail Arkansas starts at kilometre 2.8, runs for 0.5 km at an average of 10.5% and gains 50 metres. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Ragnar Trail Arkansas a loop course?
Yes, Ragnar Trail Arkansas is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Ragnar Trail Arkansas course?
Yes. The Ragnar Trail Arkansas course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Ragnar Trail Arkansas?
Preparation for Ragnar Trail Arkansas should account for 25.11 km, 554 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Ragnar Trail Arkansas?
The pacing strategy for Ragnar Trail Arkansas should reflect 25.11 km, 554 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Ragnar Trail Arkansas take place?
Ragnar Trail Arkansas takes place on April 2, 2027.
Where does Ragnar Trail Arkansas take place?
Ragnar Trail Arkansas takes place in Fayetteville, United States.
How do I register for Ragnar Trail Arkansas?
Registration runs through the organiser: runragnar.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
