St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra.
The St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra is a winter survival race: roughly 40 miles through St. Croix State Park near Hinckley, Minnesota, on foot, on skis or on a fat bike, with your survival gear on board throughout. The ground is flat, so preparing for it means preparing for snow, temperature and the handling of your kit.
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra 2027: Course, Route Profile & Map
Start and finish are at the trail center in the park, and between them you ride, ski or run two laps of the eastern route. It follows groomed snowmobile trails, and since both laps are identical, the second time round you know exactly what is left. Around four fifths of the distance is flat, with the elevation moving only between about 270 and 297 metres.
The most noticeable feature comes roughly 16 kilometres into each lap: a little under half a kilometre averaging just over four percent, worth a little more than 20 metres of gain. The trail then drops again and undulates gently back towards the starting point. It is short, but it is the one real break in the lap's otherwise even rhythm.
The gear is what gives this race its character. You carry your own survival kit, it gets checked, and along the way there are checkpoints along with tasks involving water and equipment. How fast or slow the trails run depends on snowfall and temperature, so the same course can be a different race from one year to the next. Breakfast is served at the finish.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 16.6 | 0.5 km | 4.6 % | 7.2 % | +21 m | — |
| km 46.8 | 0.5 km | 4.6 % | 7.2 % | +20 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 St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra.
Start under control
Treat the race as two equal jobs. With the same terrain on both laps, the first is your measuring stick: it tells you what the snow and your pack cost on the day, and the second is set from that. Pace by effort rather than speed, since the same output can produce a very different speed on soft snow than on a firm base.
Hold your rhythm
The day is settled on the second lap, from about the small rise near kilometre 47. The ramp itself is harmless, but around 14 kilometres remain after it, and with no long descents nothing carries you home for free. If you are still moving calmly and evenly at that point, the earlier decisions were right.
Spend what is left
The main trap is the fresh opening hours on a flat, groomed surface, which invite a speed you cannot sustain with full gear. When it is cold there is a second price: push hard enough to soak your layers and that moisture comes with you into every checkpoint stop. Keep those stops short and orderly rather than trying to win the time back on the trail afterwards.
Training plan for St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra: 12-week build
Build the base
On foot, expect something like 9 to 14 hours depending on the snow; on skis or a fat bike it can be considerably shorter when the trails hold up well. The load is aerobic almost throughout, without real intensity spikes: the demand sits in the duration and the weight you carry, not in any single hard section.
Train race pace
That sets the main emphasis: long, easy sessions with the kit you will have on race day. Build duration first, then weight, and make sure you are still moving cleanly and evenly in the final hours, because that is exactly what the last quarter of the race asks of you. Hill intervals matter little on this course; a few short climbs near the end of long sessions are enough.
Rehearse the course
Train as often as you can on the surface you expect, which means snow, using the same equipment you will race on. When there is none, long loaded sessions on soft ground replace at least part of that sluggish forward motion. Use them to test your layering at different speeds, so you learn how warmly you can dress without soaking through.
Arrive fresh
Practise the work on your gear as well, since checks and tasks involving water and equipment are part of the race. Pack so you can find everything without searching, and repeat the routines at the end of long sessions, when fingers and head are no longer fresh. Eating and drinking belong in the same sessions, so you know what your stomach still accepts many hours in.
Courses
Download the St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra.
How long is St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra?
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra is 64.37 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 St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra have?
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra has around 210 m of elevation gain over 64.37 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra?
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra is classified as Flat, averaging 3.5 vertical metres per kilometre. 80% of the route is flat, 10% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra have?
The hardest climb of St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra starts at kilometre 16.6, runs for 0.5 km at an average of 4.6% and gains 21 metres. 2 climbs are mapped in total.
Is St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra a loop course?
Yes, St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra course?
Yes. The St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra 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 St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra?
Preparation for St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra should account for 64.37 km, 210 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 St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra?
The pacing strategy for St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra should reflect 64.37 km, 210 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 St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra take place?
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra takes place on January 9, 2027.
Where does St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra take place?
St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra takes place in Hinckley, United States.
How do I register for St. Croix 40 Winter Ultra?
Registration runs through the organiser: stcroixwinterultra.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
