Sleeping Giant Trail Runs

Prepare for an epic challenge at the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs on March 29, 2026, in Hamden, CT, featuring demanding 50K and 25K distances. Known as one of the Northeast's toughest and gnarliest races, this event takes you through the iconic Sleeping Giant State Park, offering a diverse array of trails from smooth carriage roads to the technical, rocky singletrack Connecticut is famous for. The single 25K loop course packs over 3,000 feet of vertical gain, with the 50K tackling two loops of this beast. Runners will navigate runnable rolling singletrack for the first five miles before encountering a "lung busting rock scramble" known as the head wall climb, ascending over 500 feet in just 0.3 miles. The course continues with technical ups and downs, less technical rolling sections on the Yellow Trail, and a four-mile stretch of moderately to harder technical terrain, including a portion of the infamous White Trail, before a final climb to the Observation Tower and a rewarding carriage road descent to the finish.

The race starts and finishes at the Pavilion inside Sleeping Giant State Park, where runners can access aid stations at approximately mile 8 and mile 12 within each loop. After conquering the "hellacious trails, long scrambles, sheer descents, and extremely rocky terrain," celebrate your accomplishment with post-race food and beverages. This popular event, which donates a portion of registration fees to the Sleeping Giant Park Association, offers a specially designed finisher medal from Ragged Cuts to commemorate your achievement. Typical race day conditions in late March include highs around 53°F and lows around 32°F, with a 13% chance of precipitation.