Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon or The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa) — which comes out ahead?

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon and The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa) split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Not held
course flatness
Unavailable
flat grade share
Unavailable
lower ascent
Unavailable
climbing density
Unavailable
net elevation
Unavailable
maximum grade
Unavailable

The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held Favoured
course flatness
0.4%
flat grade share
86.2%
lower ascent
696 m
climbing density
4.3 m/km
net elevation
-0 m
maximum grade
12.1%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricLookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) UltramarathonThe Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Flat grade shareUnavailable86.2%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)Unavailable0.4%
Uphill shareUnavailable7.6%
Steep-up shareUnavailable0.0%
Downhill shareUnavailable6.2%
Total ascent (m)Unavailable696 m
Climbing density (m/km)Unavailable4.3 m/km
Longest climb length (m)Unavailable250 m
Longest climb gain (m)Unavailable9 m
Longest climb average gradeUnavailable3.4%
Total descent (m)Unavailable696 m
Net elevation (m)Unavailable-0 m
Max absolute gradeUnavailable12.1%
Start elevation (m)Unavailable259 m
Finish elevation (m)Unavailable259 m
Scenic score100/10099/100
Conditions84/10087/100

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactLookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) UltramarathonThe Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2025-12-20 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-13 (legacy event-level date).

LocationLookout Mountain, TennesseeAlcoa, Tennessee
Actual distance80.5 km160.9 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldNot heldHeld
Course typeLoopLaps
SurfacePredominantly single Track trail; other than about a mile at the start to thin the field, there are no roads.Mostly flat (for East Tennessee), paved, generally eight Foot Wide greenway with grassy shoulders along sections; lit at night
Elevation characterMountainousGently Rolling
TerrainTrail, MixedUnavailable
SceneryCountryside, Mountain, Historic, Parkland, Forest, RiversideWaterfront, Lakeside, Forest, Riverside, Parkland
AtmosphereWilderness, Scenic Tour, DestinationUnavailable
TechnicalityModerateNon Technical
Total ascent2,012 m696 m
Climbing densityUnavailable4.3 m/km
Total descent2,012 m696 m
Net elevationUnavailable-0 m
Max absolute gradeUnavailable12.1%
Flat grade shareUnavailable86.2%
GAP factorUnavailable0.4%
CutoffUnavailable32:00:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2025-12-20 (legacy event-level date).

The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-13 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Alcoa, Tennessee

Actual distance

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
80.5 km
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
160.9 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Held
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Not held
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Held

Course type

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Loop
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Laps

Surface

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Predominantly single Track trail; other than about a mile at the start to thin the field, there are no roads.
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Mostly flat (for East Tennessee), paved, generally eight Foot Wide greenway with grassy shoulders along sections; lit at night

Elevation character

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Mountainous
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Gently Rolling

Terrain

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Trail, Mixed
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Unavailable

Scenery

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Countryside, Mountain, Historic, Parkland, Forest, Riverside
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Waterfront, Lakeside, Forest, Riverside, Parkland

Atmosphere

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Wilderness, Scenic Tour, Destination
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Unavailable

Technicality

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Moderate
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Non Technical

Total ascent

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
2,012 m
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
696 m

Climbing density

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
4.3 m/km

Total descent

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
2,012 m
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
696 m

Net elevation

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
-0 m

Max absolute grade

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
12.1%

Flat grade share

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
86.2%

GAP factor

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
0.4%

Cutoff

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Unavailable
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
32:00:00

Entry model

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile, 18 Mile & 10K Trail Races (Chattanooga) Ultramarathon
Open
The Pistol Ultra (Alcoa)
Open

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

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