Wasatch Front 100 — usually called Wasatch 100 — runs 100 miles point-to-point through the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, from the East Mountain Wilderness above Kaysville south to the Soldier Hollow finish near Heber City. 26,000 feet of climb, ~26,000 feet of descent. 36-hour cutoff. Held the first weekend after Labor Day in early September. Long-running race (since 1980), with a serious local culture and a Hardrock-style devotion to the course.

The course

Three big climbs structure the race: Chinscraper (early, mile 7) — a 4,000 ft technical climb that culminates in scrambling up loose rock; the Sessions Mountain ridge run (mid-race) — exposed high alpine running; and the long descent into Soldier Hollow at mile 91. Between these, runnable single-track, jeep roads, and the famous "Bountiful B" — a long, rolling section in the back half where most runners' races are decided.

By the numbers

  • Distance: 100 miles
  • Vert gain: 26,000 ft
  • Vert per mile: 260 ft/mi (mountain ultra)
  • Highest point: 10,448 ft (Bountiful B)
  • Cutoff: 36 hours
  • Date: Friday morning start, first post-Labor-Day weekend in September

How to qualify and enter

Wasatch is lottery-entry. Qualifier requirement: a 100-mile finish on the WS100 / Hardrock-eligible list within ~24 months. Lottery odds run roughly 1-in-3 for first-time entrants, building each year you're not selected. Some runners take 2–4 lottery attempts to get in.

Gear strategy

  • Vest: 12L. Salomon Adv Skin 12 or BD Distance 12 — Wasatch can have wide temperature swings (90°F daytime to 35°F at altitude).
  • Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 6 for runnable sections; Tecnica Magma if you favor descent grip. Most runners stick with one shoe through Wasatch — the course isn't technical enough to require swapping.
  • Layers: long-sleeve baselayer, light wind shell, beanie, gloves at the high points.
  • Headlamp: primary + spare. Two nights potentially in play for slower finishers.
  • Poles: not strictly necessary but most finishers use them on the steep climbs.

Pacing

Pacers allowed from Brighton (mile 75). Most runners pick up one pacer at Brighton; some swap at Pole Line Pass.

Pacing strategy: walk Chinscraper (mile 7); the climb is brutal and trying to "run" it costs more time than it saves. Run the high alpine ridges if you can — they're the prettiest part of the race and the runnable terrain. The Bountiful B back-half is where most races are decided — fight to keep moving here, don't sit at aid stations.

The Wasatch experience

Wasatch has a distinctly Utah vibe — heavy LDS volunteer culture, family-friendly aid stations, and a reverence for the mountains that makes the race feel like a community event. The Soldier Hollow finish is on the same fields used for the 2002 Winter Olympics; runners cross under a banner with thirty-six hours' worth of stories behind them. Most finishers describe Wasatch as the friendliest of the iconic American 100s.