Point Mariah Trail Marathon

Presented by the Donner Party Mountain Runners

Saturday August 1, 2026
Soda Springs, CA

Join DPMR for the fifth annual running of the Point Mariah Trail Marathon

With immense gratitude to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, the course will primarily run through the protected Royal Gorge land near Soda Springs, CA. Special thanks to our other land use partners at the Soda Springs Ski Resort and the U.S. Forest Service.

Point Mariah offers expansive views of the Granite Chief Wilderness, the Pacific Crest between Sugar Bowl and Olympic Valley, and the breathtaking Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River (one of the deepest canyons in the western US).

Event Details

Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Location: Soda Spring Ski Resort
Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Check-in: 7:00 a.m.
Bib & Info Pickup: Friday at 4:00 p.m. (location TBA) & Saturday 7:00 a.m.
Race Options: Marathon, Partner Marathon (2 people), 5-Person Team
Entry Fee: $85 Marathon, $150 Partner Marathon team, $250 5-Person Team (prices increases June 1)

For information about directions, course access, parking, aid stations, refunds, and more, see the Logistics section.

Course Information

Course Description

This is the cool part – we’ve designed a very unique, fun, multi-loop style course with five segments that tours different parts of the Royal Gorge land, and brings everyone together at our Soda Springs Rd. central aid station each time you pass through!

Distance: ~26.4 miles
Elevation: ~4,300 ft of vertical gain, ranging from 6,800′ at the start/finish to just over 7,600′ on Razorback Ridge.
Trails: the course features 85% single track, 15% double track and dirt road.

Section 1 – Emigrant Outbound (Orange)
Runners start with a hardy climb up and over Soda Springs hill, and down along the fun, flowy Emigrant Trail singletrack to the Soda Springs Rd Aid Station. 5.8 miles; approximately 950 feet of vertical gain.

Section 2 – Point Mariah (Blue)
Follow your second section route out to the breathtaking Point Mariah overlook and swing (and back to the central aid station). 4.85 miles; approximately 700 feet of vertical gain.

Section 3 – Rowton Peak Lollipop (Pink)
The next section takes you up to the expansive views of Rowton peak via the Royal Gorge Rim Trail and Bogus Basin Trail (and back to the central aid station). 5.75 miles; approximately 850 feet of vertical gain.

Section 4 – Razorback Ridge (Black/White Check)
Your fourth section heads up to Rowton peak again, but this time via the Rowton Peak Trail, along the amazing Razorback Ridge, and return to the central aid station via the Claim Jumper/Switchback Trails. 4.26 miles; approximately 900 feet of vertical gain.

Section 5 – Emigrant Return (Orange)
After your final stop at the central aid station, head back along Reindeer Trail, then follow the Emigrant Trail up and over the Soda Spring hill to finish at the resort. 5.8 miles; approximately 900 feet of vertical gain.

Course Map

Planned Route: https://caltopo.com/m/9RLSQ (pending full land use approval; subject to adjustments)

Course Profile

Race Options

Marathon

The first race option is to run the race solo. You got this!

In an effort to welcome runners of different ability levels to our event, we’re also offer two relay options – 1) a two-person Partner Marathon, or 2) a 5-person Team Marathon. It’s the same exact route as the full marathon, just make it a team effort!

REMEMBER: you are not allowed to drive to the aid station in personal vehicles, so if you’re on a Partner Marathon team please plan on walking/running/biking or taking the shuttle from the Start/Finish line to the aid station and back.

Partner Marathon Relay (2 people)

You and a partner can run the full marathon route as a relay team – sharing the fun and the challenge and dividing up the effort. Pick a fabulous partner team name when you sign up, then plan your hand-offs at the aid station however you’d like: how you divide up the segments is totally up to you! You can run 1 segment then have your partner run the rest of the race, you can swap each segment, you can run the first 3 segments then have your partner take it home to the finish line, etc. There are no rules on how Partners break up the course, but all hand-offs must take place at our central aid station.

Team Marathon Relay (3-5 people)

Same deal as the Partner Marathon, but up to five of you now in the relay! Gather a team of three to five runners, pick a memorable team name when you sign up, then plan your hand-offs at the aid station however you’d like: how you divide up the segments is totally up to you! One segment per team member if you have five, or some other combination if you have less. There are no rules on how Teams break up the course, but all hand-offs must take place at our central aid station.

Logistics

Getting to the Race

Google Maps: Soda Spring Ski Resort

The start, finish, and parking are all at the ski resort. Racers and spectators are only allowed to park at the Soda Springs Ski Resort. Do not attempt to drive and park anywhere along the course.

Course Access

Runners and spectators are only allowed to park at Soda Springs Ski Resort. DO NOT attempt to drive to and park near the central aid station or anywhere along the course, as parking is extremely limited (for race staff only) and we want to give the utmost respect to the Serene Lakes community and TDLT land. There is ZERO street parking allowed. We will provide regular shuttle service between the resort and the aid station for anyone wishing to travel to/from the aid station. Or, consider walking, running or biking the 2.5 miles to the aid station from the start area parking lot.

Shuttle Service

As mention above, we will provide a shuttle that runs all day, back-and-forth between the start/finish area and the central aid station – and it’s 100% free. The shuttle is available to anyone (runners, volunteers, teams, spectators, sponsors, etc.). And again, it’s the only option to get to the aid station unless you walk, run, or ride a bike.

Aid Station

As mentioned above, the course will feature just one amazing, fun aid station that runners will pass through a total of 4 times. This centralized aid station will allow family and friends to come out and support runners on the course in person and afford runners a huge base of energy and enthusiasm throughout their race as they refuel and reset between each segment. It is our hope that this central aid station serves as much more than a traditional aid station – we’re visualizing an environment of positive encouragement, good community energy, tasty snacks, music, merrymaking, and fun. Even if you’re not planning on running, you should come out and see what we’re dreaming up – all are welcome.

Aid Station offerings may include: fruit, sweet and salty snacks, pancakes, quesadillas, PB&J sandwiches, Coke, Sprite and ginger ale, Tailwind electrolyte drink mix, and a selection of gels. We recommend that if there is a specific nutritional product that you use that you carry it with you.

You can access this aid station location by walking, running, or biking from the start line (about 2.3 miles) or utilizing our DPMR shuttle bus that we will be providing throughout the event. The shuttle bus will allow everyone supporting runners an easy way back to the finish line after your runners head off on their last segment back to Soda Springs, so you can cheer them on in person throughout their marathon and still get back to the finish line in time to celebrate their race! No personal vehicles will be allowed to drive to/near the aid station, and parking in Serene Lakes to shorten the walk over to the aid station will be prohibited. Please plan on walking, running, biking, or taking the shuttle from the Start/Finish line.

Drop Bags

We do not offer drop bag service for this race.

Dropping Out of the Race

If you determine that you just don’t have it in you that day to finish the race, please don’t just walk off and leave. You must tell the checkpoint person at the aid station and give them your bib. Otherwise, we don’t know if you are still out on the course somewhere or not, or if we should call for emergency help — we need to be able to account for every single runner at the end of the day.

Time Limit

There is an 8-hour time limit to finishing the race. If you don’t think you will be able to finish in time, you can stop at the aid station and catch a ride back to the finish on our shuttle.

Post-Race Cookout

Stick around after you finish to cheer on other runners, refuel and relax, check out our amazing vendors, and enjoy the fun setting, music, and community vibes. We’ll have hot food coming off the BBQ, cold beer, and other treats and refreshments. Everyone is welcome – runners, volunteers, families, and friends!

Refunds

We understand priorities change, timing doesn’t work, injuries happen, so we try to balance that with our costs of putting on a race when we consider refund requests. Manage your drop-out and refund request via UltraSignup where you registered for the race. Here is our fairly simple but firm policy:

Prior to July 1st: 100% refund
On/After July 1st: 0% refund

Volunteers

If running doesn’t interest you, but you want to be a part of the fun – volunteer! We welcome any and all help to put on this race – it’s gonna be a total blast! Fill out this volunteer form to sign up to help. We will need help in all of the following areas:

Pre-race setup and logistics
Race day registration
Aid station
Shuttle drivers
Finish line aid station and logistics
Post-race clean up and packing