Rothrock by UTMB, live.

Sandstone ridges and rhododendron tunnels

A UTMB World Series trail race in the forests of central Pennsylvania, starting from a ski area on Tussey Mountain and climbing onto the rocky ridges of Rothrock State Forest.

Rothrock by UTMB is held 14-16 May 2027 in Rothrock State Forest, central Pennsylvania, with Happy Valley as its host town. Both races start at 08:00 from Tussey Mountain Ski & Recreation. The organiser describes the courses as carved through wild sandstone ridges, fern-covered valleys and rhododendron tunnels, with mountain laurel in bloom in May, shaded forest, cliffs and streams.

There are two races. The 50K on Saturday 15 May measures 53.3 km with 1,550 m of climbing and a 12-hour limit, and carries two Running Stones. It passes Bear Meadows Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark, runs the Tussey Ridge Trail and crosses rustic log bridges on the Three Bridges Trail. The 25K on Sunday 16 May measures 26.9 km with 1,188 m of climbing and a 7-hour limit. It opens with the climb to Spruce Gap, about 800 ft in under a mile, then the rocky Mid-State Trail, the boulders of Shingletown Cliffs and a descent on Old Laurel Run to a finish by a pond. The organiser’s maps and aid charts are still the 2026 versions and may change.

Under the canopy and down in the stream valleys a phone can lose signal, and the ridge sections are far from any road. On Livebib the runner shares a link to their own broadcast. Family open it in a browser, with no account and no app, and see the position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. When the signal drops, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated, never shown as measured.