Marrying Vert and Fun at the 2026 Bachelor Ascent

Daybreak Racing is bringing us another epic race on September 12th this year, the 2026 Bachelor Ascent. Just as the title would suggest, this adventure will be both brutal and beautiful, with participants trekking up to 9000 feet to the summit of Mt Bachelor.

All race distances (50k, 28k, 16k, and 5k) will offer challenging loops, so it’s really just up to you to decide how many miles you want to do to get the views.

All trail runners will have full -service aid stations (with the exception of the 5k,) medical support on hand, and of course the delicious post-race food and beverages to enjoy, as well as a custom finisher award and bragging rights.

There will be a shake out run and shoe demo at 3:00PM on Friday September 11th starting from FootZone in downtown Bend, and you can also pick up your bib from 3:30 to 5:30PM at that time as well.

All races will begin at Mt. Bachelor’s West Village area on Saturday and all have a cutoff time of 5:00PM (except the Vertical 5k, which has a summit finish line cut off of 1:30PM.) No pacers are allowed, but trekking poles are. Aid stations will be fully-loaded with Neversecond C30 gels and C30 sports drink, and other typical trail aid fare such as water, soda, fruit, chips, and PB&J. ALL RACES as cupless, so please plan for that.

The coffee will be ready at 6:15AM and the 50k will start off the day at 8:00AM. There will be 5 aid stations for this ultra (plus the start and finish line areas). Drop bags will be available at West Village Aid Station (#2 and #4) and it needs to be the same single bag for both.

The 28k begins at 8:30AM and runners will have 3 aid stations. There is 4200 feet of ascent and descent for this course. Drop bags will be available at the West Village Aid Station (#2).

The 16k race begins at 9:00AM and has only 1 aid station and there is no drop bag option for this distance. This course offers runners 2750 feet of elevation gain on a single loop course that climbs up to the 9000 foot summit of Mt. Bachelor.

Finally, the Vertical Ascent 5k will take off at 9:30AM.This may be the shortest distance, but it certainly is not an easy one, as the unrelenting 9000 foot climb takes participants to the summit. Participants will then be required to hike back down to West Village using the 16k course to finish.

There will be no drop bag option or aid stations on the 5k course, though there will be course marshals and professional medical personnel at the summit. On the hike down, runners can also take advantage of the Pine Marten aid station and bathrooms at Pine Marten Lodge.

Depending on the weather, Daybreak may need to implement a gear requirement to ensure participant safety, so please watch out for announcements on that.

Depending on the challenge you are looking for, you should be able to find something that itches that trail running scratch!