Prisoner of War 50K

Upstate Race Series stages this South Carolina ultra at Croft State Park, the 7,000-acre former Camp Croft where more than 200,000 soldiers trained during World War II. The military identity runs through the whole event, from the Infantry 25K and Semper Fi 8 Mile companion races to the framing of the day as a salute to prisoners of war.

The 50K covers a figure-eight loop through Croft State Park's wooded trails, with the rolling climbs typical of the South Carolina Piedmont rather than any single mountain grade. The repetition is the real test, and on a still day the reports from the park's distant firing range can carry over the ridge while you run.

Late October in the South Carolina Upstate usually means cool starts in the 40s and comfortable afternoons in the 60s. Summer humidity has mostly broken by then, and fresh leaf fall can hide roots and rocks on the shadier stretches.