My 2026 San Juan Softie 100 Race Plan

I’m running the San Juan Softie 100 again on Friday.

Last year, I finished in 34:54:08 after getting injured. This year, I want to finish in 26 hours. I also built a 28-hour plan because dropping almost nine hours from last year is ambitious.

I’m using the 26-hour schedule as a speed limit and the 28-hour schedule as the fallback:

• Never get ahead of the 26-hour schedule to bank time.
• Stay inside the 26-to-28-hour corridor as long as my legs, stomach, and the weather cooperate.
• Switch to the 28-hour plan when I miss a decision gate.
• If I fall behind the 28-hour plan, forget the time goal and finish safely.

The course is 103.4 miles with 18,558 feet of climbing, an average elevation above 10,000 feet, and a high point of 12,438 feet.

What I learned from last year

The opening 35.8 miles through Middle of Nowhere are mostly the same as last year, but this year the course goes through Purgatory instead of following the USFS road. OpenSplitTime listed Cascade at mile 8.0 in 2025, while the current course chart lists 8.3, so I’m using my splits as effort anchors rather than exact pace-per-mile data.

Both new plans are deliberately slower through the opening course.

Last year, I was out of Middle of Nowhere in 7:51 and reached mile 47.2 in 11:15. I still needed another 23:39 to finish.

I also spent 2:11 in aid stations, including 37 minutes at Ryman and 33 minutes at the second Corral visit. My goal is to reduce that total by 30 minutes.

Only one person finished under 28 hours last year. The winner ran 24:08, and second place was 29:22. The middle of the course changed after Middle of Nowhere because of the 2025 fire reroute, so the results are context rather than a direct comparison. Both goals are aggressive.

The pacing model

I weighted each 2026 section using distance, climbing, and descending, calibrated the opening pace against my 2025 splits, and added progressive fatigue. The simple planning weight is:

terrain-equivalent miles = miles + gain/833 + loss/1,333

The model only allocates time. Weather, trail conditions, my injury history, and how I actually feel determine the actual pace.

26-hour plan

The 26-hour plan includes 24:19 of moving time and 1:41 in aid stations. The finish would be Saturday at 8:00 AM.

28-hour plan

The 28-hour plan includes 26:19 of moving time and 1:41 in aid stations. The finish would be Saturday at 10:00 AM.

When I switch to 28 hours

The switch time is one-quarter of the way from the 26-hour departure to the 28-hour departure. This preserves most of the two-hour buffer instead of requiring a late-race comeback on tired legs.

The clock is only one trigger. I switch earlier if my gait changes, the old injury starts trending worse, downhill control disappears, I miss more than half my nutrition target for two hours, I cannot keep fluids down, or the weather makes the schedule irrelevant.

Calories and carbohydrates

I’m building the plan around 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour, averaged over total elapsed time.

• 26 hours: 2,080 g of carbohydrate, or 8,320 carbohydrate calories
• 28 hours: 2,240 g of carbohydrate, or 8,960 carbohydrate calories

I’ll use a practiced mix of drink mix, gels, chews, and familiar aid-station food.

Drop bags

My drop-bag stations are EMT, Middle of Nowhere, Cross Mountain, Ryman Creek, and Elbert Creek. Crew and pacers are only allowed at Cross, Ryman, and Elbert.

I’m packing for the slower 28-hour plan. Each load includes a separate 125 g carbohydrate, 500-calorie emergency reserve. The numbers are departure load ceilings, not instructions to carry a fresh reserve on top of one I did not use.

Engine Creek is a backcountry/basic aid station. Burnett and Big Lick are also basic, with no drop bags. I’ll leave EMT, Cross, and Ryman carrying labeled packets for the later no-bag sections rather than betting everything on the aid-station menu.

EMT

• Fuel packets for EMT-Engine and Engine-Middle of Nowhere
• Dry socks and shirt
• Sunscreen
• Foot-care kit
• Spare gloves
• Bag for wet gear

Middle of Nowhere

• Fuel for Middle of Nowhere-Cross
• Dry socks and shirt
• Light synthetic insulation
• Waterproof overmitts

Cross Mountain

This is the first crew and pacer point and the day-to-night reset.

• Fuel packets for Cross-Calico, Calico-Burnett, and Burnett-Ryman
• Dry long sleeve and active insulation
• Dry socks
• Warm gloves, overmitts, and buff/beanie
• Night clothing
• Primary and backup-light power
• Bag for wet gear

Ryman Creek

• Fuel packets for Ryman-Corral, Corral-Big Lick, and Big Lick-Elbert
• Complete dry overnight reset
• Dry socks and gloves
• Insulation
• Fresh light power
• Foot-care kit

Elbert Creek

• Final fuel packet
• Dry shirt and socks
• Sun protection
• Light and tracker power check

All bags will be weatherproof and labeled. They are due at the start by 5:30 AM Friday.

Clothing and weather

The August 10 NWS forecast for a 9,600-foot point near the western course currently shows likely Friday afternoon thunderstorms, a high near 69°F, an overnight low near 39°F, and another thunderstorm chance Saturday.

The forecast is four days out and more than 2,800 feet below the course high point. I’ll recheck it before deciding what to carry.

The required gear stays with me from start to finish:

• Satellite tracker
• Fully waterproof hard-shell jacket
• Headlamp and independent backup light
• Whistle
• Gloves
• Hat or buff
• 1.5-liter water capacity
• Reusable cup and bowl

For this forecast, I’m also carrying rain pants, light synthetic insulation, an emergency blanket, sunglasses, sunscreen, a filter, offline navigation, and waterproof storage for dry layers. The race director may make rain pants mandatory anyway.

Cross and Ryman get complete dry-layer resets. Ryman sits at 8,451 feet, but the next section immediately climbs 2,663 feet to Corral. The low aid-station elevation does not mean I can leave warm gear with my crew.

Lights and batteries

Durango sunset is 8:04 PM Friday, civil twilight ends at 8:32 PM, and civil dawn begins at 6:00 AM Saturday. Weather and terrain may require lights earlier.

I’m planning for 13 hours of primary-light runtime. With four cold-tested hours per battery, that means four packs: an installed battery and spare from Cross, then fresh power and another spare from Ryman. The independent backup light can cover a full section.

Both lights stay with me for the entire race. The tracker starts fully charged; if its tested runtime does not exceed the 38-hour cutoff, I’ll carry a power bank and cable. I’ll also carry the offline GPX.

Race-day priority

Twenty-six hours is a huge stretch for me. I will not run ahead of that schedule to bank time, and I’ll switch to the 28-hour plan before I need to recover time late.

The opening plan is controlled, the drop bags cover every remote section, and the night kit has redundant power.

If I move well through the second half, keep eating, and limit aid-station time, I’ll have a chance at 26. Otherwise, I’ll follow the 28-hour plan or use the 38-hour cutoff to finish safely.

Sources

• Official San Juan Softie site, course, aid chart, rules, and FAQ
• Official 2026 Runner’s Manual
• My 2025 OpenSplitTime effort
• 2025 OpenSplitTime results
• Current NWS high-country forecast
• Durango August 2026 daylight table
• ISSN ultramarathon nutrition position stand
• Carbohydrate intake during endurance exercise
• Wilderness Medical Society exercise-associated hyponatremia guideline