Friday, October 2, 2026

Angeles Crest 100 Starts and Finishes in Altadena This Weekend on Revised Route

[photo credit: 2026 Angeles Crest 100 Endurance Run]

Organizers say it is the first time in the race’s history that it will start and finish at Loma Alta Park. They say the effects of the Eaton Fire and multiple Highway 2 closures required a revised route this year. The 2026 course runs 100.8 miles from Loma Alta Park to a turnaround at Mount Hillyer and back to the park, with a 33-hour limit. Runners have until 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, to reach the finish.

Race Director Ken Hamada wrote in a status update last revised July 17 that the Eaton Fire closed the Idlehour Trail and that winter storms caused the Highway 2 closures. Hamada wrote that the race has always started in Wrightwood, and that a Highway 2 closure near the Mt. Waterman Ski Area made that impossible this year.

Race weekend begins Friday, Oct. 2, at Loma Alta Park, with runner registration from 8 a.m. to noon and a trail briefing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday’s runner check-in opens at 4 a.m., followed by an invocation at 4:30 a.m.

The course begins on Altadena streets before picking up the Gabrielino Trail, according to Hamada. From the park, the course passes aid stations at Clear Creek, Josephine Peak, Red Box, Newcomb, Shortcut and Chilao before reaching Mount Hillyer at mile 52.8. On the return, runners pass back through Chilao, Shortcut and Newcomb, then Chantry Flats, Mount Wilson, Sam Merrill and Millard before the finish. Organizers estimate the first runner could reach the finish at about 10 p.m. Saturday.

Parking at Loma Alta Park is very limited, organizers said. They point drivers to Sunny Ridge Road, which runs parallel to Lincoln Avenue and perpendicular to Loma Alta Drive, and note a large parking lot off that road.

An awards ceremony from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the park is open to everyone, organizers said.

The race began in 1986, and organizers describe it as one of the original five 100-mile races. The finish line moved to Loma Alta Park in 2008.

A lottery that ran Sept. 19 to 29 last year offered about 210 spots, while other places were reserved for volunteers, sponsors and Sterling Silver Ticket holders. Entrants had to run a race of 50 miles or more and complete eight hours of trail work by Sept. 3.

Race information is available at https://ac100.com.

Saturday, Oct. 3, at 5 a.m. through Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., Altadena. For more call (626) 398-5451 or visit https://ac100.com.