MATAGORDA: Gulf Coast Trail Running Festival

Where the river meets the sea

Two days. Five ways to run the Texas coast.

Just 90 minutes from Houston. Matagorda is where the Colorado River finally gives up and hands itself to the Gulf. LCRA's Matagorda Bay Nature Park is flat, wide open, and quiet in a way that most of Texas is not. In February the heat is gone, the light is long, and the wind coming off the water is the only hill you will climb all weekend.

Saturday belongs to the Backyard Ultra: one loop, one hour, over and over, until one runner is left. Sunday belongs to everyone else, with a marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K rolling out at sunrise. If you show up Sunday morning, look for the backyard runners still moving. They have been out there since Saturday.

Start times are staggered: All Central Time.

The course is miles of packed sand, rock levee, beach, and crushed granite.

Race	Structure
Backyard Ultra	One lap at 4.167 miles per hour, forever
Marathon	6 laps, then in to the pavilion
Half Marathon	3 laps, then in to the pavilion
10K	Pavilion to the 1.55 turn, twice
5K	Pavilion to the 1.55 turn, once

The marathon and half run long by design. The course is the course, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. If you are chasing a certified PR, this is not that race. If you want to run the Texas coast at sunrise, it is.

The Events

Gulf Coast Backyard Ultra

Saturday, February 13 · 9:00 AM · 4.167 mile loop

The Last One Standing Wins the Sea

BRONZE TICKET QUALIFIER & LAST FRONTIER CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

Complete the loop within one hour, then start again on the next hour. Finish early and the leftover time is yours to eat, change socks, nap, and regret your decisions. Miss the hour, or fail to start the next loop, and your day is over. There is no finish line. There is only the moment the person next to you decides they are done.

Camp is at the pavilion, which you pass twice every hour, so your chair, your crew, and your cooler are never more than a few minutes away.

This is the Circuit Championship Finale. The Last Texan Standing, winner of the full Last Frontier Circuit, is presented with a custom bronze championship trophy at the finish.

Paid by the Mile:
The last runner standing not only receives the event champion's trophy, but also a check for $2 per mile covered, rounded to the nearest dollar. The winner also earns a complimentary entry to the next race on The Last Frontier Circuit. Prize money is awarded to an official winner only (final loop completed solo). Entry is non-transferable; if the winner is already registered for that race, they receive a credit they can apply to a future race or merch.

Matagorda Marathon

Sunday, February 14 · 8:00 AM · 26.51 miles · 8 hour cutoff

Six full laps of the out and back, then a seventh that stops at the pavilion. Seven trips down the sand, the levee, the beach, and the crushed granite. Flat, fast if the wind cooperates, and honest if it does not.

Matagorda Half Marathon

Sunday, February 14 · 8:00 AM · 13.57 miles · 4 hour cutoff

Three full laps, then a fourth that finishes at the pavilion before the turnaround. Same sand, same beach, same wind, home in time for lunch. Walker friendly within the cutoff.

Matagorda 10K

Sunday, February 14 · 8:30 AM · 6.20 miles

Two out and backs from the pavilion, 1.55 miles each way, down the packed sand and rock levees toward the trail head and the beach. All of the coast, none of the commitment.

Matagorda 5K

Sunday, February 14 · 8:30 AM · 3.10 miles

Out and back from the pavilion, 1.55 miles each way. Flat, packed, forgiving. Bring the family. Bring the kid who says they hate running and watch them sprint the last 200 meters anyway.

The Course

From the pavilion, you head west toward the trail head near the visitor center, then south on the LCRA trail, moving through packed sand, over rock levees, before dropping back onto packed sand on the beach. You run with the Gulf on one side and the dunes on the other, come back north through the pavilion, then turn onto the Wildlife Trail's crushed granite and out to the gazebo. Touch the turnaround and retrace it all.

Surfaces, in order: packed sand, rock levee, packed sand, open beach, crushed granite. Most of the course, the packed sand and the crushed granite, runs fine in road shoes. The rock levee and the softer stretches of beach are where a trail shoe earns its grip. If you have trail shoes, this is a day to wear them. If you do not, road shoes will get you around. If the sand is soft after rain, you will know it.

Elevation: About 56 feet of gain per lap on Strava, net near zero on the out and back. Different watches will report anywhere from 30 to 60 feet. Either way, the only hill you climb all weekend is the Gulf wind.

Every race starts and finishes at the pavilion, so that is where the noise is. Crews, coolers, chairs, and the finish line all live in one place, and the marathoners come through it twice a lap.

Expect wind. Expect birds. Matagorda sits on one of the busiest migration corridors in North America, and you will share the morning with herons, pelicans, and a few thousand things you cannot name. Expect the horizon to be very far away.

Aid, Awards, and Logistics

Aid stations	100% Cupless Event: In alignment with our green race initiatives to protect the coastal ecosystem, we are a strictly cupless event. No paper cups will be provided at the aid stations. All participants must bring their own reusable cups, handheld bottles, or hydration vests to fill up. Fully Stocked Stations: Our main aid station at the pavilion will be fully stocked to keep you fueled and moving. You can expect: Hydration: Cold water and electrolyte replacement drinks. Real Food: A variety of fresh fruit (bananas, oranges), sweet and salty snacks, and easily digestible ultra-running staples.
Packet pickup	Race morning windows 6:00 - 7:30 AM
Awards	Finisher awards, medals
Camping	RV sites at the park require a portable cooking stove. Beach camping is free for up to 72 hours, which crews are welcome to use. Airstreams are also available to book. Click here for booking details.
Park entry	For Participants: Your park entry fee is already fully covered and included in your race registration! Just show your registration confirmation at the park gate. For Crew & Spectators: Any family, friends, or crew members joining you on-site will need to purchase a day pass. Because park entry is limited and handled on a first-come, first-served basis, we highly recommend purchasing passes online in advance to guarantee entry. 👉 Click Here to Purchase Day Passes
Weather	Coastal February: mild, often breezy, in the [50s and 60s]. Bring a windbreaker. If you are running the Backyard, bring more than you think you need. It gets cold out there at 3:00 AM.

Where the Colorado River meets the Gulf. Come run it.

Fit Foundation

Half Marathon Ruck

13.1 miles. Same trail. Weight on your back.

Rucking is covering ground with a loaded pack. Same course as the half marathon, same start, same finish line, same cutoff. The only difference is what you are carrying and who you are racing.

Ruckers are scored as their own division with their own results and their own awards. You are not competing against the runners and they are not competing against you.

Minimum pack weight

20 lb · 30 lb

20 lb if you weigh under 150 lb. 30 lb if you weigh 150 lb or over.

The rules

• Weigh in before the start. Bring your pack to the start area at least 30 minutes before your wave. We weigh it, we tag it, you go.
• Water does not count. Your hydration, food, phone and layers are on top of the minimum. The weight is dry weight.
• Any weight is fine. Ruck plates, bricks, sand, books, dumbbells. It has to be secure and it has to stay in the pack for the whole course.
• You finish with what you started with. Weight is checked again at the finish. Anything under the minimum moves you out of the ruck division.
• Carry it yourself. No handing your pack off, no dragging, no wheels.
• Run, walk, or anything between. There is no rule about how you move, only about what you carry.
• Rucking counts toward your Run the River mileage exactly the same as running. Thirteen point one miles is thirteen point one miles.

First time rucking?

A loaded pack on a trail is harder than the same distance on your feet, and most people go out too quick. A few things that help:

• Train with the weight before race day. Even two or three loaded walks makes a difference to your shoulders.
• Get the load high and tight against your back. Weight that sits low and swings will wreck you by mile six.
• Wear the socks and shoes you have already tested. Rucking changes how your feet hit the ground.
• Pack the weight so it cannot shift. Movement inside the pack is the most common reason people stop.

Same trail. Same finish line.

Considerably more of it on your back.