RUTS events aren't about a certain mileage to complete. These events are about what can you and what do you want to accomplish in the time registered for. You can register for the 3HR, 6HR, or 12HR individual, or the 12HR relay team. This was going to be my first race going over 13 miles, so I signed up for the 6HR.

The swag you get first off is pretty nice. You have your choice of T shirt or tank, a nice drawstring bag with pockets, and your choice of hat or visor. The medal you receive is a nice heavy one and lights up! (more on the medal in a bit)

The course is a 1/2 mile loop horse track. It is flat and does get mildly redundant, but they do switch your direction every few hours. It is nice seeing runners/walkers you would never get to interact with at other races, and having them encourage you is really nice. You can jump on and off the course as needed to relax a bit, use restroom, hydrate, etc. A lot of us either brought tents with chairs next to the track or some even brought campers to set up shop for the night.

The available food and fuel was unreal. Lots of cut up fruit, cold Popsicles, pickle juice, cookies, pretzels, cold water, Sword, and so much more. At 10pm they brought out pizza and midnight was grilled cheese. (I passed on those options since I'm lactose intolerant, but was grateful they had them for the other runners!)

Once your time limit is up or you decide to end, (again, you could end whenever you wanted to) you would get a medal custom with your mileage on it. You are free to sit there as long as you need to, camp out and sleep to make sure you're rested up before leaving.

The one part that was a little rough was starting it at 6pm when it was miserably hot. Those that did it in the past mentioned they always started it at 8pm and moved it up 2 hours to make a 12 HR event instead of the usual 10. The heat is no fault of the race itself, but be prepared to hydrate well before and during, and bring anything else you may want to have with you. The race directors are wonderful about keep an eye on cold water for everyone, so there is no worry about if there is any.