Stone Steps 50K and 27K Trail Run

Stone Steps guides runners through hilly single-track loops within Mt. Airy Forest, a 1,470-acre park situated near downtown Cincinnati. This series provides a 50K ultra and a 27K run, and has been a fixture on the local trail calendar for over two decades. The environment is urban yet rugged: the forest features evergreens, meadows, rivers, roots, rocks, and consistent ascents, giving the race the feel of a condensed mountain excursion rather than a simple city park run. The 50K course involves completing a loop of just over five miles four times, interspersed with a loop of just over three miles three times. An aid station is positioned after each loop. The total elevation gain for the 50K reaches 10,726 feet, contributing to the rarity of a sub-four-hour finish; Jon Hastings is among the few runners to achieve this. The 27K follows a similar pattern, running the longer loop twice and the shorter loop twice, starting and finishing at The Oval. Backyard champion Harvey Lewis is woven into the race's history, and race director David Corfman contributes his own ultrarunning experience to the event.