Tired of the same old 26.2 and want to kick your mileage up a notch? Love the trails and the smell of the Pacific Ocean? Say no more, the ultra races that SoCal has to offer might just be up your alley.

“Ultra” races are classified as such by being of any distance over 26.2 miles, or marathon distance. Starter ultra races are usually a mere 50K race (for those of you bad at conversions, that’s roughly 30.5 miles). Seasoned (AKA hard core) ultra distance runners will find themselves crossing their fingers for a slot in the infamous Badwater 135 miler race held every year in Death Valley, California. Badwater has up to 90 runners race and is by invitation only. But Badwater isn’t the only California ultra for those interested in taking the endurance-racing plunge. Here are some cool looking ultra races nearby worth checking out:

Wild Wild West 50K – This race is held each May in Lone Pine, California and offers a 10 mile and marathon distance race in addition to the 50K. It’s also the third oldest trail marathon in the United States!

Pacific Crest Trail Run – The Pacific Crest Trail is an arduous 50-mile race (though from the looks of the surroundings quite breathtaking in scenery. The trail race starts at 3,000 feet and adds another 3,000 feet worth of climbs throughout the point-to-point path.

High Desert 50K – Another challenging trail ultra, this race is held in December when the weather is permitting for running along the desert trails of the Sierra Nevada range.

Orange Curtain 50K/100K – Probably one of the most interesting courses (for lack of a better word) – this 100K route in the OC is made up of a 10K route along the San Gabriel River bike path which racers loop 10 times. Yikes!

Old Goats 50 Mile Race – By far, one of the coolest race names… this ultra trail race is held in March in the Cleveland National Forest. In addition to this ultra marathon, Old Goats offers a ton of other challenging trail races (there’s a nifty but butterflies-in-stomach inducing ½ marathon mountain climb race held in June).

Shadow of the Giants 50K – Another winner for cool sounding race name… This trail ultra is held at Fish Camp, CA near Yosemite National Forest. In addition to offering a course that has you running among majestic sequoias, the entry fee is a mere $65, a lot cheaper than some well known half marathons (and definitely much more affordable than a brand name marathon).

*Need training plan? The Desert Sky Adventures site has a 26 week training schedule for 50K races – I am using a slightly modified version to train for the Ragnar Ultra Relay that’s coming up.