Following in the footsteps of the Western States 100 Golden Ticket Series, the Angeles Crest 100 (AC100), which is one of the more historic 100 mile trail races (held adjascent to Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains), launched their own Sterling Silver Ticket Race Series a few years ago. We are excited to announce Aravaipa’s upcoming That’s No Moon 50 Mile Trail Race on September 20 will be joining this series and allow for guaranteed entry into the 2026 Angeles Crest 100.
More specifically, four recipients (Top 2 Males and Top 2 Females) of the 2025 That’s No Moon 50 Mile will earn Sterling Silver Tickets and guaranteed entry into the 2026 Angeles Crest 100 Mile. Recipients are still responsible for their race entry fee and completing 8 hours of trail work, but they will bypass the annual lottery.
That’s No Moon 50 Mile joins a strong lineup of other races in the southwest that will offer Sterling Silver Tickets for the 2026 race with the goal of increasing competition. Here is the current lineup of races according to the AC100.com website (in order of date):
- That’s No Moon 50 Mile – September 20, 2025 – Silverado, CA
- Ray Miller 50 Mile – December 6, 2025 – Malibu, CA
- Avalon Benefit 50 Mile – January 10, 2026 – Catalina Island, CA
- Sean O’Brien 100K – January 31, 2026 – Calabasas, CA
- Sean O’Brien 50 Mile – January 31, 2026 – Calabasas, CA
- Old Pueblo 50 Mile – March 7, 2026 – Sonoita, AZ
- Leona Divide 100K – April 18, 2026 – Santa Clarita, CA
- Leona Divide 50 Mile – April 18, 2026 – Santa Clarita, CA
The AC100 was first run in 1986 on a spectacular point to point course from Wrightwood, utilizing sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and finishing in Altadena. The early years actually ran and finished as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (until 1991).
The race itself has seen many challenges with its course ranging from new wildlife designations along the route, fires, wildlife restrictions & date changes. There is a fascinating read on their website about all of the history over the years. The race has even hosted out and back courses in both 2022 and 2025 due to the Bobcat & Eaton Fires which both started & finished in Wrightwood.
What has remained the same is the spirit of the community & love of the mountains in the region and the race organization is committed in the long run to maintaining the point to point nature of the event as close to the original route as they can get it.
Heading into the 2026 event, the race is moving back to a Fall date which is historically when it has been held. After the Station Fire in 2009, the decision was made to move the race to early August to hopefully stay out of fire season – changing the dynamics of the race to a true test of heat. Temperatures would routinely hit triple digits for the period of time it was held in August adding a new challenge to the already tough course.
The next edition of the race will be held October 3, 2026 and sounds like it will return to the point to point course beloved by so many.
As of the writing of this post, we only have (3) spots left in the 2025 edition of That’s No Moon – amongst the three race distances – 50 Mile, 50K & 30K. Upon sellout, we encourage you to join our waitlist as we anticipate adding a few more spaces to the 50 mile race. And if you are a competitive runner looking to compete for a Sterling Silver Ticket, please contact us to see if we can accomodate your entry.