Unbound Gravel Pacing
Calculator
The Unbound Gravel 200 is about 200 miles from Emporia, Kansas with 9,000+ feet of Flint Hills climbing and a 6:30 AM age-group start. Checkpoints sit at Madison (mile 42), Matfield Green (mile 100.3), and Council Grove (mile 160), with a 3:00 AM finish cutoff (20.5 hours). This calculator turns your target finish time into checkpoint arrival times, cutoff buffers, and a fueling plan.
Pick your distance, set a target finish time, and enter your email to unlock your plan. You get a complete arrival schedule for every checkpoint and cutoff point on the course, built around your goal time.
Course data comes directly from the official 2026 UNBOUND athlete guides. An optional body weight input unlocks a per-hour fueling estimate for the full effort.
Enter a target finish time to see your checkpoint arrival schedule and cutoff gaps
How This Is Calculated
Checkpoint mile markers and cutoff times come from the official 2026 Unbound Gravel athlete guides for the 200 mile and 100 mile events. Arrival fractions are fatigue-adjusted: a rider banks a small time cushion early on the rolling first third, then gives it back over the back half as the Flint Hills grind, heat, and wind take their toll. Headwinds, mud, mechanicals, and individual durability shift these fractions by several percent in either direction.
Calorie burn estimates use 4.5 kcal per pound per hour, a conservative average for sustained moderate-intensity gravel riding. Per-hour carb targets (70 to 100 g per hour) follow current ultra-endurance fueling guidance, which sits above road-race norms because the event duration and effort are higher. The full 200 mile burn far exceeds what any rider can absorb, so the goal is to minimize the deficit, not eliminate it.
This is a planning tool, not a prediction. Use the splits as a pacing reference, not a guarantee. The 100 mile finish cutoff shown here is derived from the 10 mph minimum-average safety rule rather than a single posted clock time, so treat it as an estimate. Veteran tip: build a buffer against every published cutoff. The numbers above are what success looks like; race day always asks for a little more.
Not Medical Or Nutrition Advice
This calculator and the resulting plan are educational only. Endurance sports carry inherent risks and individual nutrition needs vary. Athletes should consult a qualified healthcare professional or a registered sports dietitian before applying any nutrition, hydration, or supplementation strategy, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, take medications, or are training through injury. Use this information at your own risk.
Unbound Gravel Pacing Guide: Common Questions
Unbound Gravel is a 200 and 100 mile gravel race from Emporia, Kansas across the Flint Hills, with the 200 carrying about 9,000+ feet of climbing and hard checkpoint cutoffs at Madison (11:30 AM), Matfield Green (4:30 PM), Council Grove (11:30 PM), and the 3:00 AM finish. Most age-group finishers take 12 to 16 hours; elite winners finish near 8.5 hours. This pacing calculator converts any target finish time into a checkpoint arrival schedule, cutoff buffer, and per-hour fueling plan.
What are the Unbound Gravel 200 checkpoint cutoff times?
The Unbound Gravel 200 has hard cutoffs at Madison (mile 42) by 11:30 AM, Matfield Green (mile 100.3) by 4:30 PM, and Council Grove (mile 160) by 11:30 PM, with a finish-line cutoff of 3:00 AM Sunday (20.5 hours from the 6:30 AM age-group start). Missing any checkpoint cutoff ends your timed race. The two water-only oases at miles 64 and 189 are not timed cutoffs.
How long does it take to finish Unbound Gravel 200?
Elite winners finish near 8.5 hours (the 2026 men's course record is 8:37). Most age-group finishers take 12 to 16 hours, and the hard limit is the 20.5-hour cutoff at 3:00 AM Sunday. First-timers should target beating the intermediate Madison, Matfield Green, and Council Grove cutoffs rather than chasing a fast overall time.
How much climbing is in Unbound Gravel?
The Unbound Gravel 200 has about 9,000+ feet of climbing over roughly 200 miles, and the 100 has about 4,373 feet over roughly 103 miles. There is no single big climb; it is relentless Flint Hills rollers on chunky limestone gravel that grind you down through accumulation rather than any one steep ascent.
How many carbs should I eat during Unbound Gravel?
Target 70 to 100 grams of carbohydrate per hour from the first hour, since total energy burn runs 8,000 to 12,000+ calories on the 200. Practice that intake in long training rides well before race day. The real limiter is gut tolerance, not the math, so train your stomach to absorb the volume you plan to consume.
How hot does Unbound Gravel get and how much should I drink?
Late-May Kansas commonly runs 85 to 95 F with open-prairie wind and no shade, so heat is a primary limiter. Target 500 to 750 ml per hour with electrolytes and pre-load sodium in the days before. Use the Beetroot Pro Sodium Calculator at /tools/sodium-calculator to dial in a sweat-rate-specific sodium target.
What is the Unbound Gravel 100 cutoff?
The Unbound Gravel 100 has one checkpoint at mile 54 with a 2:30 PM cutoff, and scoring is based on a 10 mph average pace, putting the finish near 5:48 PM (a pace-derived estimate, not an official posted clock time). It starts at 7:30 AM and covers roughly 103 miles with a water oasis at mile 70.