Runners have a choice of 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile distances, with all three events starting at the same time on Friday. This gives an 10hr duration for the 50K, a 14 hr duration to the 50 miler, and a 36 hr cutoff for the 100 making all three accommodating to a wide variety of runners.

The courses all start at the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway, and run the same section of Salt Flats that the land-speed records are set each year at "Speedweek".  After 13 miles of salt and three miles of mud-flats, the runners connect up with the "Islands", mountain peaks that rise out of the salt and seem to float like islands on a white sea.  50k runners will run out the flats to the "No Post" Aid Station at 15.5 miles, and then reverse the course for an exact 50k. 50 Mile and 100 Mile runners will run along rolling hills and connect two and four significant climbs respectively along the remainder of the course, and the 100 milers will even cross into Nevada where the Donner-Reed Party left Utah on their way to their fateful encounter with the harsh Sierra Nevada Mountains.  All three courses finish back at the start where plenty of salt awaits those who need a little electrolyte boost.