Ghost Train Waitlists

When I ask you to read this page before contacting me, though, I do mean *actually* read it. If you email me a question that is already answered here, you may hear the echo of a Race Director’s eye-roll drifting through the woods, no matter how far away you are.

What is a "wait list"?
- A waitlist (AKA wait list) in this particular example, is a list of folks who would like to run a race, but the race filled up before they registered.  Because there wasn't any space in the field for those folks at that time, they go into an overflow category to wait and hope that enough people may have schedule conflicts, become injured, fail to train, or, for some other reason, decide not to run the race, drop out, and create a spot for someone else to join.

What races have a waitlist?
All races EXCEPT the 30-Hour 7-Person Relay have a waitlist that will activate if a race sells out.

Will the waitlists clear?  E.g. will everyone be invited in from the waitlist?
The 30-Hour Ultramarathon waitlist did not clear for the first time in 2025, and we don't expect it to clear in 2026 or going forward.  In fact, the race is popular enough that the waitlist will be capped so there isn't false hope of getting in.  The maximum allowed in 2026 will be 175 people.

The Haunted Night 30-Mile Race waitlist cleared in 2025, but it may not clear in 2026.  The RD reserves the right to add a cap if the waitlist grows beyond 75 people.

Where can I find the waitlist?  /  Where am I on the waitlist?  /  Who is ahead of me or behind me on the waitlist?
The waitlist is on the registration site, UltraSignup, where you register.  

1. Simply navigate to the Ghost Train Trail Races registration page.

2. Click on the Waitlist link under the big picture at the top.

3. CLICK ON THE RACE YOU'D LIKE TO SEE at the top of the page under the big picture.  (I put that in capital letters because a lot of people miss that step.)

Here are the shortcuts if you'd like them.  This link is to the 30-Hour Ultramarathon waitlist, this link is to the Haunted Night 30-Mile Race waitlist, and, if needed, this link is to the 15-Mile Race waitlist.

Once you are on the page, you can scan it visually or use "Find" to locate yourself.  You'll see what number you are on the list, as well as who is ahead of you and behind you.

What are my chances of getting in?

I'll break it down by the numbers.  This breakdown is ONLY the opinion of the Race Director, and DOES NOT REFLECT any sort of statistical certainty or prediction, and it is most definitely NOT a guarantee.  This is a BEST GUESS.  Don't come back to me all upset in early October because you didn't get in and you read this and thought you would.  I'm sure there is a big legal disclaimer I could add here as well, but you get the gist.

How does the waitlist work?

• The earlier you get on the waitlist, the more likely you are to be invited into the race.

• The 30-Hour Ultramarathon waitlist will be capped at 175 people.  Once that number is reached, the waitlist will close, and no more people will be allowed onto the waitlist.  (Why the 175-person cap?  Because we don’t believe the waitlist will clear at that length and don’t believe we should continue to add participants after that point.)

• If you add yourself to the waitlist, you are not charged until you are invited and accept the invitation to join the race.

• If and when participants drop from the race, the RD will invite people in from the waitlist.

• The waitlist is strictly processed on a first-in, first-invited basis. (The RD is VERY strict about this. Do NOT ask for favors or special treatment, because you won’t get any.)

• When someone is invited from the waitlist, an invitation will be sent to the email address they have on file with UltraSignup. That participant is responsible for checking their email and responding within the allotted time.  After that time, the invitation will be rescinded, and the next person will be invited in from the waitlist.

○ Response times are:
○ Until Labor Day: 4 days
○ After Labor Day: 2 days

• If you take too long to respond and your invitation is rescinded, you may email the RD to see what can be done. (We’d recommend emailing before more drastic measures are taken. There is no need for sacrifices or appeals to your preferred deity.)

• The last day to join the race from the waitlist is Friday, October 2nd.

What are the factors that move the waitlist?

There are a lot of factors.  Honestly, I'll probably forget some, but here are a few off the top of my head:

• The number of people who sustain an injury and can't train for or complete the race.

• Some number of people who have a conflict , e.g. a family wedding, work trip, birthday, or other family event, etc.

• The number of people who don't end up completing the training they'd hoped to.

• Another factor is the number of people who don't accept their invitation into the race or who drop from the waitlist.  (This one is a factor most people forget about.)

• The number of people who can't take the suspense and end up signing up for a different race (subcategory of the above).