UNBOUND Gravel 2027 lottery: dates, distances and every way in

One entry per person. The race is on Saturday 5 June 2027, and the XL on Friday 4 June, in Emporia, Kansas. 2027 entry fees say "COMING SOON". The lottery is entered from the organiser's Registration & Ways to Race page.

The organiser's pages give two opening times, 10 AM CT and 12:00 PM CT. Our advice: be ready at 10 AM CT, the earlier one.

How the lottery works

From the registration page's Lottery tab, checked 17 Oct 2026:

If you're picked: "Selected participants will be charged the registration fee, processing fee, state sales tax, and any additional fees for add-on items chosen by the participant." Duplicate entries: "Individuals found to have multiple applications will have ALL applications voided and removed from consideration."

On 17 Oct the organiser's ENTER THE LOTTERY button led to a 404 page. It should work once the lottery opens on 1 November. Until then, use the registration page.

Your odds: the organiser publishes no entrant numbers or places per distance, so we don't give a percentage.

Dates and minimum ages

From the XL, 200, 100, 50, 25 and Junior pages. The XL and 25 pages give no minimum age, so those two come from the 2026 athlete guides. The junior page says: "Both junior races offer open registration—no lottery required!"

Ways in without the lottery

1. Training Camp + Entry. The camp runs 8 to 11 April 2027 in Emporia. "Camp + Entry: $2,200 (includes guaranteed entry into the XL, 200 or 100)" and "Camp Only: $1,000". The organiser's Let's Do This checkout adds a fee: $2,200.00 + $194.00 and $1,000.00 + $89.00.

2. Qualifier races. "We’re handing out at least 50 qualifier coins for UNBOUND Gravel to finishers of the following events." Half go to top finishers and half by drawing at the awards. Winners can register for the 200 or 100. The only listed qualifier still to come is Sea Otter Classic Gravel on 16 April 2027. Big Sugar's registration page says a coin "does not include the entry fee."

3. Volunteer. "Skip the lottery by volunteering 10+ hours at UNBOUND Gravel or (NEW IN 2026) the Life Time Big Sugar Classic!" If you volunteered 10+ hours at the last event, you register 1 to 15 November with an emailed code.

4. Charity. The charity page lists Life Time Foundation, Chris Klug Foundation and American Cancer Society. Spots are first come, first served. The Life Time Foundation's campaign asks for a $100 registration toward a $2,500 fundraising commitment.

5. Coaching + Entry. The coaching page offers guaranteed entry "for the distance of your choice" with three months of Boundless Coaching. No price was shown on 17 Oct. "No refunds or cancellations of the coaching package."

6. Life Time membership. Members who have held Club-Access for at least six months get an early or guaranteed entry. The organiser's pages describe this benefit in different ways (see below).

Deferrals and refunds

From the Deferral Policy:

• "Defer your entry to receive a guaranteed spot in the following year’s race. Entry fees will not be refunded nor transferable."
• Deferred riders re-register 1 to 15 November and pay "100% repay of following year’s race entry fee".
• "Deferrals are only valid for the following year in the same event, space permitting."
• Deadline: "UNBOUND Gravel: 6/3/2027 at 1:00 PM CT (start of expo)". The Official Rules give an earlier one (see below). Our advice: go by the earlier deadline.
• Active-duty military with orders, and pregnant or postpartum mothers with a medical note, "may be refunded or deferred at no cost".
• "No refunds or changes permitted on transactions over 365 days."
• If the event is cancelled, you get either a free deferral or a partial refund: 70% at 90+ days out, 50% at 60 to 89 days and 40% at 30 to 59 days.

2026 rules to plan around

The 2027 routes, schedule and athlete guides aren't out, so these are the 2026 versions:

• "Cut-off times will be established for reaching each checkpoint for rider safety, based on an average of 10 mph." The 2026 200's cut-offs were at Mile 42 (11:30 AM), Mile 100.3 (4:30 PM) and Mile 160 (11:30 PM). The finish line closed at 3:00 AM.
• "REMINDER: The course will not be marked." Load the route on your GPS.
• The Official Rules kit list includes "Two+ spare inner tubes (yes, even if you have tubeless tires)" and "Tire repair plugs if rider’s tires are tubeless".

Tires and gear

The organiser gives no tire width or pressure advice. As a starting point, our tire pressure calculator gives an 85 kg system (rider plus bike) on 40 mm tubeless gravel tires with a 21 mm rim 31 psi front and 41 psi rear (2.1 / 2.8 bar). See the 40 mm gravel pressure guide, best gravel tires by use and the printable gravel race prep checklist.

Disclosure: Pedal Brief may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This version has no affiliate links. We have not entered or ridden this event. Dates, fees and rules come from the organiser's own pages (unboundgravel.com, produced by Life Time) and the pages they link to, checked on 17 October 2026. Life Time UNBOUND Gravel is a trademark of its organiser; text mentions only. Full disclosures.