Happy December! The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday meant minimal racing this weekend — aside from turkey trots, but we’ve got a round-up of global events that includes France’s SaintéLyon and Australia’s Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB, among others.
Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB – Snowy Mountains, Australia
The 100-mile race totaled over 15,000 feet of climbing. Stephanie Auston (Australia), the 2024 runner-up, won the women’s race in 19:45, and Morgan Glazier (U.K.) won for the men in 17:38.
Sophie Broome (U.K.) and Loris Lassere (France) were tops in the 66-mile race in 11:58 and 9:53.
Sophie Broome, the 2025 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100k women’s winner. Photo: Tim Bardsley-Smith
Loris Lassere, the 2025 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100k men’s winner. Photo: Tim Bardsley-Smith
The 50-kilometer race leaders were Andrea Kolbeinsdóttir (Iceland) and Michael Dimuantes (Australia) in 4:24 and 4:04.
SaintéLyon – Saint-Étienne, France
The event is one of France’s largest, with over 15,000 runners across eight different contests. It was the race’s 71st year.
The premier race starts at night and connects the cities of Saint-Étienne and Lyon on an 80k (50 miles) route.
French runners swept both the women’s and men’s podiums. Adeline Martin, Sarah Rouquier, and Diane Rassineux were the top women in 6:42, 7:18, and 7:23.
Sylvain Cachard edged Virgile Moriset for the men’s crown. The two ran 5:36 and 5:39, and Pierre Defontaine was third in 5:52.
In the SaintéSprint 25k, Sara Alonso (Spain) and Quentin Meyleu (France) won in 1:39 and 1:25, respectively.
Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB – Chiang Mai, Thailand
The UTMB World Series Major is a two-week event. The ultra distances happen next weekend, but the Inthanon 50 is already in the books. The race totaled 7,217 feet of climbing over 24 miles.
Maude Mathys (Switzerland) won for the women in 3:54. Naiara Irigoyen (Spain) and Baodi Wang (China) were next in 4:14 and 4:36.
[In 2015, Maude Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene (previously clomiphene) after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.]
Miguel Arsénio (Portugal) was almost two minutes better than Alain Santamaría (Spain) at the front of the men’s race. They finished in 3:27 and 3:29. Pavel Tarasov (Neutral) was third in 3:36.
Quad Dipsea – Mill Valley, California
It was the race’s 42nd year, and the double out-and-back on the famous Dipsea Trail totaled 28.4 miles with hundreds of stairs.
Women’s winner Megan Roche finished in 4:35 and broke a 15-year-old course record. Caren Spore set the former 4:38 course best in 2010. Sophia Steffens and Sylvie Abel, who won in 2024, were second and third in 4:41 and 4:54, respectively.
Megan Roche, the 2025 Quad Dipsea women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Nick Handel won for the fourth-straight year and set a new men’s course record in 3:39. That was over a minute better than Alex Varner’s previous course record that had stood since 2015. Handel was over seven minutes faster than his previous personal best for the course. Jacob Banta and Nick Reshetnikov were second and third in 3:56 and 4:07.
Nick Handel, the 2025 Quad Dipsea men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Additional Races and Runs
3 Días Trail Ibiza – Ibiza, Spain
It was a Spanish sweep in all the races. In the 73k race, Gemma Arenas and Pablo Ibáñez were victorious in 7:21 and 6:08. María Teresa La Chica Lhoëst and Pau Capell won the 41k in 3:52 and 3:51, and Laura Figueiredo and Antonio Martínez were best in the 23k in 2:15 and 1:49. Full results.
Shanghai Marathon – Shanghai, China
This year’s OCC winner Miao Yao (China) ran 2:30:13 for the road marathon. Full results.
Kendal Skyline Ultra 50k – Kendal, U.K.
Jessie Rowlands finished in 4:17 to set a new women’s course record, and Joshua Beaumont set a new men’s record in 3:49. Full results.
Jessie Rowlands, the 2025 Kendal Skyline Ultra women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Joshua Beaumont, the 2025 Kendal Skyline Ultra men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Soweto Marathon – Soweto, South Africa
Comrades Marathon course record holder Gerda Steyn (South Africa) was third in 2:37:00. Full results.
Canadian Cross Country Championships – London, Ontario, Canada
Fast-starter Andy Wacker (U.S.) bolted to an early lead and ultimately finished seventh in 30:10 for the cross-country 10k. Full results.
The Derby 50k – Ellerbe, North Carolina
Race winners Caroline Hardin and John Dallas ran 4:39 and 3:32. Full results.
Call for Comments
- The longtime Oxfam Trailwalker fundraising ultra was canceled after a devastating apartment fire in Hong Kong.
- The postponed IAU 50k World Championships have been rescheduled for March 14, 2026, again in New Delhi, India.
- Next weekend’s California International Marathon elite entrant list shows trail runners Kodi Kleven, Anne Flower, Courtney Dauwalter, Christian Allen, and Makai Clemons among its starters.
- Are there any turkey trot results to add to this week’s column?
