Between the start of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, it was a giant sporting weekend. There wasn’t a lot of trail racing, but we’ve got a full column of results and sporting news.
Elephant Mountain Trail Runs – Cave Creek, Arizona
The Aravaipa Running event had six different race distances at Cave Creek Regional Park. The 50-mile and 50k races were the longest.
50 Mile
Michael Versteeg narrowly finished ahead of Kyle Curtin for the men’s 50-mile win. Versteeg finished in 7:46 to Curtin’s 7:52, and third-place Jeff Browning finished in 8:28. Versteeg was just under 90 seconds slower than Cordis Hall’s course record from 2024.
Women’s winner Rebecca Lewandowski came through in 9:29, and it was a new course best. She was 29 minutes better than Kristina Pattison’s old mark from 2021. Heidi Allan was second in 10:37, and Erin Randleman was third in 11:22.
50k
Barely two minutes separated Mitch Roadnight and Kaleb Stephens in 5:27 and 5:29 in first and second. Patrick McMahon was third in 5:48.
The women’s race was even closer. Caitlin Walters and Bailey Kuechenmeister both ran 6:08, with Walters 34 seconds in front. Alicia Judy was third in 6:16.
Rocky Raccoon – Huntsville, Texas
100 Mile
It took a sub-16-hour run to get on the men’s podium. Nick Petterson ripped through Huntsville State Park in 14:38, and Jordan Taylor and Adam Gloyeske did it in 15:36 and 15:47.
Women’s winner Tatiana Rypinski dipped under the 18-hour mark with a 17:59 finish, and Val Garcia and Crystal Ross were next on the podium in 18:46 and 19:32.
100k
The three-lap 100k course had Philip Sebastiani roll the competition in 9:17. Patrick Robertson and Miles Brazil chased to 10:04 and 10:27 in second and third place.
Megan Hoogland gained the women’s crown in 11:02, and Natalie Eychaner and Anna Carter were second and third in 11:52 and 12:09, respectively.
Additional Races and Runs
Monterey Ultra and Fort Ord 50k – Monterey, California
Inside Trail’s Monterey Ultra 50 miler had David Sadowski and Jess Wacker at the top in 7:44 and 8:26. Wacker won by just 42 seconds over second-place Zoe Ray. And in the Fort Ord 50k, Andrew Walgren won in 3:48. The women’s winner finished in 4:23 but wasn’t named in the posted results. Full results.
David Sadowski, the 2026 Monterey Ultra 50 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Jenna Dobson/Let’s Wander Productions
Jess Wacker, the 2026 Monterey Ultra 50 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Jenna Dobson/Let’s Wander Productions
Golden Gate Winter 50k – Rodeo Beach, California
At the Coastal Trail Runs race, Maxwell Armenta won for the men in 5:00, but women’s winner Raena Sumiyoshi beat everyone in 4:40. Full results.
Peak to Creek 50k – Cookson, Oklahoma
A small group was led by Tommy Brennan and Chelsey Buckles in 4:57 and 6:17. Full results.
Running Up For Air – Salt Lake City, Utah
The original Running Up For Air (RUFA) event on Grandeur Peak saw Tyler Valovic and Kelly Halpin win the 24-hour event with 14 and 10 laps, respectively. Each lap had 2,560 feet of elevation gain. Full results.
Tyler Valovic, the 2026 RUFA 24-Hour men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Kelly Halpin, the 2026 RUFA 24-Hour women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
John Dick Memorial 50k – Dousman, Wisconsin
Racing in Southern Kettle Moraine, Mike Dietz and Emily Muhs won in 4:40 and 5:08. Full results.
Vail Winter Uphill – Vail, Colorado
It hardly feels like winter in Colorado right now, but the 19th annual race went 2,200 feet up a ski slope. Jaden McNeese and Kim Dobson ran up first, topping out in 33:41 and 38:21. Full results.
The start of the 2026 Vail Winter Uphill run and ski. Photo courtesy of the race.
Lake of the Woods 50k – Farmersville, Ohio
Gold medals went to Brian Goodwin and Charlotte Huang in 6:36 and 9:08. Full results.
Railway 50k – Fultondale, Alabama
On a rails-to-trails course, Owen Bradley and Linda Royce won in 4:18 and 4:30. Full results.
Uwharrie Mountain Run – Ophir, North Carolina
The 40-mile race was an out-and-back, and the 20 miler ran as a point-to-point, all on singletrack through the Uwharrie National Forest. Long-course winners Ethan Sleeman and Jordan Hausladen went 6:51 and 7:51, and Benjamin Godfrey and Amy Berkman won the 20 miler in 2:48 and 3:26. Full results.
The 2026 Uwharrie Mountain Run 40 Mile men’s podium (left to right): 2. Nick Bodnar, 1. Ethan Sleeman, 3. Ben Alain. Photo courtesy of the race.
Mill Stone 50k – Fort Mill, South Carolina
Course-record holder Drew Marshall came back from two years away to win again. Marshall didn’t get his 3:26 record but won this year’s race in 3:47. Women’s winner Annie Barron finished in 5:57. Full results.
Next Weekend
Tarawera by UTMB 102k – Rotorua, New Zealand
Two-time defending champions Daniel Jones and Ruth Croft are both expected back for a title and home turf defense, and they’ll face a truly international group of challengers. It’s a Western States 100 Golden Ticket race, and the top two men and women will earn automatic entries to this year’s Western States.
Here’s just some of the top entrants.
Men
- Ji Duo (China) – 4th 2025 UTMB
- Petter Engdahl (Sweden) – 4th 2025 OCC
- Daniel Jones (New Zealand) – 1st 2025, 2024 & 2023 Tarawera 102k
- Janosch Kowalczyk (Germany) – 1st 2024 Istria 110k
- Eric LiPuma (U.S.) – 10th 2025 Canyons 100k
- Can-Hua Luo (China) – 12th 2025 CCC
- Jonathan Rea (U.S.) – 1st 2023 Javelina 100 Mile
- Jia-Sheng Shen (China) – 8th 2025 UTMB
- Ruy Ueda (Japan) – 2nd 2025 Chiang Mai 50k
New Zealand’s Daniel Jones wins the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k, his third victory of the race. Photo: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith
Women
- Honoka Akiyama (Japan) – 12th 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail
- Katie Asmuth (U.S.) – 1st 2025 Javelina 100k
- Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) – 7th 2025 UTMB
- Jade Belzberg (U.S.) – 1st 2025 JFK 50 Mile
- Lin Chen (China) – 4th 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Ruth Croft (New Zealand) – 1st 2025, 2024, 2021 Tarawera 102k
- Beth McKenzie (U.S.) – 3rd 2025 & 2nd 2024 Tarawera 102k
[From 2016 to 2018, Beth McKenzie (née Gerdes) served a two-year doping sanction after testing positive at the 2016 Ironman Australia for ostarine, a prohibited selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
New Zealand’s Ruth Croft winning the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k, her third win and another course-record finish. Photo: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith
Black Canyon 100k – Mayer, Arizona
Just take those old records off the shelf. Deep fields are likely to challenge the 7:24:55 and 8:16:18 course records set by Seth Ruhling and Riley Brady a year ago.
It’s also a Golden Ticket race, and the top three men and women will earn automatic entries to this year’s Western States 100.
Here are just a few of the top entrants.
Men
- Zack Beavin – 2nd 2021 JFK 50 Mile
- Anthony Costales – 1st 2023 Black Canyon 100k
- Coleman Cragun – 4th 2025 Canyons 50k
- Eli Hemming – 4th 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Craig Hunt – 4th 2024 Black Canyon 100k
- Stephen Kersh – 5th 2024 Black Canyon 100k
- Tracen Knopp – 6th 2024 Black Canyon 100k
- Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 1st 2025 Canyons 100k
- Matthew Seidel – 6th 2025 Gorge Waterfalls 100k
- Blake Slattengren – 9th 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Hans Troyer – 1st 2025 JFK 50 Mile
- Canyon Woodward – 3rd 2025 Javelina 100 Mile
Eli Hemming led for much of the 2025 Black Canyon 100k, but ultimately finished fourth. Photo: World Trail Majors
Women
- Imogen Ainsworth – 2nd 2025 Leadville 100 Mile
- Shea Aquilano – 2nd 2025 JFK 50 Mile
- Jade Belzberg – 1st 2025 JFK 50 Mile
- Riley Brady – 1st 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Lin Chen (China) – 4th 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Tara Dower – 2nd 2025 Black Canyon 100k
- Anne Flower – 1st 2025 Leadville 100 Mile
- Abby Hall – 1st 2025 Western States 100
- Tabor Hemming – 2nd 2025 Canyons 50k
- Caitriona Jennings (Ireland) – 1st 2025 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile, setting a world record
- Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway) – 7th 2023 Black Canyon 100k
- Jennifer Lichter – 1st 2025 Broken Arrow 46k
- Molly Seidel – 1st 2026 Bandera 50k; Olympic Marathon bronze medalist
Riley Brady identifies as non-binary but competes in the women’s division.
Both Jade Belzberg and Lin Chen are registered for both the Tarawera 102k and the Black Canyon 100k.
Riley Brady, the 2025 Black Canyon 100k women’s winner. Brady identifies as non-binary and competes in the women’s race. Photo: World Trail Majors
2026 Golden Trail World Series
Eight races across three continents will fill the 2026 calendar.
- May 17 – Zegama Marathon (Spain)
- May 24 – Ledro Sky Trentino (Italy)
- July 5 – Québec Mega Trail (Canada)
- August 1 – Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail (Austria)
- August 8 – Sierre-Zinal (Switzerland)
- September 20 – Myoko Trail (Japan)
- September 27 – Jinshanling Great Wall (China)
- October 24 to 25 – Muju Trail Grand Finale (South Korea)
The 2026 series will award 435,000 Euro in prize money, with 30,000 Euro to the series winners.
The series also announced “enhanced out-of-competition (drug) testing throughout the season.”
Aside from 2021, when COVID-19 travel restrictions disrupted racing worldwide, this is the first time that there won’t be a Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) race in the U.S.
Although not part of the series, the prize-money-rich Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k in California is on June 21, 2026, giving GTWS runners a chance to chase big money there in between GTWS races.
In both 2024 and 2025, the series started in Asia with races in Japan and China. In 2026, the series will finish with three races in Asia, including the grand finale. Are runners based outside of Asia likely to make two trips to Asia, or skip the last two races in lieu of the Grand Finale, or stay in Asia for all of the last three contests?
Sara Alonso, the 2025 Zegama Marathon women’s winner. Photo: Igor Quijano
2026 U.S. Skyrunner Series
After several years away, a four-race U.S. Skyrunner Series will be back in 2026.
- July 4 – Whiteface Skyrace (New York)
- August 1 – Beast of Big Creek (Washington)
- August 30 – Skeetawk Skyline Scramble (Alaska)
- September 13 – Kismet Cliff Run (New Hampshire)
The Beast of Big Creek race is also part of the Skyrunner World Series.
The top three men and women in the national series will qualify for the global Skymasters competition.
Call for Comments
- The UTMB World Series is doubling up in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains in 2026. The first-year Snowbasin by UTMB event was just announced for September 10 to 12 in 2026. The event will have 58k and 28k distances at Snowbasin Resort. Notably, this is the same weekend as the legendary Wasatch Front 100 Mile, which has taken place since 1980. The UTMB World Series also hosts Speedgoat by UTMB in Utah at the nearby Snowbird ski resort. That event is scheduled for July 24 to 26, 2026.
- Cam Smith (U.S.) and Anna Gibson (U.S.) will compete in ski mountaineering in the Olympics on February 21, 2026. Skyrunner Oriol Cardona (Spain) and trail runner Lara Hamilton (Australia) will be there, too, for ski mountaineering’s February 19 and 21 Olympic debut. What other trail runners are at the Winter Olympics in Italy?
- The Kentucky Louisville’s Lovin’ the Hills 50k and the New York Beast of Burden Winter 100 Mile were among the weekend’s race postponements.
- Tarawera 102k and Black Canyon 100k are a nice match for Valentine’s Day. Who’s going to come out on top, and who’s going to be left outside the Golden Ticket chase?
