This Week In Running: July 6, 2026

Canada’s Québec Mega Trail had both World Trail Majors and Golden Trail World Series races, and in Spain, Val D’Aran was a UTMB World Series Major. Those two big events were the weekend’s highlights, with the Mount Marathon Race in Alaska and the Grossglockner Mountain Run in Austria featuring top competition too.

Val D’Aran by UTMB – Val D’Aran, Spain

The big event in the Spanish Pyrenees was the UTMB World Series European Major. There was a 73,500 Euro prize purse across the VDA, CDH, and PDA races, with 5,000 Euro to the winners.

VDA

The long course went for 101 miles and with almost 33,000 feet of climbing, and the finish times reflect that level of challenge.

Women’s winner Katarzyna Dombrowska (Poland) finished in 27:33, and Aroa Sío (Spain) and Salomé Grihon (France) were next in 29:13 and 30:15.

Santos Gabriel Rueda (Argentina) won for the men in 21:32, and Théo Soriano (France) and Delbi Villa Gongora (French Polynesia) were second and third in 22:23 and 22:47. Pre-race favorite Beñat Marmissolle (France) did not finish. He dropped at the 40-mile mark while in second place.

CDH

Women’s winner Miao Yao (China) was almost an hour better than the next woman, and she got clear to eighth overall. Yao finished the 68-mile course and its 21,000 feet of climbing in 13:04. Alexandra Cassan-Ferrier (France) and Mari Klakegg Fenre (Norway) were second and third in 14:01 and 14:25.

The women’s top five was:

1. Miao Yao (China) – 13:04:34
2. Alexandra Cassan-Ferrier (France) – 14:01:37
3. Mari Klakegg Fenre (Norway) – 14:25:16
4. Claudia Tremps (Spain) – 14:46:26
5. Mireai Pons (Spain) – 14:56:54

A 60-minute time penalty to longtime leader Julen Calvó (Spain) blew up the late-race leaderboard. Calvo led almost all of the first 60 miles but went back to finish sixth. That vaulted Gautier Bonnecarrère (France) to the men’s win. Bonnecarrère finished first in 12:08, and Abel Carretero (Spain) and Matis Leray (France) went to second and third in 12:19 and 12:27.

The men’s top five was:

1. Gautier Bonnecarrère (France) – 12:08:55
2. Abel Carretero (Spain) – 12:19:21
3. Matis Leray (France) – 12:27:12
4. Remy Brassac (France) – 12:32:31
5. Benjamin Tremont (France) – 12:42:02

TDL

After nearly 47 miles and 16,700 feet of climbing, less than 10 minutes separated women’s winner Gemma Arenas (Spain) from runner-up Yana Vasianovych (Ukraine) in 10:28 and 10:38. The men’s race came down to a sprint finish, with Adrien Jacques (France) a single second faster than Ivan Calvó (Spain) in 8:29.

PDA 55k

The race name is an acronym for Peades d’Aigua, and the course went 34 miles across a stunning glacial cirque with 50 alpine lakes. Two major climbs pushed the race to 10,800 feet of elevation gain.

Less than six minutes separated the first four women. As close as it was, Sara Alonso (Spain) was a constant in front. She led the whole way and won in 6:20.

Madalina Amariei (Romania) was three to four minutes behind Alonso as early as the first checkpoint, and that same gap stuck for the rest of the race. Núria Gil (Spain) was in the podium mix all day, too, in a back-and-forth with Amariei. It came down to the race’s last downhill, and Amariei got to the finish in 6:23 with Gil in third at 6:25.

The women’s top five was:

1. Sara Alonso (Spain) – 6:20:12
2. Madalina Amariei (Romania) – 6:23:06
3. Núria Gil (Spain) – 6:25:43
4. Naiara Irigoyen (Spain) – 6:26:00
5. Estel Roig (Spain) – 6:31:25

For the U.S., Helen Mino Faukner was just outside the top five in sixth in 6:47.

The men’s race was especially dynamic. Anthony Felber (France) led for most of the first 22 miles, but Gianluca Ghiano (Italy) and Luca Del Pero (Italy) both passed him soon after.

Del Pero finished first in 5:23, Ghiano finished second in 5:27, and longtime leader Felber finished third in 5:29.

The men’s top five was:

1. Luca Del Pero (Italy) – 5:23:25
2. Gianluca Ghiano (Italy) – 5:27:42
3. Anthony Felber (France) – 5:29:50
4. Josep Miret (Spain) – 5:36:13
5. Leonard Mitrica (Romania) – 5:36:41

Sky Master

The 11-mile race had almost 3,000 feet of climbing, too.

Vivien Bonzi (Italy) was a three-plus-minute winner in the women’s race in 1:39, and Núria Tarragó (Spain) and Paula Mata (Spain) were next in 1:42 and 1:43.

Jan Torrella (Spain) was 37 seconds better than Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) in the men’s race, and both finished in 1:20. Oriol Cardona (Spain), 2026 Olympic ski mountaineering gold medalist, was less than a minute behind the winner in third at 1:21.

Full results.

Québec Mega Trail – Beaupré, Québec, Canada

The event hosted about 3,900 runners from 25 different countries across its races. The QMT135 and QMT50 races were part of the World Trail Majors, and the QMT30 was part of the Golden Trail World Series.

QMT135

The long course race was 134k with about 6,000 meters of climbing, or 82 miles and 19,685 feet. Both women’s and men’s course records were broken.

Valérie Arsenault led an all-Canadian women’s podium and won in 18:12. She was almost an hour better than Maryline Nakache’s old record, and she was over an hour better than the second-place woman.

Men’s winner Kamil Leśniak (Poland) ran the race’s first sub-17 finish in 16:40.

QMT80

Though not part of the World Trail Majors, Sarah Bergeron-Larouche (Canada) and Dakota Jones (U.S.) won the 80k race in 9:04 and 7:51.

QMT50

The 51k race was part of the World Trail Majors, and all of the women’s and men’s podiums bettered the old course records.

Ikram Rharsalla (Spain) took control of the women’s race on the second big climb and finished just in front of Élisa Morin (Canada). The two frontrunners finished in 5:07 and 5:09, and Leya Masson (Canada) was third in 5:35.

The host country swept the men’s podium. Alexandre Ricard got to the front in 4:34, and Dany Racine and Chris Balestrini were second and third in 4:43 and 4:48.

QMT30

The 30k race was part of the Golden Trail World Series. The competitive depth was slightly lower than the Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k two weeks ago (which wasn’t part of the GTWS), but many of the top international runners returned to finish off a North American two-race tour. Prize money totaled 40,800 Euro across the top 10 women and men.

Earlier this year at the Ledro Sky Trentino race, Caroline Kimutai (Kenya) ran to an early lead, and Mădălina Florea (Romania) couldn’t catch her. Florea didn’t make that same mistake and instead wisely stayed close early and ran away late. Florea won in 2:27 and was over seven minutes in front of second place.

Marie Nivet (France) caught a fading Kimutai for second, and the pair finished in 2:34 and 2:36.

The top 10 women were:

1. Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 2:27:14
2. Marie Nivet (France) – 2:34:18
3. Carolina Kimutai (Kenya) – 2:36:24
4. Barbora Bukovjan (Czech Republic) – 2:37:55
5. Lindsay Webster (Canada) – 2:46:22
6. Sydney Petersen (U.S.) – 2:48:43
7. Alexa Aragon (U.S.) – 2:50:02
8. Caterina Stenta (Italy) – 2:50:56
9. Meggy Bourassa (Canada) – 2:51:52
10. Sarah Carter (U.S.) – 2:52:55

Two weeks ago at the Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k, Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) scored a rare win against Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco). And that created a storyline for their next race. Would Kiriago again win, or would Elazzaoui return to GTWS supremacy? Instead, neither happened. Kiriago beat Elazzaoui, but it wasn’t enough to win.

There was a breakaway front six men, and then there was everyone else. The gap between the lead group and the chasers was profound. Those first six finished all within 48 seconds of each other, and seventh place was over six minutes behind sixth place.

Samwel Kiprotich (Kenya) emerged from the lead group first, ultimately outdueling Kiriago for the win. Both Kiprotich and Kiriago ran 2:08 with six seconds between them. Nashon Kiplimo (Kenya) was third, and Elazzaoui was fourth.

The top 10 men were:

1. Samwel Kiprotich (Kenya) – 2:08:21
2. Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 2:08:27
3. Nashon Kiplimo (Kenya) – 2:08:35
4. Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 2:08:53
5. Ezekiel Rutto (Kenya) – 2:08:57
6. Timothy Kibett (Kenya) – 2:09:09
7. Taylor Stack (U.S.) – 2:15:38
8. Remi Leroux (Canada) – 2:17:56
9. Isacco Costa (Italy) – 2:20:09
10. Brayan Rodríguez (Mexico) – 2:22:26

Full results.

Grossglockner Mountain Run – Heiligenblut, Austria

The uphill 13k race was part of the Mountain Running World Cup. The race included a brutal 522-stair-step finish.

Kenya took the first four spots in the women’s race. Ruth Gitonga was almost a minute in front at 1:22, and Jedidah Sang and Gloria Chebet were just over a minute apart in 1:23 and 1:24 for second and third.

The women’s top five was:

1. Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) – 1:22:29
2. Jedidah Sang (Kenya) – 1:23:26
3. Gloria Chebet (Kenya) – 1:24:34
4. Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) – 1:27:03
5. Kirsty Skye Dickson (U.K.) – 1:27:15

Kenyan runners were almost as dominant on the men’s side, taking the first three finish positions and six of the top 10. It wasn’t close, and Richard Atuya was a two-plus-minute winner in 1:10. Ephantus Njeri and Elijah Kariuki got to the top next in 1:12 and 1:14.

The top five men were:

1. Richard Atuya (Kenya) – 1:10:20
2. Ephantus Njeri (Kenya) – 1:12:33
3. Elijah Kariuki (Kenya) – 1:14:26
4. Tiziano Moia (Italy) – 1:14:38
5. Lukas Ehrle (Germany) – 1:14:50

Full results.

Mount Marathon Race – Seward, Alaska

It was the 98th running of the 5k straight up and down Mount Marathon. This year’s race was in wet, rainy conditions with a crowd-lined downtown finish.

Klaire Rhodes was just third to the high point turnaround, 11 seconds behind then-leader Kendall Kramer. Rhodes, though, backed the climb up with the race’s fifth-best downhill and won in 49:55. It was her third straight win. Christy Marvin was second in 50:51, and Shauna Severson used the race’s fastest downhill to get on the podium third in 51:22. Uphill leader Kramer finished seventh.

David Norris won the men’s race for the seventh time. He got to the top first and came down eighth-best to win in 43:08. Jessie McAuley (Canada) and Bayden Menton were second and third in 43:54 and 44:02.

Full results.

Additional Races and Runs

Cordillera Skyrace Extreme – Huarez, Peru

It was another very high altitude race in the Skyrunner World Series, and helmets were required. The race reached 4,510 meters (14,800 feet) on a 25k course in the Peruvian Andes. Official results haven’t yet hit the web, but social media points to José Manuel Quispe (Peru) as the men’s winner and Aydee Loayza Huaman (Peru), a 2:28 marathoner, as the women’s winner.

Masters Skyrunning World Championships – Arêches-Beaufort, Savoie, France

There was a 4k Vertical race and a 23k Skyrace on back-to-back days as part of the Pierra Menta summer event. In the Vertical, Céline Jeannier (France) won in 39:08, and for the men, Matthieu Le Fur (France) was first up in 31:23. Christian Hoffman (Austria) was first in the men’s master’s championship in 34:50, and Marianna Jagerčíková (Slovakia) won the master’s event for the women in 41:57.

In the Skyrace, where helmets and climbing harnesses were required, Lea Carlesso (France) was first woman in 3:47, and Celia Neto (Portugal) was first as part of the Masters Skyrunning World Championships in 4:16. Similarly for the men, Simon Bibollet (France) was first in 3:00, but Christian Hoffman was agian first in the master’s championship race in 3:07. Full results.

Dyrfjöll Trail Run – Borgarfjörður Eystri, Iceland

Official results haven’t yet hit the web, but social media points to Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) and Þorsteinn Roy Jóhannsson (Iceland) as 24k winners. Full results (when available).

Bernina Ultraks – Pontresina, Switzerland

The marathon-distance race covered a glacial course and crowned Nadja Faessler (Switzerland) and Tomas Farnik (Czech Republic) as winners in 4:37 and 3:58. Full results.

Zermatt Marathon – Zermatt, Switzerland

The uphill marathon had Pascale Rebsamen (Switzerland) and Kevin Kibet (Kenya) reach the high-point finish first in 3:35 and 3:02. Full results.

Primiero Dolomiti Marathon – Paneveggio – Pale di San Martino Natural Park, Italy

The event was an Italian championship, and the races were close. Alice Gaggi won in 3:20, only nine seconds better than second-place Martina Bilora. Third-place Adeline Musabyeyezu was less than two minutes back at 3:22. And then only 21 and 49 seconds split men’s winner Cesare Maestri from runner-up Riccardo Borgialli and third-place Luca Cagnati, all in 2:49. Full results.

Alpenglow 100k – Valemount, British Columbia, Canada

It was Maddie Trottier and Simon Widmann on top here in 14:07 and 12:02. Full results.

Grand Targhee Wildflower Run 50k – Alta, Wyoming

A small field was led by Tyler Stewart and Jeffrey Earnst in 6:03 and 5:19. Full results.

Telluride Rundola – Telluride, Colorado

The race went up 1,800 feet over 2.4 miles. Race locals Seven Tudor and Ryan Becker won in 26:20 and 20:28. Full results.

Afton Trail 50k – Hastings, Minnesota

At Afton State Park, Jess Guile and Alex Forte won in 5:32 and 3:39. Full results.

Whiteface Skyrace – Wilmington, New York

The two-lap Skyrace was the first race of the Skyrunner USA Series, but had just 19 finishers. Robin Vieira Brower and Morgan Elliott won in 3:24 and 2:48. The Mountain Race was half the distance of the Skyrace, and Bridget Cobham and Timmy Parr won in 1:44 and 1:20. Brianna Karboski and Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau won the Vertical K in 51:02 and 33:15. Full results.

Call for Comments

Did you see any other trail fireworks over the weekend?