The IAU 50k World Championships, more from the Skyrunner World Series, and the 40th Pierra Menta ski mountaineering race were the weekend’s biggest highlights.
You can also check out our race coverage from earlier in the weekend:
IAU 50k World Championships – New Delhi, India
The 2025 IAU 50k World Championships were originally scheduled for December 2025 but pushed back due to air quality concerns. The field size was perhaps reduced from what might’ve happened months earlier then. There were just 32 women and 44 men on the 10-loop course.
Women
By 15k, Naomi Robinson (Great Britain) had already secured the ultimate lead, and she would finish nearly four minutes ahead of every other woman. Robinson, a 2:30 marathoner in 2022, won the race in 3:13:39.
She was most closely followed by teammate Katrina Ballantyne, who finished second in 3:17:24. Both race winner Robinson and runner-up Ballantyne eclipsed the 3:18:23 winning time that Carla Molinaro (Great Britain) ran at the 2023 IAU 50k World Championships, also in India.
Third-place Monika Brzozowska (Poland) escaped from the chase group to get on the podium in 3:19:03.
Melissa Tanner led the U.S. in 11th at 3:33:49. Also for the U.S., Alexandra Niles was 23rd in 4:07:18, but Sophie Seward dropped at the halfway point.
In the team race, Great Britain won gold ahead of Poland and Japan.
Naomi Robinson, the 2025 IAU 50k World Championships women’s winner. Photo: André Mingneau
The top five women were:
- Naomi Robinson (Great Britain) — 3:13:39
- Katrina Ballantyne (Great Britain) — 3:17:24
- Monika Brzozowska (Poland) — 3:19:03
- Magdalena Patas (Poland) — 3:20:24
- Nomine-Erdene Bayartogtokh (Mongolia) — 3:20:32
The 2025 IAU 50k World Championships women’s podium (left to right): 2. Katrina Ballantyne (Great Britain), 1. Naomi Robinson (Great Britain), 3. Monika Brzozowska (Poland). Photo: International Association of Ultrarunners
Men
British men dominated the race, taking the top six spots. At the very top, Alex Milne, fresh off a 2:11 run at the 2026 Seville Marathon, won in 2:46:09. Milne led for the race’s final 15k. Charlie Davis passed Logan Smith on the final 5k loop to finish second in 2:47:14, and Smith was third in 2:47:29.
The first four men all bettered the 2023 IAU 50k World Championships winning time of 2:48:20, run by Chakib Lachgar (Spain), and the first 19 men all finished in under three hours. The top 20 included all three American finishers. Ryan Root was 12th in 2:56:29, and Steven Mance and Nolan McKenna were 16th and 17th in 2:58:32 and 2:58:50, respectively.
Great Britain, of course, won the team competition with their sweep at the top of the individual rankings. The host country, India, was second, and the U.S. was third.
Alex Milne, the 2025 IAU 50k World Championships men’s winner. Photo: André Mingneau
The top five men were:
- Alex Milne (Great Britain) — 2:46:09
- Charlie Davis (Great Britain) — 2:47:14
- Logan Smith (Great Britain) — 2:47:29
- Sean Michael Hogan (Great Britain) — 2:47:59
- Henry Hart (Great Britain) — 2:48:32
The 2025 IAU 50k World Championships men’s podium (left to right): 2. Charlie Davis (Great Britain), 1. Alex Milne (Great Britain), 3. Logan Smith (Great Britain). Photo: International Association of Ultrarunners
Acantilados del Norte – La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
The Skyrunner World Series took to the coastal cliffs of northern La Palma for its third race. A 28k course full of volcanic terrain and Atlantic Ocean panoramas packed in 2,200 meters of climbing. That’s 17 miles and 7,218 feet.
Spanish runners dominated both races, taking seven of the top-10 women’s spots and eight of the men’s top-10 spots.
Women’s winner Sara Alonso came through in 3:00 and led a Spanish sweep of the podium. Patricia Pineda and Marta Martínez were next in 3:06 and 3:07.
Sara Alonso, the 2026 Acantilados del Norte women’s winner. Photo: Skyrunner World Series
For the men, Manuel Merillas (Spain), Frédéric Tranchand (France), and Alain Santamaría (Spain) looked ready to battle from the start, and by 12k, the former two had broken away from the rest of the field. In the end, Merillas won in 2:31, Tranchand was second in 2:33, and Santamaría was third in 2:36. After running mostly in the Golden Trail World Series last year, Damian Bogdan (Romania) was fourth in 2:37.
Full results (when available).
The next Skyrunner World Series race is Calamorro Skyrace on April 11 in Spain.
Manuel Merillas, the 2026 Acantilados del Norte men’s winner. Photo: Skyrunner World Series
Pierra Menta – Arêches-Beaufort, France
It was the 40th year of the famed two-person ski mountaineering race. There were four stages, and lots of trail runners were there.
Women
Fresh off an Olympic mixed relay gold and individual sprint silver, Emily Harrop teamed with Margot Ravinel for France to win the two-person women’s race in 12:13.
Martina Valmassoi (Italy) was part of the fifth-place women’s team, and Kelly Wolf (U.S.), Marcela Vašínová (Czech Republic), and Rea Kolbl (Slovenia) were on the eighth, ninth-, and 10th-place teams.
The Swedish team of Tove Alexandersson and Emelie Forsberg did not finish.
Men
William Bon Mardion and Xavier Gachet of France won men’s gold in 10:24, and won by only 38 seconds after four stages of racing over a second French team of Anselme Damevin and Samuel Equy.
Deeper results show Davide Magnini and William Boffelli of Italy teaming up for third, and Nadir Maguet (Italy) was part of the fourth-place team.
Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) and François D’Haene (France) raced together to finish fifth.
French trail runners were also seen further down the results. Germain Grangier was part of the 19th-place team, Louison Coiffet (France) 21st, Ludovic Pommeret (France) and Arthur Joyeux-Bouillon together in 29th, and Thibaut Garrivier 33rd.
Additional Races and Runs
Ultra-Trail Xiamen by UTMB – Xiamen, China
The UTMB World Series race nearly had a Chinese sweep of the 100k podium. Wen-Li Jiang, Li-Ping Wang, and Hua-Rong Fu, all of China, led the women’s race in 11:57, 12:12, and 12:53, respectively. It was a first-place tie for the men, with Jia-Ju Zhao (China) and Ionel Cristian Manole (Spain) both running equal-to-the-second 9:52, and Sheng Zhang (China) was third in 11:01. Full results.
Santa Barbara Nine Trails – Santa Barbara, California
The 35-mile race crowns went to Leah Yingling and Finn James in 6:44 and 6:04. Full results.
Old West Trail Runs 50k – Julian, California
Race winners Mariela Jennings and Damon Valenzona came through in 5:22 and 3:40. Full results.
Two Prairies Ultra – Fort McCoy, Florida
In the 50k race, both course records fell, with Jessica Lane winning in 5:28, and Scott Hoover in 4:45. The 30k also saw two new course records, with Emily Quintanilla claiming victory in 3:34, and Aryan Rochan winning in 2:16. Full results when available.
Jessica Lane, the 2026 Two Prairies 50k women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Scott Hoover, the 2026 Two Prairies 50k men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Marin Ultra Challenge – Sausalito, California
The event had 50-mile and 50k distances. Long course champs Leandra Zimmermann and Reed Breur ran 8:05 and 7:18, and YiOu Wang and Zander Geddes won the 50k in 4:30 and 4:03. Full results.
Catalina Island Marathon – Avalon, California
It was the 48th edition of the trail marathon, and winners Katya Meyers and Alex Heuchert came through in 3:42 and 3:12. Full results.
Mesquite Canyon 50 Mile – Waddell, Arizona
At White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Mandi Goudie and Matthew Bradner won the 50 miler in 11:48 and 9:06, and Alicia Woodside and Cody McKesson led the 50k in 5:23 and 4:32. Full results.
Run Through Time Trail Marathon – Salida, Colorado
It was the race’s 21st year, and women’s winner Amanda Ax finished in 4:03. Taylor Stack won for the men in 2:59. Stack won here in 2024, too. Full results.
The Cove 50k – Chickamauga, Georgia
Racing in the McLemore Cove, Holly Adams and Kyle Harris were victorious in 5:54 and 4:45. Full results.
Holly Adams, the 2026 Cove 50k women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Kyle Harris, the 2026 Cove 50k men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Land Between the Lakes – Grand Rivers, Kentucky
The 50-mile winners were Savannah Rose and Gregory Humkey in 8:32 and 7:27, and Rachel Schack and Joshua Horton were tops in the 60k at 5:09 and 4:52. Full results.
Death by 10k – Brandon, Mississippi
The event has runners race a 10k, five times, each one 2.5 hours apart. Veronica Steele and Joshua Alston did it in 5:24 and 4:22. Full results.
Bel Monte – Waynesboro, Virginia
The longtime race had Marisa Romeo and Aaron Cooper at the top of the 50 miler in 8:42 and 8:30, and Teresa Domin and Patrick Wachter in front of the 50k in 6:12 and 4:01. Full results.
[Founding Editor’s Note: A hat tip to my former college teammate Aaron Cooper for winning in his first official ultra only a few days after turning 50! – Bryon]
NYC Half Marathon – New York, New York
The internationally competitive road race finished inside Central Park. Lauren Gregory was 14th in 1:11:12 in the women’s race, and 50-mile world record-holder Charlie Lawrence ran 1:04:55 in the men’s race. Full results.
Call for Comments
What was going on in your neck of the woods?
