Not one, not two, but three world records happened this weekend. Wow!
The World Mountain Running Association’s Mountain Running World Cup got started, and the Skyrunner World Series kept going too.
You can also check out our race coverage from earlier in the weekend:
Six Days of France – Vallon Pont d’Arc, France
What a couple of years it’s been for six-day racing. Earlier men’s and women’s world records had stood for decades, and now both have fallen more than once.
The mostly flat course went for 0.70294 miles per lap, or 1.13128 kilometers, and was the Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) world championships for the six-day fixed time.
Men
Ivan Zaborsky (Russia) set a new men’s world record in his first go at the fixed time. Zaborsky, age 37, totaled 650.920 miles (1,047.554 kilometers). The distance bettered Matthieu Bonne’s previous world record by only 1.26 miles (2.03 kilometers.) Bonne, of Belgium, set the earlier mark in September 2024 at the 2024 GOMU-EMU 6-Day World Championships in Hungary.
Ivan Zaborsky had a strong final 24 hours to secure a new men’s six-day world record. Photo: Samuel L’hermillier
Behind Zaborsky, Frank Gielen (Belgium) and Jean-Michel Terme (France) totaled 559.537 miles (900.487k) and 523.842 miles (843.042k).
Women
Megan Eckert (U.S.) thrilled in the women’s race with a new world record too. Eckert totaled 603.156 miles (970.685 km). The mark topped Camille Herron’s old world record by 42.7 miles and came really close to Joe Fejes’ 606.243-mile American record. Herron’s mark had stood since the March 2024 FURTHER race in California.
Megan Eckert put on a masterclass in pacing over the course of her six days of running. Photo: Samuel L’hermillier
Behind Eckert, Irina Masanova (Russia) ran 517.564 miles (832.937k) and Mariana Nenu (Belgium) totaled 405.862 miles (653.171k).
As is usual, both records are pending ratification.
Legends Backyard Belgium – Retie, Belgium
Łukasz Wróbel (Poland) and Jan Vandekerckhove (Belgium) ran 116 and 115 yards, respectively. That’s 483 miles and 479 miles each over 116 and 115 hours. That’s nearly five days in a row of racing with minimal sleep.
Belgian runners Marijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert, and Frank Gielen previously held the world record at 458 miles, set at the 2024 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships.
Full results (when available).
Zmeu X-Fest – Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Romania
The year’s first Mountain Running World Cup, put on by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), race went 20k and with 1,750 meters of climbing across three big climbs (12 miles, 5,740 feet.) The event was named for Zmeu, a dragon-like creature from Romanian folklore.
Men
Kenyan runners Paul Machoka and Kevin Kibet went one-two, but Henri Aymonod (Italy) made it a game late. Machoka and Kibet gapped the field early and only in the final climb and ultimate descent did Aymonod get close. Aymonod sprinted to the line two seconds behind Kibet. The three frontrunners finished in 1:48:52, 1:49:13, and 1:49:15, respectively.
After the Kenyan front two, Italian runners finished, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
Paul Machoka, the 2025 Zmeu X-Fest men’s winner. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
Women
Scout Adkin (U.K.), the series’s 2024 winner, dominated the women’s run. Adkin finished in 2:03:18 and that was way ahead of everyone else.
Although it wasn’t close for the win, it was after that. Valentine Rutto (Kenya) and Madalina Amariei (Romania) sprinted it out and the photo finish was called a tie. Rutto and Amariei finished in 2:18:57.
Romanian runners took six of the next seven finish spots to round out the top 10, but fourth place was already another 14 minutes back of Rutto and Amariei.
Scout Adkin, the 2025 Zmeu X-Fest women’s winner. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
The next WMRA World Cup races are the May 24 and 25 Vertical and Trofeo Nasego in Italy.
Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB – Thailand
Betong 100M
The event’s long course was actually just 68 miles but with 21,095 feet of climbing. Gediminas Grinius (Lithuania) won big with 16:02 on the clock, over an hour and half better than second place, and Jun-Yue Zheng (China) led the women in 21:23. Zheng was almost four hours ahead of the next woman.
Tunnel 100k
Going for 53 miles, Riccardo Montani (Italy) and Jiang-Rong Yuan (China) won in 9:32 and 13:33.
Jungle 50k
Yutaro Yokouchi (Japan) and Priya Rai (Nepal) were the best in 5:27 and 6:28.
Ueda Skyrace – Ueda, Japan
The year’s seventh Skyrunner World Series race went 24k with 3,000 meters of climbing had a field from 25 different countries.
Both races were runaways. For the men, Ruy Ueda (Japan) was way out front in 3:33. Tsubasa Fuji (Japan) and Marcel Hoche (Germany) hit the podium in 3:52 and 3:55. It was Ueda’s third time winning the race.
Ray Ueda, the 2025 Ueda Skyrace men’s winner. Photo: Skyrunner World Series
After finishing in the top 10 the last two weekends at Golden Trail World Series, Takako Takamura (Japan) crossed over to destroy the women’s group. Takamura finished in 4:19. Last week’s Skyrunner World Series winner Iris Pessey (France) was second in 4:41 and Suzuha Kusuda (Japan) was third in 4:53.
Takako Takamura, the 2025 Ueda Skyrace women’s winner. Photo: Skyrunner World Series
Additional Races and Runs
Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun – Innsbruck, Austria
In its 10th year, the big event had three distances greater than ultra length. The 110k Masters of Innsbruck was the longest and race winners Johannes Dörr (Germany) and Juliane Röbler (Germany) ran 11:13 and 13:39. The 15k race was the Austrian Championships and winners Hans-Peter Innerhofer (Austria) and Isabell Speer (Austria) scored 62:42 and 78:31 finish times. Full results.
Isle of Wight Challenge – Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Peter Soetens (Belgium) and Irina Tatarinova (Latvia) won the 106k island challenge 11:10 and 13:16. Full results.
Vancouver Marathon – Vancouver, Canada
Trail runners Sam Hendry and Kat Drew ran 2:27 and 2:47 for eighth and fifth, respectively. Full results.
Wild Horse Traverse 52k – Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Race champs Craig Logan and Jayda Jurome took it in 4:32 and 5:10. Full results.
The 2025 Wild Horse Traverse 52k men’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Kevin Grigg, 1. Craig Logan, 3. Grant Flagler. Photo: Wild Horse Traverse 52k
The 2025 Wild Horse Traverse 52k women’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Phoebe Cseresnyes, 1. Jayda Jurome, 3. Katie Mayer. Photo: Wild Horse 52k
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12k – Spokane, Washington
Andy Wacker and Courtney Olsen took to the roads for the competitive race. Wacker was ninth in 35:25 and Olsen was 14th in 43:54. That’s 4:45 and 5:54 minutes per mile. Full results.
McDonald Forest 50k – Corvallis, Oregon
James Holk and Theresa Fritz-Endres won the longtime run in 4:25 and 4:49. Full results.
Sisters Country 50k – Sisters, Oregon
A new course record and repeat win went to men’s champ Evan Moreau in 3:35 and Rachel Peters led the women in 4:12. Full results.
Miwok 100k – Stinson Beach, California
Colton Ransom won big in the men’s race in 8:47, and Kristina Randrup edged Amy Cameron for the women’s crown, 10:09 to 10:12. Full results.
The 2025 Miwok 100k men’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Mario Mendoza, 1. Colton Ransom, 3. Jacques Saarbach. Photo: Miwok 100k
The 2025 Miwok 100k women’s podium (l-to-r): 3. Laura Westmeyer, 1. Kristina Randrup, 2. Amy Cameron. Photo: Miwok 100k
Heaven’s Gate 20 Mile – Riggins, Idaho
Zach Garner beat defending champ Mac Moss for the men’s win and took Moss’s former course record too. Garner ran 3:30 and Moss 3:39 for the big mountain course. Moss also bettered his old 3:44 best. And the first three women all went faster than the old record for the second-year race. Pollee Brookings was just over a minute better than Natalie Ghelfi in 4:39 and 4:40, and third place Emily Holmes ran 5:02. Full results.
Greenland Trail Races – Larkspur, Colorado
Jonathan Aziz went really quick for a 3:09 men’s win and Rochelle Basil led the women in 4:20. Full results.
Collegiate Peaks Trail Run – Buena Vista, Colorado
Daniel Metzger and Grace Leslie took the two-lap 50-mile course in 6:57 and 9:06, and Joel Shores and Jenna Bensko won the 25 miler in 3:30 and 3:27. Bensko edged Amanda Basham by 45 seconds for the women’s crown. Full results.
Daniel Metzger, the 2025 Collegiate Peaks 50 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Jordan Chapell
Grace Leslie, the 2025 Collegiate Peaks 50 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Jordan Chapell
USATF 5k Road National Championships – Indianapolis, Indiana
Second at the recent USATF 50k Road National Championships, Sophie Seward was 24th here in 17:06. Full results.
Kanawha Trace Trail Run – Ona, West Virginia
Caleb Bowen won the 50k for at least the fifth time, finishing in 4:20, and Virginia-Bibb Golden nabbed the women’s win in 6:43. Full results.
Grayson Highlands 50/50 – Mouth of Wilson, Virginia
The 50-mile winners were Patrick Wachter and Lindsay Deacon in 7:27 and 9:14, and best in the 50k was Joshua Lasky and Nobie Clark in 5:15 and 5:13. Full results.
XTERRA New Jersey Trail Run – Wawayanda State Park, New Jersey
The XTERRA Trail Run World Series event had marathon and half marathon races. Brent Herring and Claudia Vira won on the long course in 3:58 and 4:20, and Yury Tambasov and Kaitlyn Hurley were best in the half at 1:26 and 1:53. Full results.
Call for Comments
What a fun weekend of racing to follow! And now there’s the Cocodona 250 Mile this week and the Transvulcania events next weekend too. Racing season is full on!
