In our Trail and Ultra News Recap for April 27, you’ll find results from this past weekend’s trail races—including Canyons Endurance Races, the World Mountain Running World Cup race on the Great Wall of China, and Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 110K event. Plus, there’s a report about the stunning new marathon world records set on the roads at the London Marathon, the news of the revival of the Dragon’s Back Race in the UK, an inspiring profile of Atlanta masters runner Lauren Jones, a review of the new Nike ACG Ultrafly shoes, and more.
Read more in this week’s Trail and Ultra News Recap below, cutting through the noise to the trail running headlines you don’t want to miss from media outlets across the sport. And be sure to browse for your next trail or ultra race on UltraSignup.
Race Results and News
Peterman, Brady Take Competitive Canyons 100K Titles
Each of last weekend’s races at the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB in Auburn, California, had talented runners and each of those races had fast racing action, but the 100K was the marquee race because it held the final three Golden Ticket entries to the men’s and women’s field of the June 27 Western States 100.
In the men’s race, Montana’s Adam Peterman surged over the second half of the race and eventually won in 8:18:47, but over the final 4 miles of the race there was a three-man race for the final two tickets. Through the 58-mile mark, Colorado’s Zach Miller had opened up a 10-second gap on China’s Can-Hua Luo with Utah’s Hayden Hawks 31 seconds behind Luo in fourth. Miller kept pushing to the finish and took second (8:21:05), and Hawks (8:23:28) somehow summoned the energy to hammer past a fading Luo (8:25:17) to finish third.
In the women’s race, Colorado’s Careth Arnold took an early lead and was still in front at mile 27. But Brady, seeking a third trip to Western States, was closing in and eventually caught Arnold near the 42-mile mark and never relinquished the lead. With their eyes on a Golden Ticket, Brady put a 15-minute gap on Arnold to seal the victory in 9:41:09. Sarah Allaben, a 27-year-old runner from Washington, ran strong over the final miles to take third (10:14:58) to hold off a strong performance by Sarah Humble (10:18:43).
Each of the top three men accepted a Golden Ticket entry into this year’s Western States 100, and so did Brady. However, Arnold and Allaben declined, meaning the rolldown went down to fourth-place finisher Sarah Humble and fifth-place finisher Ellaney Matarese, who both accepted.
Read More: iRunFar
2026 Western States 100 Field is Complete
With the final six Golden Tickets being awarded at the Canyons Endurance Runs—Adam Peterman, Zach Miller, Hayden Hawks, Riley Brady, Sarah Humble, and Ellaney Matarese—the 369-runner field of the 2026 Western States 100 is complete. Brady returns for a third time after dropping out last year and finishing 14th in 2023, while Humble and Matarese are first-time entrants. (Matarese, 23, is also the youngest runner in this year’s Western States field. ) On the men’s side, Peterman was the 2022 Western States champion, Hawks is a three-time top-10 finisher, while Miller is a first-timer at Western States. Both the women’s and men’s fields at the June 27 Western States 100 are among the deepest and fastest in history.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Morley, Daniels Nail Fast Canyons 50K wins
Makena Morley won the highly anticipated women’s 50K in 3:47:14 but outrunning Lauren Gregory (3:51:28) in her 50K debut Molly Seidel (4:07:03), who was racing hard in a tune-up for Western States. Matt Daniels dominated the men’s race, winning in 3:21:56 by more than a 12-minute margin.
In the Canyons 100-mile event, Germany’s Neo Ohms won in an impressive 17:50:12, but what was just as impressive was that three women came next in the overall standings: Spain’s Aroa Sio (19:24:36), then Americans Alyssa Clark (19:44:09) and Amanda Basham (20:16:26).
In Friday’s Canyons 25K, David Sinclair (1:36:51) outran up-and-coming Ares Reading (1:37:32), while Australia’s Alice Baquie won the women’s race in 2:12:58 over Grace Eversall (2:13:43).
Read More: Ultrarunning Magazine
Coppinger Top American in WMRA World Cup in China
The 2026 WMRA Mountain Running World Cup delivered a fast day of racing in Beijing’s Changping district, where the season’s third stop brought athletes to the historic Silver Pagoda Forest for the Classic Up & Down World Cup race. In Saturday’s 18k classic race, Kenyans Michael Selelo Saoli (1:25:49) and Joyce Muthoni Njeru (1:45:02) were the winners, but Americans Courtney Coppinger (2nd, 1:46:49) ran exceptionally in the women’s race, and Tyler McCandless (7th, 1:34:48) and Kieran Christian Nay (9th, 1:35:57) were top-10 finishers in the men’s race. Coppinger also finished third in Sunday’s 3.5K uphill race.
Read More: World Athletics
Esmiol, Hartmuth Win Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 110K
Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth (14:54:59) dominated the women’s race of the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Legend 110K, winning by more than an hour over American Helen Mino Faukner (15:50:00) and Canada’s Jazmine Lowther (15:54:22). On the men’s side, French runner Vincent Esmiol (12:48:03) outlasted countryman Gautier Airiau (12:56:52) while American Tyler Green took third (13:02:10)
Read More: iRunFar
Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe Shatters Marathon World Record
Even if you didn’t watch it, you probably know that Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe set a new men’s marathon world record at the London Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 1:59:30, becoming the first person to break the 2-hour barrier in an official race. The outcome remained uncertain in the closing miles, as Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, making his marathon debut, stayed with Sawe until just a mile from the finish. Kejelcha clocked 1:59:41 for second place, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning world cross country champion, finished third in 2:00:28. All three runners dipped under Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa lowered the world record for a women’s-only race with a 2:15:41. She ran away from Kenyans Hellen Obiri (2:15.53) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:15.55) late in the race to secure the record and the victory.
Read More: World Athletics
Dragon’s Back Race and Northern Traverse Acquired by Ultra X Event Company
When U.K.-based Ourea Events revealed in March 2026 that it would shut down and cancel its portfolio of iconic races—including the Northern Traverse, Cape Wrath Ultra, Dragon’s Back Race, and Skyline Scotland—the ultrarunning community was stunned. Just over a month later, however, event organizer Ultra X announced it has acquired the Dragon’s Back Race and the Northern Traverse, with plans to keep both events alive.
Read More: iRunFar
More Coverage of Trail and Ultra Races
Other weekend races included the C&O Canal 100, Royal Gorge Groove, and Hells Dells.
For more race results, visit UltraSignup’s results finder page.
UltraRunning’s Ultra Weekend Recap: April 26
Read More: UltraRunning Magazine
iRunFar’s This Week in Running: April 27
Read More: iRunFar
Training and Inspiration
Lauren Jones Has Found Success on Hospital Floors and Mountain Trails
Atlanta’s Lauren Jones balances work as pediatric nurse anesthetist with the same lightness and commitment that has made her a top tier masters ultrarunner. What makes her story compelling is that none of it comes at the expense of everything else. She has built her progression alongside a demanding career, starting later than many competitors and continuing to improve as a masters athlete.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
25 Amazing Colorado Trail Running Races To Put on Your Must-Do List
Colorado is one of the top trail running destinations in the U.S. Whether you live there or are planning to visit, here is a roundup of 25 of the best races you’ll find in the Centennial State. It’s a nowhere-near-exhaustive list of the amazing races that the state has to offer, but it has a range of long, rugged, and scenic ultras to short and blazingly fast singletrack events.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Para-Athlete Alexis Trougnou Sets Kilimanjaro FKT
French athlete Alexis Trougnou set the men’s supported para-athlete fastest known time for ascending and descending Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa at 19,341 feet (5,895 meters).Visually and hearing impaired, Trougnou completed the roughly 30-mile (48-kilometer) Rongai Route on February 20 in 26 hours, 41 minutes, and 22 seconds.
Read More: iRunFar
Hikers Climbing “Death Trail” Run Down Erupting Volcano
Footage circulating on social media captures the terrifying moment hikers run for their lives as a volcano erupted in Guatemala. The footage captures a group of hikers just meters from the crater of Santiaguito when it erupted earlier this week. A towering plume of ash blasts into the air as rocks and debris are violently hurled across the landscape. The ascent of the Santiaguito volcano is prohibited by authorities.
Read More: The Mirror
Study Compares Wilderness Preparedness Between Hikers and Trail Runners
The results showed that hikers typically spend fewer total days in the wilderness each year than trail runners, but are more likely to string together multiple days on the trail. Trail runners, meanwhile, reported higher rates of injuries and near misses. They also tended to be younger and travel in smaller groups than hikers—often heading out solo.
Read More: Gear Junkie
Gear
Nike’s ACG Ultrafly Review
The ACG Ultrafly is a very good trail running shoe, ideal for long-distance running and ultra-distance races on a variety of surfaces. Its ZoomX midsole, combined with a flexible carbon-fiber plate, delivers significant energy return and smooth propulsion, while a Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole improves traction and control.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Videos
The Cutoff: A Cocodona 250 Film
The Cutoff follows the runners at the back of the pack during Cocodona 250, a brutal 250-mile ultramarathon across Arizona from Phoenix to Flagstaff. This year’s race begins on May 4.
Heather Jackson Takes on Desert Rats 100K
After a strong but humbling first test at the Big Alta 50K, Heather Jackson shifted her focus toward executing at Desert Rats 100K. Here’s how it turned out.
Podcasts
The Buzz Podcast: Dave Mackey Lost a Leg and Kept Racing
Two-time USATF Ultrarunner of the Year Dave Mackey sits down with Buzz Burrell for a conversation that starts, literally, on the rock he fell off. In May 2015, Dave stepped on a loose boulder near the summit of Bear Peak in Boulder, Colorado, and fell roughly 25 feet with a 300-pound rock landing on his left leg. Thirteen surgeries and 17 months later, he chose to have the leg amputated below the knee. He’s been racing ever since.
Singletrack Podcast: Why Molly Sidel Signed with Satisfy
Molly Seidel joins Singletrack to break down her new multi-year partnership with Satisfy.
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