In this week’s Trail and Ultra News Recap for May 18, you can read about how Elhousine Elazzaoui outran Kilian Jornet and Rémi Bonnet and how Tove Alexandersson broke the women’s course record by 8 minutes at the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in Spain, how Colorado runner Addie Bracy was the outright winner of a 55-mile trail race in Colorado Springs, how and why a Utah runner logged 1,000 miles around a high school track, find out about Rachel Entrekin’s three-year contract extension with Norda, and get a glimpse of what Satisfy and Adidas did to launch a limited-release collab shoe in Tucson, Arizona. Plus, you can dig into the results of numerous trail races across the U.S. and catch up on key podcasts you might have missed.
Read more in this week’s Trail and Ultra News Recap for May 18 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 Recap for May 18
Elazzaoui and Alexandersson win Zegama-Aizkorri
In the 25th running of the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon in Spain, Rémi Bonnet surged to an early lead but faded to sixth place late as defending champion Elhousine Elazzaoui and 2025 third-place finisher Daniel Pattis caught Bonnet near the halfway point, with Elazzaoui once again using a powerful finishing kick to secure the win in 3:45:00, just 20 seconds ahead of Pattis.
Colorado runner Taylor Stack (pictured above) steadily moved through the field before charging onto the podium during the race’s final downhill section to finish third in 3:52, a notable result given the rarity of American men reaching the podium at Zegama. Meanwhile, 11-time champion Kilian Jornet was competitive early before fading over the second half of the race with a reported leg issue and ultimately finishing 41st.
In the women’s race, Tove Alexandersson stormed around the Aizkorri Massif in 4:08, obliterating the course record by 8 minutes despite muddy conditions as she eclipsed Nienke Brinkman’s previous mark from 2022. Alexandersson dominated the race, finishing more than 16 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Malen Osa surged past defending champion Sara Alonso late in the race to claim second place in 4:23, while Alonso finished third in 4:25. Even well behind Alexandersson’s record-setting performance, Osa’s finishing time still ranked as the third-fastest in race history.
Read More: iRunFar
Addie Bracy Wins Ram Party Outright
A week after helping pace Rachel Entrekin at the Cocodona 250, Addie Bracy was the outright winner of the Ram Party 55-mile trail race on Saturday in Colorado Springs in a course-record 8:02:18, winning by more than an hour over runner-up John Harris, 26, of Aurora, Colorado (9:13:33). The 39-year-old Bracy, who is heading to the Western States 100 on June 28, averaged 8:46 per mile on a course that included 7,000 feet of elevation gain/loss and a high point of 9,500 feet above sea level.
Full Results: UltraSignup
Kallhof, Doxey Win Cruel Jewel 100
At the Cruel Jewel 100 in Georgia, masters runners swept the men’s podium, led by Brian Kallhof, who won in 25:04:28. Kevin Tiffany finished second just over 11 minutes later in 25:16:06, while Jamal Diboun took third in 26:03:08.
In the women’s race, Rachel Doxey powered to victory in 27:45:53, the fourth-fastest women’s time in race history, while also placing tenth overall. Catie Markesich finished second in 30:48:37, and Christina Ramirez claimed third in 31:52:20.
In the 50-mile race, Cody Bare (12:02:11) and Holly Adams (14:03:25) were the winners.
Read More: Ultrarunning Magazine
Guarino, Bates Win Tillamook Burn 50 Mile
At the Tillamook Burn 50 Mile in Oregon on Saturday, Matthew Guarino claimed the men’s title in 7:06:58. Oscar Ponteri finished second in 7:25:55, while Craig Gillis rounded out the podium in third with a time of 7:53:56.
In the women’s race, Angela Bates earned the win in 10:16:13. Margaret Link followed in second place in 10:27:23, and Aurore Maurin finished just 38 seconds later in 10:28:01 to complete the women’s podium.
Read More: Ultrarunning Magazine
Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run
In the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run in Virginia, Andrew Simpson delivered a dominant performance to win the men’s race in 18:26:17, recording the seventh-fastest finishing time since the event began in 1995. Graham Strzelecki finished second in 20:54:39, while Derek Prosser claimed third in 21:58:52.
In the women’s race, Cali Janulis captured the title in 23:35:34, placing ninth overall and recording the eighth-fastest women’s time in race history. Nora Jodrey finished just 13 minutes later to take second and tenth overall, while Sheila Martin rounded out the podium in 25:15:02.
Full Results: UltraSignup
Norda Extends Rachel Entrekin’s Contract Through 2029
Rachel Entrekin became a member of the Norda Trail Team in November 2025, but a new contract extension announced on May 18 will ensure her position on the roster through 2029. Since joining the norda Trail Team, Rachel has added several podium finishes to her record. The most notable was her performance at the 2026 Cocodona 250, in which she became the first woman to win the race outright — shattering the overall course record by more than two and a half hours, while showing what ultrarunning looks like at its highest, most prepared, most dedicated level.
It was more than a win: it was an effort that both rewrote the record books and rewired assumptions of what’s possible in a 200+ mile race. Through her three days and two nights of racing at Cocodona, Rachel wore the forthcoming norda 055, a shoe set for release in summer 2026.
“Rachel is a singular talent and a one-of-a-kind individual who embodies norda’s values,” said norda co-founder and CEO Nick Martire. “We pride ourselves on making the finest trail running footwear, and working with an athlete of her caliber offers both invaluable feedback and a chance to push the boundaries of what’s possible in trail, together. We’re committed to enabling Rachel to reach her full potential in our sport.”
“Extending my partnership with norda was an easy decision,” said Rachel, naming the 055 and 002 as her favorite models from the norda lineup. “They’ve been supportive of my goals and receptive to my product feedback since the first day I was a member of the team. I’m thrilled to continue building with them.”
More Coverage of Trail and Ultra Races
Other weekend races included the Quest for the Crest, O’Neill Park Trail Races, Devil Makes Three 50K, Silver State, Tough as Nails Roxy Ann Trail Race, Trails to the Sky, Timp Trail Marathon and Half, Butterfield Blitz Backyard, Devil Makes Three, Pound the Mound, The Piasa Trail Races, High Leah, Armed Forces Endurance Run, Rumble on the Ridge, Forgotten Forest Ultra Run, Big Butts, Race to the Tower Trail Race, The Hill Raisin’ Half & Fun Run, Sunderbruch B&B Trail Races, and Winona Forest Chase the Day Trail Ultra.
For more race results, visit UltraSignup’s results finder page.
UltraRunning’s Ultra Weekend Recap: May 17
Read More: UltraRunning Magazine
iRunFar’s This Week in Running: May 18
Read More: iRunFar
Training and Inspiration
Utah Runner Logs 1,000 Miles on a High School Track
It may go down as one of the wildest Strava uploads ever: 1,000 miles in 18 days, 13 hours, and 11 minutes. Mason Wright—the 45-year-old Salt Lake City-based ultrarunner known on Instagram as “Buff Runner”—recently completed the massive track challenge at Layton High School in Layton. Wright became the first American and only the third person ever to run 1,000 miles around a track, following ultrarunning legend Yiannis Kouros and Australia’s Nedd Brockmann, to accomplish the feat. The challenge also raised money for The Single Parent Project, which supports single-parent families.
Wright spent nearly every day running from around 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., taking only short breaks for food, hydration, and medical treatment. By the halfway point, he was battling nerve damage in his legs and feet, and later revealed that the pain persisted throughout the remainder of the effort despite regular physiotherapy and massage treatments.
Read More: Canadian Running
Colorado’s Suzan Brydon running the Eastern Section of American Discovery Trail
Suzan Brydon, a 56-year-old runner from Westminster, Colorado, is running approximately 625 miles from Cape Henlopen, Delaware to Cincinnati on the eastern segment of the American Discovery Trail. She’s part of an organization called Soles4Soles, a non-profit that gives a fresh pair of running shoes to homeless children.
Read More: WDTV
Sailing the World has Transformed Ultrarunner Christian Schiester’s Outlook
In 1987, Australia’s Christian Schiester weighed 100kg and smoked 40 cigarettes a day. In an effort to turn his health around he started running and, within two years, had completed the New York Marathon and won his first half-marathon. Since then, he’s entered famously punishing endurance races such as the Marathon des Sables, Himalayan Run, Antarctic Ice Ultra and 4 Deserts series. Two years into his circumnavigation of the globe by boat, Schiester has encountered storms, doldrums and exhaustion, but nature’s beauty has changed his life forever.
Read More: Red Bull
Gear
Satisfy x Adidas Launch Shoe Collab with Rave Run
Satisfy Running and Adidas combined to hold a music-infused collaboration shoe launch in the Arizona desert on Saturday. The event—called “The Circle Pit”—blending trail running, underground music culture, rave aesthetics, and performance running into an immersive brand experience staged around Oro Valley and the Sonoran Desert near Tucson.
The concept leaned heavily into Satisfy’s signature mix of trail running, counterculture fashion, punk/metal influences, and nightlife energy. Instead of a traditional race, runners ran laps on a paved rolling course accompanied by loud music, DJ sets, heavy-metal-inspired visuals, nighttime lighting, and community-driven running culture. The activation also teased an upcoming Satisfy x Adidas collaboration collection, likely focused on trail running footwear and apparel.
The event generated attention because it represents a broader shift in running culture: brands increasingly blending performance sports with fashion, music, art, and experiential events aimed at younger, style-conscious runners. Satisfy in particular has become known for turning trail running into a lifestyle and cultural movement rather than just a sport.
Videos
The Real Reason Trail Runners Got Angry About Satisfy
In this video, Josh Rosenthal of Borderlands Trail Running, says running culture exploded last weekend after a Satisfy x Adidas event in Arizona triggered accusations of cringe, elitism, fashion cosplay, and the death of authenticity. But, he posits, the backlash revealed something much deeper about modern trail running: the sport already runs on aesthetics, identity, status signaling, and cultural aspiration.
An Invitation to Run Differently
This film explores mindfulness, ultra running, trail running and the deeper reasons why people choose to run. Following British runner Tommy Lewis across London and the Lakes District, it challenges the modern culture surrounding running and asks a much simpler question: What if running doesn’t need to be entirely about pace, status or validation?
Podcasts
The Trailhead Podcast: Social Psychologist Emily Balcetis
In this episode of The Trailhead, Zoë Rom and Brendan Leonard sit down with Emily Balcetis, a social psychologist who studies how vision and perception shape motivation.
The Buzz Podcast: Legendary Trail Runner Matt Carpenter
In one of his rare long-form interviews, Matt Carpenter sits down with Buzz Burrell to talk about his untouchable Pikes Peak Marathon record and a career that saw him win 18 times on Pikes Peak and set records at numerous high-altitude races around the world.
RELATED: 5 Key Takeaways from the 2026 Cocodona 250 and How it Could Shape the Future of the Sport
RELATED: Are 200s the New 100s? The Fast-Growing Category of 200-mile+ Ultra-Distance Races in the U.S.
RELATED: Rachel Entrekin Asks ‘Why Not You?’ and Answers with a Next-Gen Win at the Cocodona 250
