In our Trail and Ultra News Recap for April 20, you’ll find results from this past weekend’s races, news about Molly Seidel’s new deal with Satisfy, several articles full of training tips and inspirational vibes, a story about Ashley Paulson’s new 100-mile treadmill record, and new shoe reviews, as well as a roundup of newly released podcasts and YouTube videos. And don’t forget, today is Boston Marathon day, with racing action starting just after 9 a.m. ET. Find out which trail and ultrarunners are running below and how to track their progress.
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
Many Top Trail Runners in Today’s Boston Marathon
Runners and fans can tune-in to watch the 130th Boston Marathon today on ESPN2, with coverage beginning at 9 a.m. ET and continuing through 12:30 p.m. ET. On local TV, WCVB Channel 5 begins its coverage at 4 a.m. ET and continues throughout the day with extensive race coverage, interviews, and finish-line stories. The marathon will be livestreamed on the Very Local app, the ESPN App (access to ESPN required), and FloTrack (subscription required).
Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi and John Korir are back to defend their titles from a year ago, while a strong field of U.S. runners is led by women’s American record holder Emily Sisson (2:18:29) and Zouhair Talbi (2:05:45, No. 3 on the all-time U.S. list). Among the top trail and ultrarunners in today’s Boston Marathon are CJ Albertson, the world record-holder for 50K, plus Petter Engdahl, Sage Canaday, Des Linden, Eric Ghelfi, Jeffrey Stern, Sarah Humble, Don Reichelt, Maddy Pfeifer, Jill Dennes, Kaci Lickteig, Halle Gill, Lauren Dorsky, Marisa Lizak, Peter Mortimer, Tommy Rivers Puzey, and Ashley Paulson.
Six runners are attempting to run the course twice today for a 52.4-mile ultra as part of the Mount to Coast Double Boston crew, once from Boston to Hopkinton early this morning and then again running from Hopkinton to Boston during the race. That includes Maria Chevalier, 51, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, who has already completed 16 Boston Marathons. The others include Jonathon Western (Topsfield, Mass., 7 previous Boston Marathons), Kathryn Zioto (Winchester, Mass., 4 previous Boston Marathons), and Justin Hetherington (Boston, Mass., 3 previous Boston Marathons), as well as first-time Boston runners Dave Desnoyers, Nantucket, Mass., and Brendan Morgan, Shillington, Penn.
More Details: Boston Marathon Live Tracking and Results
Molly Seidel Signs with Satisfy
Today marks the start of something new for Molly Seidel. While the Tokyo Olympics marathon bronze medalist has already made a transition from world-class marathoner to elite-level trail runner, Seidel is officially entering a sponsorship deal with Satisfy. Following a period away from competition, Seidel has returned to the sport as a trail runner with a renewed perspective, prioritizing consistency, enjoyment, and long-term development over immediate results.
Seidel, 31, earned a golden ticket into this summer’s Western States 100 by placing fourth in the Black Canyon Ultras 100K. She’s racing this coming weekend at the Canyons 50K with the chance to earn entry into the OCC 50K in Chamonix, France. She has trained in Satisfy’s The Rocker shoe, but the new partnership allows her to wear any shoes she wants.
“I was really struck by the attitude they’re bringing to trail running with their going-against-the-grain, punk rock attitude they have, and I really resonate with,” Seidel told UltraSignup. “I think they bring something really special to the sport, and they’re so focused on the culture of what running is. There is a bit of that attitude of how you do something is just as important as what you do.”
Read More: Instagram
Ashley Paulson Shatters 100-Mile Treadmill World Record
Ashley Paulson ran at 7:40 mile pace for nearly 13 hours straight on a NordicTrack Ultra 1 treadmill to break the women’s world record for 100 miles on Saturday during the Boston Marathon expo. Just two months after lowering the world record for 100 miles outdoors at the Jackpot Ultras, the 44-year-old mother of four and grandmother of one from St. George, Utah, completed the 100 miles in 12 hours, 47 minutes, and 10 seconds, breaking the previous women’s treadmill world record of 14:15:08 by nearly an hour and a half. Paulson, a two-time Badwater 135 winner and women’s course record-holder, served a 6-month ban for testing positive for ostarine in 2016 after taking contaminated salt pill supplements.
Read More: Instagram
Michael Versteeg, Kate Taylor, Scott Traer, Rachel Entrekin Win at Whiskey Basin
The 11th running of the Whiskey Basin Trail Runs in Prescott, Arizona, featured five distances this year: a point-to-point 91K, plus a 60K race, 33K race, half marathon, and 10K. In Saturday’s 91K, Michael Versteeg took the win in 8:11:08, followed by Jonah Blackstrom in 8:43:36 and Jonathan Kuplack in 8:51:35. Kate Taylor claimed the women’s title in 10:01:39, finishing an impressive eighth overall. Natelia Horn placed second in 10:33:37, while Carly Schweigert rounded out the podium in 11:09:49. Scott Traer (4:40:38) and Rachel Entrekin (5:17:51) were the 60K winners, finishing first and second overall, respectively.
Results: UltraSignup
Ortiz, Currie 81K Winners at Puerto Vallarta México
Postponed from March, Puerto Vallarta México by UTMB returned for its second edition following a hiatus in 2025. The 2026 running of the 81K Hikuri race saw 149 finishers out of 171 starters, with Mexico’s Juan Belman Ortiz taking the men’s title in 8:45:44, followed by Christian Lagos (8:56:25) and Luis Urbina (9:02:24). In the women’s race, Canada’s Mandy Currie claimed top honors in 12:01:35, ahead of Karla Picard (13:01:19), while Lucero Abigaith Gomez Espindola secured third in 13:04:12.
Read More: Ultrarunning Magazine
2026 World Masters Mountain Running Championships Set for June 26-28 in the Czech Republic
The 2026 World Masters Mountain Running Championships will take place in the mountain resort of Janské Lázně in the Czech Republic from June 26-28. The championships will include runners from more than 30 countries and include a 7.5K uphill race, a 21K long-distance race, and 9K up-and-down mountain race.
More info: World Mountain Running Association
Trail Community Mourns Deaths of Two Runners
On Wednesday, April 8, a runner passed away during the 2026 Marathon des Sables Legendary stage race in Morocco, and three days later Scottish runner David Parrish died trying to beat the record for the fastest man to complete Scotland’s Cape Wrath Trail, a 234-mile route from Fort William to Cape Wrath.
Read More: iRunFar
Humanoid Robot Runs Speedy Half Marathon
Smartphone brand HONOR dominated Beijing’s humanoid robot half marathon on Saturday, sweeping all three podium spots as its “Lightning” robot completed the 21.1km course in 50:26—despite falling just metres before the finish. The time beat the human half-marathon world record of Jacob Kiplimo by more than six minutes, and was about 17 minutes faster than the quickest human runner on the day.
Read More: Instagram
More Coverage of Trail and Ultra Races
Other weekend races included the Hyner Trail Challenge, Leona Divide, Fondren Urban Ultra, Funest 50K, Cottontail 6- and 12-Hour, Traprock 50K, Shore2Shore, Cedro Peak, Outlands, Endurance Races, Rattler Trail Race, and English’s Ridge Rumble.
For more race results, visit UltraSignup’s results finder page.
UltraRunning’s Ultra Weekend Recap: April 19
Read More: UltraRunning Magazine
iRunFar’s This Week in Running: April 20
Read More: iRunFar
Training and Inspiration
Running on Steady Love
Newly married elite runner Zach Miller, who will be running the Canyons 100K on April 25, writes about embracing the steady love aspects of running while still chasing big goals.
Read More: iRunFar
How to Train for Trail Races Without Access to Trails
If you want to run trail races and you don’t have access to trails, fear not: You can still be successful off-road, it just takes understanding the right way to train for trail races based on where you live and what you have access to. You can still train for trail races with these adjustments.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Why Practice Trail Races Are Important
Using races to train for a larger race is something that should be common practice for ultramarathoners. You can learn a lot, practice for your “A” race and even have more fun when you’re grinding out the miles on your long runs. Here are the benefits of using trail races to train for your first or next ultra.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
10 Great New Running Books of 2026
Each April brings a new wave of running books just as the sport itself begins to stir back to life. This spring’s releases range from cultural reflections on modern running to deep dives into the era that fueled the marathon boom, offering runners fresh stories, ideas, and inspiration for the months ahead. Like springtime itself, 10 running books reflect a sense of renewal, offering fresh perspectives and stories to carry runners into the next stretch of the year.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
This Teacher Covered 178 miles in Less Than 3 Days
Freya Shepherd said there were times during her 178-mile run along two of Scotland’s best-known long-distance trails between Glasgow and Inverness when the pain and sleep deprivation made her feel “a bit loopy.” The 26-year-old physics teacher ran the famous West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way back-to-back in two days and 15 hours – only managing to sleep for about 80 minutes during the whole trek.
Read More: BBC
Gear
Trail Tested: Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL
There’s been a lot of chatter about the rise of gravel running as a category recently, and Salomon is one of the brands delving into shoes made specifically for running on gravel roads. The Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL is a soft, smooth-riding and versatile daily trainer with just enough trail-specific features.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
The Lowa Skyterra is Invincible
Read Believe in the Run’s in-depth review of the Lowa Skyterra, a technical trail shoe built with the durability of a hiking boot. The Lowa Skyterra does its absolute best to stay true to the alpine expedition footwear heritage that precedes it.
Read More: Believe in the Run
12 of the Best Trail Running Shoes for Spring 2026
Here are 12 great trail running shoes to consider adding to your quiver this spring as you rev up your training for upcoming races.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Videos
Sally McRae: Free Agency + Cocodona 250 Training
Sally McRae is a free agent athlete who is just a couple weeks from the start of the Cocodona 250. In this episode, she talks about training, gear testing, and gets up close and personal about her everyday life as an athlete, mom, and business owner.
The Extramilest Show: Ryan Hall Talks Strength Training and Trail Running
Ryan Hall, the first American to run a sub-2:05 marathon, joined the The Extramilest Show to talk about strength training for runners, injury prevention, trail running and more.
SUFFER on Centennial 100K
The 2025 SUFFER Documentary that chases top athletes competing for the podium on Manitoba’s most rugged and majestic 100K race.
Podcasts
She Runs Strong Podcast: The Truth About Ultra Running as a Female Athlete
The Buzz Podcast: What Happens to Ski Towns When the Snow Stops?
The Trailhead Podcat: A Former Bon Appétit Editor Is Writing a Trail Running Romance Novel
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