Here’s your Monday morning trail and ultra news recap for February 16 from UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media and a wide range of news outlets, content creators, and social media platforms.
No One Finishes Barkley—Yet Again
There were no finishers at the 2026 Barkley Marathons, which started on Saturday. It was the earliest start in the history of the race, but it also featured some of the roughest weather. Among the 40 runners entered in the race were U.S. runners Max King, Allison Powell, Paul Terranova, and John Kelly, one of only two individuals who have finished the race three times. It’s the 26th time in the 40-year history of the race that no one has finished.
If you want to read more about the Barkley Marathons, here’s a good story about race director Gary Cantrell, aka Lazarus Lake, under the compelling headline of “Good Luck, Morons!”
Five Hot Takes About the Black Canyon Ultras
Did you run or watch the Black Canyon Ultras this weekend? Read our five hot takes about this year’s event—rising stars, a new crowd-funded prize money system, Golden Ticket winners, an amazing livestream experience, and the results of Molly Seidel and Des Linden—and how those things will have an impact on the coming season of trail racing.
If you missed the Black Canyon livestreams, you can go back and watch the 100K and 50K, or you can check out this stunning 21-minute video about the 100K from Derrick Lytle.
ACG Exhibition of S.P.E.E.D. Rewrites Trail Running at Spazio Maiocchi
Amid the Winter Olympics, Nike’s revamped ACG brand staged a disruptive, three-day trail running event in Milan, Italy, as part of the launch campaign for the new bright orange ACG Ultrafly trail running super shoe.
Broken Arrow Skyrace Adds New Youth Races
Trail Futures NTN will showcase two distinct courses: The Kestrel, a 4.6-mile race with 1,400 feet of vertical gain for runners in the 10 to 13 age range, and The Eagle, a 10K race with 2,100 feet of vertical gain for 14- to 20-year-old runners.
Mike Wardian Sets a New Record Running 50K in 7 Days on 7 Continents
On February 6, Teva athlete Mike Wardian won the World Marathon Challenge for the third time since 2017, but he also set a new record for completing 50K races on seven continents over seven days. His total running time for running 50Ks in Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Forteleza, and Miami was 26 hours, 40 minutes, 16 seconds, which means he averaged about 3:49 per 50K and 3:06 for each marathon—and 7:23 per mile for roughly 217 miles during the week!
New Skyrunner USA Series Debuting in 2026
Skyrunning is returning to the U.S. in 2026 with the newly launched U.S. Skyrunner USA national series of mountain running races.
History of the Belt Buckle in Ultrarunning
The iconic belt buckle award in ultrarunning represents not just a finish line crossed, but each also tells the unique story of struggle, self-discovery, and resilience.
Mount to Coast Elite Athlete Team Announced
Mount to Coast announced its 2026 Ultrarunning team last week. It includes Meg Eckert, Jeff Garmire, Kilian Korth, Cody Poskin, and Canyon Woodward.
The Aid Station Column: In Praise of Doing it The Hard Way
UltraSignup’s Zoë Rom writes that trail running was born from maximum friction. Sisyphean by nature, except Sisyphus didn’t have to pay a registration fee, and at least his boulder didn’t require a drop bag.
Inside Tantrums: How Adam Copeland Built One of Trail Running’s Coolest Brands
Read how Tantrums founder Adam Copeland has brought new energy and products to the hydration pack market.
Ultraruning Magazine Announces its 2026 Old School Ultras
This year’s class of Old School Ultras features 30 races across the U.S. and Canada, including 11 new additions.
Are We Really Born to Run?
Writer Nick Tiller waxes about whether or not humans were really made for long-distance running, and says it’s not an extreme pursuit so much as an evolutionary inheritance.
Trail Runners Anna Gibson and Cam Smith Competing in the Winter Olympics This Week
American trail running phenoms Cam Smith and Anna Smith are competing in the inaugural ski-mo racing competition at the Winter Olympics on February 21 in Bormio, Italy.
Will Trail Running Be an Olympic Sport?
It could happen as soon as 2032, but cross country running could get there first in 2030.
Ruth Croft and Daniel Jones Claim fourth Tarawera 102K Titles
On a rainy day and on muddy trails in New Zealand, Kiwis Ruth Croft and Daniel Jones won the 2026 Tarawera by UTMB 102K for the fourth time each. Course conditions prevented any records, but Croft won in 8:41:11, and Jones finished in 7:31:27.
iRunFar’s This Week in Running: February 16
Ultrarunning’s Weekend Recap for February 16
Podcasts, Videos, and Other Media
Brad Stulberg Joins The Trailhead Podcast
Listen to The Trailhead podcast hosts Zoë Rom and Brendan Leonard chat with acclaimed author Brad Stulberg on how to be excellent in everything you do.
Max King Joins The Buzz Podcast
In this week’s podcast, Buzz Burrell digs in with multi-talented Max King about what it looks like to maintain elite fitness across wildly different disciplines without specializing, and why the motivation to grind through big training blocks shifts as you age.
Hot Film Drop: Running the Badwater 135
Jeff Pelletier just released his new film about the Badwater 135, a 135-mile race across Death Valley, the hottest place on the planet, at the hottest time of the year.
The Long Burn: A Video About Dani Moreno‘s Comeback
Professional trail runner Dani Moreno faced one of the hardest moments of her career after suffering a potentially career-ending injury at the 2024 OCC (UTMB) in Chamonix, France. This video tells her story of recovery and redemption.
Francesco Puppi Joins the Borderlands Podcast
Italy’s Francesco Puppi has been training in the U.S. for several weeks and started the Black Canyon Ultras 100K, but he dropped out after falling and suffering a dislocated shoulder early in the race. Listen to Puppi talk about his motivations, prize money, and his road marathoning past on this Borderlands podcast.
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