Welcome to our trail and ultra news recap for March 30, your one-stop shop for all of head biggest headlines of the past few days. It’s not even April, and the trail and ultra news was so hot last weekend that some of it is extended into this week.
Late Monday night, Michael McKnight was the first to cross the finish line of the second annual Arizona Monster 300, to win this year’s race in course record time. But as of Tuesday morning, there were still 79 runners making progress along the 304-mile course after starting the race midday on Monday. Otherwise, there were plenty of great races that concluded over the weekend, including the Georgia Death Race, the Chicago Lakefront 50K, and the Umstead 100, among others.
In other news below, Rich Roll will be headlining TrailCon in late June, next year’s Cocodona 250 will have a lottery entry system that opens soon, a new program will be studying the female-specific physiological challenges faced by ultra-endurance athletes, The Trail Team enters its fourth year, and several new trail shoes have just hit the market. Meanwhile, another Kenyan marathoner was popped for doping and suspended. Is that a surprise? Or just a state of the sport of road running?
Read more in this week’s Trail and Ultra News Recap here, 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.
Headlines
Michael McKnight Wins Arizona Monster 300
At 10:52 p.m. MT Monday night, Michael McKnight crossed the finish line of the second annual Arizona Monster 300 near Patagonia, Arizona, to secure the victory 82 hours and 51 minutes after leaving the starting line on Friday. That broke the course record (86:33) set by Peter Mortimer last year. McKnight covered the 304-mile course with 29,183 feet of elevation gain in 69 hours and 30 minutes of moving time and 13 hours and 21 minutes of rest time. Runner-up Ryan Snickles had been in close contention for much of race before McKnight gapped him considerably on Monday. “The biggest thing I’m feeling is relief,” McKnight said. “I usually don’t get blisters and I have like eight blisters. My feet hurt so much.”
McKnight, 36, of Smithfield,Utah, set the Triple Crown of 200s record in 2019 and now he’s trying to reclaim it from Kilian Korth, who broke it in 2025. As of early Tuesday morning, Sellene Malone, a 31-year-old Canadian runner, was still the top woman in the race with 257 miles covered and about 6 miles ahead of Anne Tisdell, who was the women’s winner last year. In this year’s race, there were 124 starters, but as of Tuesday morning 44 had dropped out and 79 were still in the race.
Live Tracking: Arizona Monster 300
Jack Elvin, Brianna Grigsby Win Georgia Death Race
The point-to-point Georgia Death Race finished inside Amicalola Falls State Park, where Brianna Grigsby delivered a standout performance. The women’s champion placed fourth overall and finished just 13 minutes behind the overall winner, completing the course in 14:20. Jack Elvin took the men’s title in 14:07.
Results: UltraSignup
Kevin Taddonio, Ailsa MacDonald Win Crown King Scramble
The Crown King Scramble 50K is a classic, old-school ultra, with its inception dating back to 1987. In this year’s race on Saturday northwest of Phoenix, 275 runners tackled the point-to-point course, with Kevin Taddonio capturing the men’s title in 4:13:17, just ahead of Zach Lepley (4:15:38) in second place. Ailsa MacDonald dominated the women’s race, finishing in 4:40:17 and placing fifth overall. Isabella Poulos finished second in 5:02:43, followed by Katie McGee (5:14:25) in third.
Results: UltraSignup
Trail Runners Win Grand Traverse Ski Race
Because of the bleak snowpack and warm temperatures in Colorado, the 240 two-person teams in the 40-mile Grand Traverse ski mountaineering race from Crested Butte to Aspen had to endure more 12 miles of hiking in trail running shoes with their skis on their backs. It should come with no surprise that the winners are all accomplished trail runners.
The 19th annual race started at midnight on Sunday morning, with 2026 Winter Olympian and elite-level trail runner Cam Smith and his partner, Logan Greydanus, winning in 7:23:53. Bari Beasley and Brie Yost won the women’s team race in 10:27:41, and the father-daughter team Brianna and Jesse Rickert won the coed race in 9:16:23. Last year, race organizers canceled the event shortly before the start due to insufficient snowpack, open water and other serious safety concerns.
Results: Grand Traverse Ski Race
New Course Record in Chicago Lakefront 50K
Jeremy Arthur averaged 5:36 per mile en route to setting a new course record of 2:54:06 in the annual Chicago Lakefront 50K, which was just enough to hold off runner-up Samuel Bradbury (2:58:30) Women’s winner Brooke Kirkham ran 4:12:41 (8:08 per mile) to edge Marina Dragatsis (4:15:39.).
Read More: iRunFar
Connell, DeGroff Win Umstead 100
Brendan Connell dipped under 14 hours to win the Umstead 100 in 13:58, edging out out Caleb Clark (14:09) in second. Sierra DeGroff won the women’s race in 16:32, just ahead of Danielle Andolina (16:47).
Read More: iRunFar
Cocodona to Have an Entry Lottery in 2027
Starting next year, the Cocodona 250 will be moving to a lottery system to ensure a fair and equitable opportunity for every athlete who dreams of being part of this experience. The lottery for the 2027 Cocodona 250 opens on May 1. Anyone wishing to enter the lottery will receive one ticket. Additional tickets will be earned through past finishes (up to three total tickets) and meaningful volunteer contributions. Race organizers are also implementing a gender equity model to help grow female representation on the start line.
Read More: Aravaipa Running
Rich Roll to Headline Trailcon 2026 as a Keynote Speaker
Renowned podcast host and bestselling author Rich Roll will serve as a keynote speaker at TrailCon 2026 June 22-24 at the Palisades Tahoe resort in Olympic Valley, California. TrailCon is a three-day festival and industry gathering designed to bring together the trail running community for education, innovation, and inspiration.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Past New York City Marathon Champion Albert Korir Suspended for Doping
Kenyan Albert Korir has been suspended for five years by the Athletics Integrity Unit. The 32-year-old runner won the 2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:08:22 and has also placed second twice (2019, 2023) and third twice (2024, 2025). He’s also twice finished among the top five at the Boston Marathon and owns a 2:06:57 personal best.
Read More: Athletics Integrity Unit
Advancing Scientific Understanding of Women Ultrarunners
Although women’s participation in ultrarunning is on the rise, there is still surprisingly little known about many female-specific physiological challenges faced by ultra-endurance athletes. The recently launched Women’s Health Programme aims to change that by bringing a data- and science-driven change to the way females approach the sport.
Read More: iRunFar
Canada’s First-Ever Vertical Backyard Ultra
A new backyard event on September 26 in Mabou, Nova Scotia, will send runners on a 4K loop with about 1,213 feet of vertical gain every hour until there is only one runner remaining. Over the course of the first 24 hours, runners still in the race would accumulate 29,112 feet of gain, surpassing the height of Mt. Everest (29,032 feet).
Read More: Canadian Running Magazine
Marisa Romeo: A Hands-On Study of The Inner Work of Endurance
Marisa Romeo exists at the integration of psychological skill development, where science informs practice, and practice refines science. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, the 31-year-old former college soccer player and rising ultra competitor has done research with an emphasis on psychological flexibility and flow states.
Read More: UltraSignup’s Trailhead Media
Trail Shoe Sponsorship Power Rankings
Writer Seth LaReau serves up the third edition of his trail running shoe sponsorship rankings, an informal analysis that aims to take the pulse on which shoe brands are showing up at the top of the world’s biggest trail races.
Read More: Trail Waves Substack
Like the Wind Magazine Launches U.S. Edition
Like the Wind Magazine, a U.K.-based quarterly, independent print running publication was established in 2014, that famously explores #WhyWeRun through personal narratives, high-quality photography, artistic illustrations, and unique, thoughtful storytelling. To launch it’s new U.S.-specific issue, it’s hosting launch parties on April 2 in Boulder, Colorado, and April 4 in San Francisco.
Read More: Like the Wind
More Coverage of Trail and Ultra Races
UltraRunning’s Ultra Weekend Recap: March 29
Read More: UltraRunning Magazine
iRunFar’s This Week in Running: March 30
Read More: iRunFar
Gear
Looking for a mountain running shoe that’s both exceptionally cushy and adept at running technical trails? Check out the La Sportiva Prodigo 2, which has a supercritical midsole, a sticky rubber outsole, and an engineered mesh upper that combine for a great fit, feel, and ride.
Read More: Believe in the Run
Adidas Terrex Agravic TT Review
The new Adidas Terrex Agravic TT is a love-it-or-hate-it trail shoe according to the reviewers at RunRepeat, which found its aggressive rocker and pronounced geometry create a fast, forward-rolling ride that feels very different from the norm.
Read More: RunRepeat
Videos
How The Trail Team Has Become a Pipeline to Trail Running Success
This UltraSignup video takes a look inside The Trail Team, the Boulder-based development program helping the next generation of trail runners go pro. Founded by Andy Wacker, this team is creating a new pathway from NCAA running to elite trail competition.
IMRA Maurice Mullins Ultra Marathon 50K 2026
Check out this race through the Wicklow mountains in Ireland along the Wicklow Way, consisting of 50.7KM of boardwalks, trails, forests and open mountain terrain.
The Javelina Junderdogs
When Will Murray suffered a broken ankle less than two weeks before the 2025 Western States 100, forcing him to drop out of the race, he immediately began planning his comeback. His path back to the start line in Olympic Village took him through the Arizona desert.
Podcasts
The Buzz Podcast: Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer, the 100-Mile Master
Karl Meltzer has 50 hundred-mile wins, a perpetuity royalty deal on one of the best-selling trail shoes in the world, and a goal that almost no one else would attempt: 100 hundred-mile finishes by the summer of 2027, with Hardrock 100 as his final race. He’s currently at 93. Buzz Burrell sat down with the Speed Goat in Moab, fresh off a Hoka Japan photo shoot, still wearing the ratty hat Cheryl keeps trying to throw away, for one of the most candid conversations about what a professional ultrarunning career actually looks like from the inside.
Singletrack Podcast: Courtney Dauwalter’s Insane Final Kick
In this episode, Rachel Entrekin returns to the show immediately following her 3rd place finish at Chianti by UTMB and gives a firsthand account of one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.
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