Run Rabbit Run has offered large prize purses for years. Now it is rewarding its 100-mile winners with $100,000 apiece.
We all know there is more money flowing into trail and ultrarunning than ever before, but it seems as if a river of gold is going to be splashing into Steamboat Springs, Colorado, next September.
Run Rabbit Run, the annual ultramarathon based in Steamboat Springs, will offer a $350,000 total prize purse at its 2027 races, according to a release issued November 10. That includes $100,000 each to the women’s and men’s 100-mile winners, the largest individual prize ever offered in a 100-mile trail race and a sum that matches what the men’s and women’s winners earned at the 2026 New York City Marathon and 2026 Chicago Marathon.
Run Rabbit Run 100 will pay out $25,000 for second place, $15,000 for third place, $10,000 for fourth, $5,000 for fifth, $2,000 for sixth and $1,000 for seventh. Additional cash prizes will be awarded to masters runners and to the top teams.
For its 2026 races, Run Rabbit Run paid a total of $100,000 in prize money, all of it to the top seven men and women in the 100-mile Hares race. Each winner took home $20,000, while the runner-ups earned $8,500 and the third-place finishers received $5,000. It is not yet clear if the race will institute onsite drug testing for its top finishers.
Insight Global is funding the expanded prize purse through a two-year commitment led by CEO Bert Bean, who is an ultrarunner himself.
The new backing grew out of conversations between Bean and Run Rabbit Run co-founders Paul Sachs and Fred Abramowitz about how to create more opportunities for competitive ultrarunning in the U.S. The goal is a deeper, more competitive field on U.S. soil: give top American runners a reason to race at home and draw international runners to Colorado.
“For athletes who put so much into this sport, the opportunity to earn meaningful prize money can make a real difference in where they choose to compete,” Sachs said. “We want more of America’s best runners lining up here alongside outstanding athletes from around the world. This commitment helps us build that field while continuing to support the charities and community that have been part of Run Rabbit Run from the beginning.”
Sachs believes that for American athletes weighing travel costs, race schedules and earning opportunities, the increased purse adds a significant consideration to their season planning. For international competitors, it offers another reason to make Steamboat Springs a destination. Run Rabbit Run’s goal is a deeper, more competitive field that brings athletes together on a U.S. course.
“As an ultrarunner, I appreciate the commitment it takes to compete at this level,” Bean said in a release. “Through Insight Global’s partnership with Run Rabbit Run, we want to give more top American runners a reason to prioritize racing here and welcome outstanding competitors from around the world. Our two-year commitment gives the organizers a foundation to build on and athletes an opportunity to plan for. Insight Global’s purpose is to be the light to the world around us—supporting Run Rabbit Run and its numerous charities is another way we show up there.”
The largest prize purse for any trail running event in recent years has been the three-race UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, France. The 2026 UTMB World Series Finals paid out about $302,000 across the the top 10 places of the finals of the 107-mile UTMB, CCC 100K and OCC 50K. That money comes from the event’s title sponsor, Hoka, and is split equally between women and men.
Broken Arrow Skyrace awarded $150,000 across several races divisions this past summer in Olympic Valley, California, and Gorge Waterfalls race in Hood River, Oregon, had a $75,000 prize purse in 2026.
But that’s not the norm for the sport as many other premier trail running events still pay winners nothing at all.
The timing for the expanded prize purse makes sense. The number of core trail runners in the U.S. has grown 77 percent over the past decade, from 1.6 million to 2.9 million, and the Outdoor Industry Association counted 17.2 million trail running participants in the U.S. in 2025.
Run Rabbit Run has always given back, too. Since 2012, Run Rabbit Run has donated close to $1 million to nonprofits and charities, including more than $110,000 to 20 northern Colorado charities in 2026 alone.
Abramowitz has lived the sport’s history. He ran the first five-borough New York City Marathon in 1976. This year, 50 years later, he ran it for the 19th time, alongside his 18-year-old son.
Registration for the 2027 Run Rabbit Run opens on December 6. The 100-mile race is next September 17 and the 50-miler follows on September 18.
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