EmKay Sullivan runs to a win at the Way Too Cool 50k in California. Photo Jesse Ellis | Let's Wander Photography

What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — March 7, 2026

Drew Dinan
Drew Dinan

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The first full weekend in March includes 57 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we feature events in California, Missouri, Tennessee and Maryland. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.

Featured: Way Too Cool (Cool, CA)

The 36th annual Way Too Cool kicks off Saturday, March 7, in Cool, California. The iconic 50k race, first held in 1990, takes 328 registered runners on a scenic tour of the Sierra Nevada foothills, where they’ll navigate 98% single-track trails, with 4,800 feet of gain and 4,200 feet of loss. Race highlights include several miles on the historic Western States Trail, great swag, amazing volunteer support, a post-race party featuring a beer garden and of course, the signature frog cupcakes. Tune into the live stream here and follow your favorite runners via the live tracking link.

Other West Events:

Pacific

Mountain

Featured: Queeny Backyard Ultra (St. Louis, MO)

Back in St. Louis, Missouri, for its sixth season, the Queeny Backyard Ultra is a Silver Ticket backyard ultramarathon that will award the last runner standing an automatic entry into the Team World Competition at Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in October. The race begins Friday, March 6, at 10 a.m., and participants will run as many 4.19-mile loops as they can every hour on the hour. Each lap has 430 feet of elevation gain and loss and features a combination of wide pavement, hard-packed gravel, and a short dirt trail section.  Check out the 2025 recap video here. Queeny Backyard Ultra is part of the Trail Mix Fund, which aims to improve diversity in trail running and helps pay entry fees for runners who can’t afford them or aren’t sure they belong in the sport.

Other West Events:

Featured: StumpJump 50K (Chattanooga, TN)

A new edition to UltraRunning Magazine’s list of Old School Ultras, which recognizes races that go above and beyond to embrace runners, volunteers and the community, the Stump Jump 50K returns to Signal Mountain and Walden Ridge for its 25th running. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, and competitors will have 10 hours to complete a double-loop course connected by an out-and-back section through some of the Cumberland Plateau region’s most scenic landscapes. On course, runners can expect 90% rugged single-track trails, rolling terrain and just under 6,000 feet of climbs and descents. All entries come with the Stump Jump guarantee of epic scenery and unrivaled community. Read the 2026 runner manual here.

Other South Events:

Southwest

Southeast

Featured: Seneca Greenway Trail Marathon & 50K (Gaithersburg, MD)

The Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Marathon and 50k is a low-key, low-entry event that takes place on some of Montgomery County, Maryland’s best single-track trails. The race starts and finishes in Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and features a marathon course (actually closer to 28 miles), with the option to run one loop around Clopper Lake to complete the 50k. The course takes place on rolling dirt trails, with conditions that frequently challenge runners with plenty of rocks, roots, deep mud and slick ice. Read more about the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Marathon and 50K here.

Other Northeast Events:

No events this weekend.

***Puerto Vallarta México by UTMB postponed until April***

Email corys@ultrarunning with questions about adding your event to the UltraRunning Magazine calendar.

Drew Dinan traded the tropics of the Florida Keys for the trails of Bend, OR. Once living the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle, working on fishing boats and owning only a single pair of flip flops, he now has way too many running shoes in his closet and never hears the end of it from his loving wife. He is on a constant quest to find the best happy hours, likes to complain when it’s cold outside, and one day hopes to travel the country writing reviews on chicken wings.

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