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The third weekend of May features 67 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in California, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and Saskatchewan, Canada. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.
Featured: Born to Run Ultra Marathons (Los Olivos, CA)
“Created by runners for runners,” the Born to Run Ultramarathon Extravaganza takes place May 13-17 on private lands in Los Olivos, California. First run in 2011, the race now features two fixed-distance ultramarathons, 30 miles and 100 miles, as well as 3-day and 4-day timed events.
All races are run on two different 10-mile loops featuring a mix of dirt roads and single-track trails. Loop one has more than 1,000 feet of elevation gain, while loop two boasts 1,400 feet of climbing.
In addition to the running events, the weeklong celebration includes camp activities, live music and much more. Check out the full schedule of events in the 2026 Born to Run Ultramarathon Extravaganza participant guide.
Other West Events:
Pacific
- Bishop High Sierra (Bishop, CA)
- Run for Amma (Sunnyvale, CA)
- Corral Canyon Trail Scramble (Campo, CA)
- Napa Wilderness Trail Runs (Napa, CA)
- O’Neill Park Trail Races (Trabuco Canyon, CA)
- Rim Rock 50 Mile Trail Challenge (Napa, CA)
- Tillamook Burn Trail Run (Timber, OR)
- Sun Mountain (Winthrop, WA)
- Dirty Turtle (Bremerton, WA)
Mountain
- Sky Pilots Ouray Backyard Ultra (Ouray, CO)
- Endure Trail Runs (Divide, CO)
- Ram Party (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Silver State (Reno, NV)
- Butterfield Backyard (Herriman, UT)
- Utah 115 by Grand to Grand Ultra (Kanab, UT)
Featured: Superior Spring Trail Race (Lutsen, MN)
A spring classic in the Midwest since 2003, the Superior Spring Trail Races return to northern Minnesota for another edition. The 50k ultramarathon takes runners along the Superior Hiking Trail, where they’ll traverse the Sawtooth Mountains on rugged and technical trails with 4,200 feet of climbs and descents.
The out-and-back race starts and finishes at Caribou Highlands Lodge in Lutsen, Minnesota, and parallels Lake Superior on some of the Midwest’s most scenic trails. Runners have nine hours to complete the 50k course for an official finish.
The Superior Trail Race helps benefit the Superior Hiking Trail Association. Read more on the Superior Spring Trail Races website.
Other Midwest Events:
- Death by 5k Waterloo (Waterloo, IA)
- Galena Sky Trail Races (Galena, IL)
- Kennekuk Road Runners – Dogs and Cats (Oakwood, IL)
- CHICAGO 7-11 Hour Endurance Run (Willow Springs, IL)
- Operation GRANITE X (Granite City, IL)
- Dances with Dirt – Gnaw Bone (Nashville, IN)
- Armed Forces Endurance Run (Fort Wayne, IN)
- Rock On Lake Perry (Meriden, KS)
- Iron Will Backroads (Enterprise, KS)
- Badlands Race Series (Brighton, MI)
- Pound the Mound (Luverne, MN)
- Berryman 50 mile and Marathon Trail Races (Potosi, MO)
- The PIASA (St Louis, MO)
- Tie Dye (Yellow Springs, OH)
- High Lea 6/12/24 hour (Richfield, OH)
- Mad Maple 50K @ Hueston Woods (College Corner, OH)
- Rumble on the Ridge (Arena, WI)
Featured: Cruel Jewel (Blue Ridge, GA)
The rugged and challenging Cruel Jewel 100 kicks off at noon on Friday, May 16, at Camp Morganton in Blue Ridge, Georgia. The 104-plus-mile race takes runners on a tour of the Chattahoochee National Forest where they’ll travel 94 miles on trail and 10 miles of mountain roads while navigating steep climbs and descents, plenty of rocks and roots, and more than 33,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Participants have 48 hours to complete the course and earn their 2027 Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 qualifiers.
Read more in the 2026 Cruel Jewel 100 race packet.
Other South Events:
Southwest
- Flower Moon (Pawhuska, OK)
- Die to Run Backyard Ultra (Muskogee, OK)
- Possum’s Revenge (Graford, TX)
- Spider Mountain Trail Run (Burnet, TX)
- Panther City Ultra (Fort Worth, TX)
Southeast
- In It For The Long Run (Huntsville, AL)
- First State Trail Race (Wilmington, DE)
- Keys Ultras (Key West, FL)
- Game Changers Repeater 5K Challenge (Saint Simons Island, GA)
- Bone Yard Trail Race (Brookhaven, MS)
- Quest for the Crest (Burnsville, NC)
- Devil Makes Three (Killer Creek) (Waxhw, NC)
- Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run (Fort Valley, VA)
- Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay (Thurmond, WV)
Featured: South Mountain Reservation Mayapple Trail Runs (Millburn, NJ)
The 17th annual Mayapple Trail Runs are scheduled for May 16, 2026, at South Mountain Reservation in Essex County, New Jersey. Organized by volunteers of the South Mountain Conservancy and supporting the Conservancy’s mission, the USATF-sanctioned event features two ultramarathon distances, 50k and 50 miles.
The races will be held on a 10.5-mile east loop and 10.2-mile west loop on varying terrain that includes double-wide gravel roads, technical single-track and short sections of pavement. Each loop has approximately 1,500 feet of ascent and descent.
Read more on the South Mountain Reservation Mayapple Trail Runs website.
Other Northeast Events:
- Forgotten Forest Ultra Run (Stratford, CT)
- Run Ragged Last One Standing (Berlin, CT)
- Camp Challenge (Ashford, CT)
- Free Spirit 50K (Leyden, MA)
- Tails & Trails State Forest Run (Pittsfield, MA)
- Manchester to Monadnock Ultramarathon (Manchester, NH)
- C’mon Armageddon (West Milford, NJ)
- Trails To the Sky 50k/10k (Glen Gardner, NJ)
- MFAMTL 6 hour (Rochester, NY)
- Loop the Lemur at the Ross Park Zoo (Binghamton, NY)
- Winona Forest’s Chase The Day 24-Hour Trail Ultra (Mannsville, NY)
- Rothrock by UTMB (Boalsburg, PA)
- Susquehannock Trail Ultra (Coudersport, PA)
- 22 Miles to Break Boundaries (Annapolis, MD)
Featured: Reesor 50 (Maple Creek, SK)
The second running of the Reesor 50, a 50-mile ultramarathon, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at Historic Reesor Ranch in Saskatchewan, Canada. Set against the stunning and diverse landscapes of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, and based at one of the province’s oldest working ranches, the 50-mile race tests runners with more than 2,300 meters of ascent and descent over 75% trail and 25% dirt road.
Competitors have 18 hours to finish the race, with prize money awarded to the top three male and female podium spots.
Read more in the Reesor 50 race handbook.
Other Events in Canada & Mexico:
- Lakou backyard Ultra (Edmonton, AB)
- Trail du Coureur des Bois de Duchesnay (la-Jacques-Cartier, QC)
Email corys@ultrarunning with questions about adding your event to the UltraRunning Magazine calendar.