Sponsored By:
The final weekend in June featured 46 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar, including the 52nd running of the Western States 100. In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we dive into results from California, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington. Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend. Be sure to check out all the results as they continue to roll in on our results page.
Western States 100
Unseasonably cold temperatures blew into Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, California, this weekend for the 53rd running of the Western States 100. Early Saturday morning, participants found themselves swapping cut-out tops for jackets as gusts ripped through the high country. Combined with an insanely talented field, plus cooler conditions that offered runners a reprieve from the canyons’ usual race-day heat, which often climbs well above 100 degrees each year, the 2026 Western States Endurance Run went down as the fastest in history.
In the women’s race, Jennifer Lichter surged into the lead on the climb up Devil’s Thumb and never looked back, winning in a new course-record time of 15:28:05. From there, the question became whether she could close fast enough to take down Courtney Dauwalter’s 2023 mark of 15:29:33, a record many believed would be untouchable for years. Lichter reached Robie Point at mile 98.9 in 15:16:24, leaving herself just over 13 minutes to get to Placer High and around the oval. She delivered, sprinting around the track as fans cheered her on and crossing the finish line 1 minute and 28 seconds under Dauwalter’s previous record. Riley Brady ran to a second-place women’s finish in 15:42:14, now the third-fastest female time in Western States history. Marianne Hogan (15:51:44) rounded out the women’s podium in third, clocking the fifth-fastest female time ever. Before this year, only 12 women had ever run under 17 hours on the Western States course. A remarkable 11 athletes did it this year alone.
In the men’s race, four runners broke Jim Walmsley’s previous course record, including the first three men to ever go under 14 hours. First around the track was Vincent Bouillard, who earned the men’s win in an incredible time of 13:46:15, taking more than 23 minutes off Walmsley’s 2019 course best. Runner-up honors went to Francesco Puppi in 13:51:08, while Ryan Montgomery (13:53:55) finished third. This year’s men’s top ten all ran under 15:30.
Full results here.
Black Hills 100
Our second stop takes us to the Centennial Trail (Trail #89) in Sturgis, South Dakota, for the 15th running of the Black Hills 100, featuring 100-mile, 50-mile and 50k ultramarathon distances. In the men’s race, Jefferey Pratt ran away from the competition to earn the win in 22:12:23. Ian Sandry ran to a second-place finish in 24:44:17, and John Palmer (25:01:33) rounded out the men’s podium in third.
Eleanor Willkie took home top honors in the women’s competition, breaking the tape in 27:46:39. Willkie placed tenth overall. Marret Arfsten was the second woman across the line in 29:53:42. Alison Miller (32:03:23) finished third.
Results from all three Black Hills 100 races can be found here.
Wy’east Wonder
Next up, we travel to the beautiful trails around Oregon’s tallest peak, Mount Hood, for the Wy’east Wonder 50-mile and 50k races. Saturday’s women’s race saw Leah Drebin come out on top in 9:28:39. Drebin came in sixth place overall. Kaitlin Nath was the female runner-up in 9:44:38. Sara Myre (10:04:29) completed the women’s podium in third.
Peter Buckley won a tightly contested men’s race in 7:33:12. Brian Knight (7:35:48) finished just behind in second place, and Brandon Sturges (8:17:51) took third.
Full results from both races here.
Yeti Ultra Trail Washington
Our final stop takes us to Hyak, Washington, for the Yeti Ultra Trail Washington, featuring 200k, 100-mile and 100k distances. Friday’s 100-mile race saw a new course record from Matt Chan, who ran to victory in a speedy time of 14:24:40. Timothy Pillers placed second in 16:28:37, and Brody Coval (16:41:46) snagged third.
On the women’s side, Emily Erickson broke away from the field to secure the win in 17:55:03. Makayla Florez earned an F2 and eighth overall finish in 19:56:20. Jenny Yoakum (23:09:58) came in third.
Full results here.
Other results include: Buckeye Trail 50K (Brecksville, OH), Hell Hath No Hurry (Pittsburgh, PA), Chase the Moon Endurance Run (Highlands Ranch, CO), and Vulture Vista Ultra (Greencastle, IN).
View all of this week’s race results here.
