Ultra Weekend Recap — April 26, 2026

The last weekend of April featured 62 ultramarathons on UltraRunning Magazine’s North American race calendar. In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we dive into results from California, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia. 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.

The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB®

We lead things off in Auburn, California for the The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB® (100-mile, 100k and 50k). This year’s 100k race saw a stacked field of elite running gunning for the final remaining Golden Tickets into the 2026 Western States Endurance Run.

In the men’s race, Adam Peterman took control near the halfway mark and never looked back. He won the Canyons 100k for the second time (adding to his 2022 victory) and earned a Golden Ticket back to the Western States Endurance Run, where he will look to claim another cougar trophy after his win in 2022.

Second place in the men’s race went to hard-charging Zach Miller, who crossed the line in his signature all-out sprint to secure his Golden Ticket to Western States. Hayden Hawks rounded out the podium in third, earning the final Golden Ticket for the men. Hawks will return to the starting line in Olympic Valley, aiming to improve on his third-place finish in 2024 and runner-up performance in 2022.

In the female division, Riley Brady won in 9:41:09, the second-fastest time ever run on the new course. Brady accepted a Golden Ticket and will return to Western States this June. Careth Arnold finished second in 9:56:36 but declined the Golden Ticket as she sets her sights on the Hardrock 100. Sarah Allaben claimed third in 10:14:58 and accepted a Golden Ticket, while Arnold’s spot rolled down to fourth-place finisher Sarah Humble (10:18:43).

Top 100-Mile Finishers:

Women

• Aroa Sio (19:24:34)
• Alyssa Clark (19:44:09)
• Amanda Basham (20:16:26)

Men

• Noa Ohms (17:50:12)
• José Varcasia (20:20:15)
• Jhonathan Castano (20:49:42)

Top 50K Finishers:

Men

• Matt Daniels (3:21:56) *New Course Record*
• Jupiter Carera Casas (3:34:32)
• Ryan Forsyth (3:35:36)

Women

• Makena Morley (3:47:14) *New Course Record*
• Lauren Gregory (3:51:28)
• Molly Seidel (4:07:03)

Full results from all the Canyons Endurance Runs races here.

C&O Canal 100

Our second stop takes us to Camp Manidokan, near Knoxville, Maryland, for the C&O Canal 100. Over 250 runners set off Saturday to try and complete one 40-mile loop and two 30-mile loops in under 30 hours to earn their 2027 Western States qualifiers. First place in the women’s race went to Brittney Yuron in 19:13:12. Lily Weinstein followed with a second-place finish in 19:40:25. Alyssa Cook (20:01:40) completed the female podium in third.

In the men’s race, Yurii Bondarchuk sped around the course in 15:58:57 to secure the win. Jerome Martin raced to a runner-up finish in 16:13:42, and John Blasingame (16:54:20) came in third.

Full results here.

Thumb Coast Ultra

Next, we travel to the shores of Lake Huron and Caseville, Michigan, for the third running of the Thumb Coast Ultra & Relay. This year’s event featured two ultramarathon distances, including 50-mile and 50k races.

Saturday’s 50-miler saw 110 runners cross the finish line and earn their medals, led by men’s winner Lucas Oberle who broke the tape in a new course record time of 6:17:53. Anthony Witt also went under the previous course mark and finished just behind in second (6:19:57). Kyle Thiel (6:58:24) crossed the line in third.

Leah Fechko took home the women’s title in 7:39:38 and was the fourth overall finisher. Maggie Wood earned second place among women and eighth overall in 7:52:31, while Liz Vaiciunas (8:27:00) took third.

Top 50K Finishers:

Men

• Nick Dunkle (3:33:11) *New Course Record*
• Adam Maier (3:39:18)
• Zach Cherry (3:53:37)

Women

• Erica Aikman (3:55:25) *New Course Record*
• Katie Hubbell (4:34:28)
• Julianna Haviland (4:51:03)

Full results here.

Promise Land 50K

Our final stop takes us to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for the popular Promise Land 50K. There were 343 athletes who completed the 2026 edition of the race, paced by women’s winner Sawyer Magnett in a time of 5:22:26. Magnett has now won the Promise Land 50K a remarkable three times in the last four years. Isabella Poulos ran to a strong second-place finish in 5:26:01, and Ashley Rolewicz Pipkin secured an F3 finish in 5:44:45.

Luke Tighe won the male division for a second year in a row in 4:34:44. Nick Golebiowski placed second in 4:37:00, and Preston Wethington (4:38:08) rounded out the men’s podium in third.

Full (tentative) results here.

Other results include: Frisco Railroad Run (Willard, MO), Loop The Hooch 50K (Suwanee, GA), Royal Gorge Groove (Cañon City, CO), Sinister Night Runs (Queen Creek, AZ), and Banana Slug Backyard Ultra (St. Paul, OR).

View all this week’s race results here.