What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — April 18, 2026

The third weekend in April features 59 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.

Featured: Leona Divide (Lake Hughes, CA)

First run in 1992 as a 50-mile ultramarathon, Leona Divide now features four distances: 100-mile, 100k, 50-mile and 50k. All events start and finish at the Lakes Community Center in Lake Hughes, California, taking runners through the trails of the Angeles National Forest.

The 50k is an out-and-back with 5,285 feet of gain, the 50-miler has 8,200 feet of vert, the 100k climbs over 10,000 feet and the 100-miler comes in just under 16,500 feet. Course challenges include constant rolling terrain, limited shade and the potential for high temperatures. The 100-miler and 100k are 2027 Western States qualifiers, but runners must finish under 33 hours for the 100-miler and 20 hours for the 100k to earn their lottery tickets.

Read more about Leona Divide races here.

Other West Events:

Pacific

• Sierra Azul Trail Challenge Run (Los Gatos, CA)
• Woodside Crossover (Woodside, CA)
• Badwater Salton Sea (Borrego Springs, CA)
• Mendocino Coast 50k (Mendocino, CA)
• Outlands (Pilot Hill, CA)
• Run4Kids 24 Hour Running Party (Corona, CA)
• Spokane River Run (Spokane, WA)
• Capitol Peak (Olympia, WA)
• Squak Mountain 50K Trail Run (Issaquah, WA)
• Cottontail 6 & 12 Hour (Seattle, WA)
• Run with the Goats (Kennewick, WA)
• Running Up For Air – Tiger Mountain (Issaquah, WA)

Mountain

• Rattler Trail Race (Colorado Springs, CO)
• Spitfire Ultra Trail Challenge (Menan, ID)

Featured: Loud Thunder 50 (Illinois City, IL)

The sixth running of the Loud Thunder 50 (50-mile and 50k) kicks off Saturday, April 18, at the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve in Illinois City, Illinois. Both races take place primarily on a 13.3-mile loop course along the Mississippi River, featuring 95% trail over varied terrain, including smooth, runnable sections as well as plenty of short, punchy hills.

The 50-mile runners will have 14 hours to complete three loops plus a shortened fourth loop, totaling over 6,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. The 50k competitors will have 12 hours to navigate two standard loops plus a shortened third loop, with around 4,000 feet of climbing and descending.

All registration fees include great swag, custom finisher awards, post-race food and beverages and a donation to the park to support maintenance and conservation efforts. Read more.

Other Midwest Events:

• Earth Day 50K (Crystal Lake, IL)
• FlatRock 101K/50K (Independence, KS)
• The Eternal Damnation Backyard (Sylvan Grove, KS)
• Storm the Park (Altura, MN)
• The 24 Hour Lions Roar (Columbia, MO)
• Extreme North Dakota Sandhills Ultra (Fargo, ND)
• PEAK to PEAK ULTRA (Omaha, NE)
• The Spring Fling @ Alum Creek (Delaware, OH)

Featured: Capitan Mountain 34 Hour (Capitan, NM)

The third running of the Capitan Mountain 34 Hour race takes place in New Mexico’s Smokey Bear National Park, the birthplace and burial site of Hotfoot, a black bear cub rescued by firefighters after a massive blaze in the Lincoln National Forest who later became known as Smokey Bear, the iconic symbol of forest fire prevention.

The no-DNF, fixed-time race is held on a soft, runnable 4-mile looped course. Participants can choose to run for six, 12 or 34 hours. All runners will receive finisher medals and 34-hour runners who complete 80 miles will take home Smokey’s 80th birthday buckle. Those who finish 100 miles will also receive a coveted 100-mile buckle.

Check out the Capitan 34-Hour Endurance Run race website.

Other South Events:

Southwest

• Zane Grey (Payson, AZ)
• Whiskey Basin Trail Runs (Prescott, AZ)
• Vortex Ultra Experience – The “Vue” (Sedona, AZ)
• Cedro Peak (Tijeras, NM)
• TNT – Toughest N’ Texas Trail Runs (Waco, TX)
• Gulf Coast Grind (Surfside, TX)
• Coyote Trail Run (Cleburne, TX)
• West Texas Ultra (South Plains, TX)

Southeast

• Ouachita Trail (Little Rock, AR)
• Funest 50k (Mulberry, FL)
• Double Top Stone Anvil (Chatsworth, GA)
• Southern Grit Endurance Challenge (Parksville, KY)
• Fondren Urban Ultra (Jackson, MS)
• Uforea (Troy, NC)
• Stillhouse 100k (Soddy-Daisy, TN)
• World’s Fair Ultras (Knoxville, TN)
• Blue Ridge Double Marathon (Roanoke, VA)
• Froggy Mountain Sweet Sixteen 50k (Galax, VA)
• Operation VIRGINIA X (Virginia Beach, VA)

Featured: Sri Chinmoy Ten-, Six-, and Three-Day Races (Queens, NY)

Founded by the champion Indian athlete, Sri Chinmoy, the Sri Chinmoy Ten-, Six- and Three-Day Races bring runners together from around the world April 19–29, 2026, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, for a multi-day event of endurance and self-transcendence.

All events take place on a flat, paved, USATF-certified 0.747979-mile loop course. The ten-day race, the oldest continuously running of its kind, along with the three-day race, kicks off at noon on Sunday, April 19. The six-day race (also the longest continuously running six-day race in the world) begins on Tuesday, April 22.

All participants have access to camping space, covered “dugout” areas for gear, showers, a camp kitchen to store and prepare food and a runner’s kitchen serving three healthy vegetarian meals a day. Read more about the race here.

Other Northeast Events:

• Gunpowder Keg Ultra (Parkton, MD)
• Run to Remember (Sykesville, MD)
• Traprock 50 (Simsbury, CT)
• TARC Don’t Run Boston (Milton, MA)
• Prospect Acres 8 hour ultra (Franklin, NH)
• English’s Ridge Rumble (Fayetteville, NY)
• Shore2Shore (East Islip, NY)
• ROCovery #OMAAT 24-Hour Run/Walk Challenge (Fairport, NY)
• NYC 50k – Stair Set of Doom Ultra (New York, NY)
• Hyner Trail Challenge (Hyner, PA)
• UltraTrax Bear Creek Mountain PA (Macungie, PA)

Featured: Puerto Vallarta México by UTMB (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

Postponed from early March, the Puerto Vallarta México by UTMB returns to sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a weekend of trail running, street tacos and Micheladas. This year’s event features two ultramarathons that take runners from the Pacific Ocean high into the surrounding hills and jungles on challenging single-track trails.

The 81k Hikuri race kicks off on Friday and includes over 3,900 meters of elevation gain with a 20.5-hour cutoff. The 53k Nakawé ultra also starts on Friday and features a course with over 2,500 meters of climbs and descents that runners must complete in under 13.5 hours.

All events finish next to Los Arcos on the bustling Malecón, just feet from the water. Check out a video from the 2024 Puerto Vallarta México by UTMB.

Other Events in Canada & Mexico:

• The Foxtail Rail Trail Race (Dundas, ON)
• FitFarm Little Loop Ultra (Strathory, ON)

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