Sponsored By
The fourth weekend of January includes 26 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we feature events in California, Kansas, Alabama, New York and Santiago, Mexico. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.
Featured: Calico Trail Run (Barstow, CA)
The 22nd annual Calico Trail Run (50k) kicks off this weekend in historic Calico Ghost Town, a preserved silver mining town north of Barstow, California, where you can step back in time and visit Old West saloons and museums, and even pan for gold. Race participants will set off from town and journey into the Mojave Desert and the Calico Mountains, where they’ll attempt to tackle a looped course made up of trails, jeep roads, rocky canyons and just under 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Check out the official race website here.
Other West Events:
Pacific
- Folsom Lake Sweet Water Trail Run (Folsom, CA)
- Golden Gate Spartan Trail Classic (San Francisco, CA)
- Del Dios Trail Race (Escondido, CA)
Mountain
- Wilson Creek Frozen 50K (Melba, ID)
Featured: Cactus Roulette (Lawrence, KS)
The Cactus Roulette Endurance Event is a unique, fixed-time race that takes place at Coneflower Campground in Clinton Lake State Park, Lawrence, Kansas. The fifth edition of the event will feature four timed options, including 24 hours, 12 hours (a.m. and p.m.), and 6 hours. On course, participants will run three different loops that range from 1.9 to 3.6 miles. Before each loop, they’ll spin a color-coded roulette wheel that determines which loop they’ll run. Land on blue, and you’ll run a technical 3.6-mile trail with 253 feet of gain and loss. Land on green and you’ll set off on a technical 2.6-mile loop with 239 feet of vert. Land on red and tackle a 1.9-mile cross-country style course that features a couple of steep climbs and 150 feet of climbing. Watch a video about the race here.
Other Midwest events:
- Arrowhead 135 (International Falls, MN) *January 26th*
Featured: Mountain Mist (Huntsville, AL)
The 32nd annual Mountain Mist 50K takes place Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama. One of UltraRunning Magazine’s Old School Ultras, which recognizes races that embrace the culture of ultrarunning, Mountain Mist has earned a reputation as one of the South’s premier winter ultramarathons. The race starts and finishes atop Monte Sano Mountain (Spanish for “Mountain of Health”) and sends runners on a challenging tour of some of northern Alabama’s most demanding trails, where they’ll face rugged and rocky terrain, unpredictable weather conditions, creek crossings and close to 4,000 feet of climbs and descents. The race begins at 7 a.m., and runners have 9.5 hours to complete the course for an official finish. Read more about the 2026 Mountain Mist 50K here.
Other South Events:
Southwest
- Pemberton Trail (Fountain Hills, AZ)
- Saguaro Showdown (Mesa, AZ)
- Franklin Mountains Trail Runs (El Paso, TX)
- Running the Rose (Tyler, TX)
- Outlast Houston (Sugar Land, TX)
Southeast
- David’s Trail Endurance Run (Mountain Home, AR)
- Angela Ivory Memorial Runs (Felton, DE)
- Clearwater Running Festival (Clearwater, FL)
- Florida Roots Trail Series: Fort Clinch (Fernandina Beach, FL)
- Monroe Cross Trail (DeBary, FL)
- This ain’t yo Momma’s 50k & Trail Marathon (Middleburg, FL)
- Southern Freeze 50/50 (Columbus, GA)
- 48 Miles of HOPE (Winston-Salem, NC)
- Snow Bird Challenge (Seneca, SC)
- Myrtle Beach 24 Hour (Myrtle Beach, SC)
- Tatonka 50k & 20mi (Waiteville, WV)
Featured: Ted Corbitt 50k (New York, NY)
The Ted Corbitt 50K is an annual ultramarathon tribute run honoring Ted Corbitt, widely regarded as the father of long-distance running in the United States. Corbitt was the first African American Olympic marathoner as well as the founding president of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) (1958-1960) and president of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) in 1960-1961. The non-timed event takes place Sunday, January 26, in Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park, and follows a point-to-point road course through Manhattan, finishing on Ted Corbitt Way in the Bronx. Participants may choose from 4 a.m., 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. start times and will have access to six aid stations along the route to help support their journey. Learn more about the Ted Corbitt 50K here.
No other Northeast Events.
Featured: Ultra Trail Oso Negro (Santiago, Mexico)
Ultra Trail Oso Negro, also known as the Black Bear Ultra, features extremely challenging 100k and 50k ultramarathons held in the rugged Sierra de Santiago mountains of Nuevo León, Mexico. The 50k race begins at 5 a.m. local time on Saturday, January 24, and includes more than 3,200 meters of elevation gain and loss with a 14-hour cutoff. The 100k event also starts at 5 a.m. and gives runners 22 hours to tackle 5,273 meters of climbing and descending. Both courses wind through scenic mountain trails, forest paths and dirt roads, showcasing dramatic forests, rivers and waterfall landscapes. Learn more about Ultra Trail Oso Negro here.
No other Canada or Mexico Events.
Email corys@ultrarunning with questions about adding your event to the UltraRunning Magazine calendar.