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The third weekend in March features 44 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in Washington, Ohio, Arkansas and Maryland . If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.
Featured: Chuckanut 50k (Fairhaven, WA)
Over 600 runners will line up at the start of the 32nd running of the Chuckanut 50k on Saturday. The classic Pacific Northwest ultramarathon, held in the Chuckanut Mountains just outside of Bellingham, Washington, annually attracts some of the fastest trail runners in the country looking to add a competitive early-season win and stamp their name in the record books alongside some of the sport’s biggest names.
On course, participants will run a lollipop-style route beginning with a smooth and runnable 10k section on the Interurban Trail. The race then climbs into the mountains for roughly 30k and 5,000 feet of vertical gain and loss over challenging terrain before finishing with a fast descent back to the finish line.
Find out everything you need to know about the Chuckanut 50k here, and tune in to the live race day action on the Mountain Outpost’s Chuckanut 50K stream.
Other West Events:
Pacific
- Redwood Trail Run (Spring) (Oakland, CA)
- San Diego Pirate’s Cove 6/12/24 Hour Run/Walk (Cuyamaca Lake, CA)
- VALENCIA Trail Race (Valencia, CA)
- J Treequinox (Joshua Tree, CA)
- The Big Alta (Marinwood, CA)
- Rattlesnake Dick (Cool, CA)
- Monserate Endurance Test (Fallbrook, CA)
- The Owyhee Off-Road Challenge (Adrian, OR)
Mountain
- Pulse Endurance Runs (Pickled Feet) (Eagle, ID)
- Trail Trashed Ultra (Las Vegas, NV)
- Lake to Lake UltraMarathon (St. George, UT)
- Cryin on the climb (Provo, UT)
Featured: Ohio’s Backyard Ultra (Lucasville, OH)
Ohio’s Backyard Ultra returns to McChesney Ridge Athletic Club in Lucasville, Ohio, for its eighth running. A total of 115 runners will head out at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and run as many 4.1667-mile loops as they can every hour, on the hour, until only one runner remains.
This year’s day course will feature two loops of 2.08 miles, zero pavement and between 450 and 475 feet of climbing. The night course will send runners on an out-and-back route with close to 150 feet of vertical gain.
The 2026 Ohio’s Backyard Ultra is a Bronze Ticket race on the road to Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in October. The last person standing will win $500, a special commemorative prize and entry into the Ode to Laz Backyard Ultra Silver Ticket race.
Read the “Big Document of Info (2026)” here.
Other West Events:
- American Bottoms 100 (Columbia, IL)
- OPSF5050 (Spencer, IN)
- Get Lucky 50/50 (Canal Fulton, OH)
- Embark Sap Run Scramble LPS (Cashton, WI)
Featured: 3 Days of Syllamo (Blanchard Springs, AR)
3 Days of Syllamo is a three-day stage race that takes place March 20–22, 2026, at Blanchard Springs Recreation Area in Fifty-Six, Arkansas. Founded in 2005 and a new addition to UltraRunning Magazine’s list of Old School Ultras, the event brings runners together for an old-school trail running weekend filled with music, food, friends and great single-track trails.
The event kicks off with a 50k on Friday, followed by a 50-miler on Saturday and wraps up with Sunday’s 20k for a total of approximately 94 miles. While the courses change each year, runners will tackle various sections of the Sylamore, Syllamo and Ozark Highlands Trails with around 150 to 170 feet of gain per mile.
Participants can choose to run one, two or all three events. Read more about 3 Days of Syllamo.
Other South Events:
Southwest
- Skull Krusher (Cave Creek, AZ)
- Flatlander Trail Run (Glendale, AZ)
- Grasslands Trail Run (Decatur, TX)
- Crazy Desert Trail Race (San Angelo, TX)
- Chupacabra 50 (Quanah, TX)
- Hippo Trail Fest (Hutto, TX)
Southeast
- Hungryland 100 (West Palm Beach, FL)
- Lake Kissimmee Endurance Challenge (Lake Wales, FL)
- Yeti 7-11 Hour Endurance Challenge (Lithia Springs, GA)
- Southern States 200 (Rocky Face, GA)
- Badwater Cape Fear (Bald Head Island, NC)
- Blackbeard’s Revenge 100 (Corolla, NC)
- Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker (Old Fort, NC)
- Cliffs of the Neuse Trail Run & Hike (Seven Springs, NC)
- Camp Croft (Spartanburg, SC)
- Fall Creek Falls 50K (Spencer, TN)
- Big Buffalo 50 (Memphis, TN)
- Terrapin Mountain (Big Island, VA)
- Dogwood Ultra Marathons (Chesterfield, VA)
Featured: HAT Trail Run (Havre de Grace, MD)
Saturday, March 21, marks the 36th running of the Hinte Anderson Trail (HAT) Run. The old-school 50k ultramarathon takes place at Susquehanna State Park in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on mostly single-track trails with small sections of open fields, dirt roads and pavement.
Runners will set off at 8:30 a.m. and begin with a 3-mile loop, followed by two 14-mile loops that wind through the forest along the Susquehanna River. Along the way, they’ll navigate 4,400 feet of elevation gain and loss, four stream crossings and the likelihood of significant mud.
Check out a video of the 2022 HAT 50K and read all about the 2026 race here.
Other Northeast Events:
- Enchanted Forest Ultra Run (Stratford, CT)
- TARC To Hale and Back (Westwood, MA)
- THE MT TAMMANY 10 (Delaware Water Gap, NJ)
- Wells Mills 50K at the Rat Race (Waretown, NJ)
- The Bullshit Backyard Ultra (Lenoxville, PA)
No events this weekend.
Email corys@ultrarunning with questions about adding your event to the UltraRunning Magazine calendar.