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The second weekend of May features 49 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.
Featured: Quicksilver (San Jose, CA)
The 41st running of the Quicksilver Endurance Runs takes place Saturday, May 9, at Almaden Quicksilver County Park in San Jose, California. First run in 1984, the event now features 50k and 100k races that take runners on a tour of the Santa Clara Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains on a combination of fire roads and single-track trails.
The 100k competitors have 17 hours to navigate 13,000 feet of climbs and descents to earn their finisher medals and a 2027 Western States qualifier. The 50k runners have 9 hours to tackle 6,000 feet of elevation gain and loss.
To date, the great folks at Quicksilver Running Club have helped raise more than $100,000 for organizations and charities. Check out the 2026 Quicksilver Endurance Runs website to learn more.
Other West Events:
Pacific
- Grizzly Peak (Berkeley, CA)
- Paiute Meadows Trail Run (Susanville, CA)
- Trail Run at Sly Park – Spring (Pollack Pines, CA)
- John Wayne Grit Series – Newport Coast (Laguna Beach, CA)
- The Race to Space (McMinnville, OR)
- Tiger Claw (Issaquah, WA)
- Running Up for Air – Chuckanut Chinscraper (Bellingham, WA)
Mountain
- Quad Rock 50 (Fort Collins, CO)
- Valkyrie Trail Race (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Boise Greenbelt Relays (Boise, ID)
- Prarie Goat Ultra (Broadview, MT)
- Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run (Helena, MT)
Featured: Ice Age Trail (La Grange, WI)
Established in 1981, the Ice Age Trail 50 is one of the oldest continuously running ultramarathons in the United States and is recognized as one of UltraRunning Magazine’s Old School Ultras. The 44th edition of the race will feature two ultramarathon distances, 50 miles and 50k, that traverse the Ice Age National Scenic Trail through Wisconsin’s Southern Kettle Moraine Forest.
Runners will pass marshes, prairies, evergreen and deciduous forests, and interesting geologic formations left over from the last Ice Age more than 10,000 years ago. Race highlights include scenic trails, great runner support and an epic post-race party with free beer and live music.
Read more about the Ice Age Trail 50 here.
Other Midwest Events:
- Grind on the Grid Backyard Ultra (Veedersburg, IN)
- Lazy A Backyard Ultra (Udall, KS)
- Traverse City Trail Running Festival (Traverse City, MI)
- Thunderbunny (Athens, OH)
- Running with my Gnomies (Dover, OH)
- Popple Shoot Trail Races (Minong, WI)
Featured: Hellbender 100 (Old Fort, NC)
The Hellbender 100 returns to the Beast Coast for its seventh running. The classic mountain race begins and ends at Camp Grier in Old Fort, North Carolina, and takes runners through the heart of Appalachia, where they’ll be tested by over 20,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, plenty of technical, rocky and rooty sections, and climbs up and over some of the tallest peaks on the East Coast.
Runners will set off at 5 a.m. on Friday, May 8, and have 39 hours to complete the race and earn their finisher’s buckle.
Despite course modifications due to trail damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024, Hellbender remains both a Hardrock 100 and Western States 100 qualifying race.
Read the 2026 participant guide here.
Other South Events:
Southwest
- Jemez Mountain (Los Alamos, NM)
- Wildflower Trail Run (Bastrop, TX)
- East Texas Ultra (Pittsburg, TX)
Southeast
- Run for Kids Challenge (Pelham, AL)
- Muddy Crudd’s Ultra Trail Party (Valley, AL)
- Fort Morgan to Florida (Fort Morgan, AL)
- The Next Loop: 50-Mile Challenge – Pinnacle Mountain (May) (Roland, AR)
- The Next Loop: Endurance Series – Pinnacle Mountain (May) (Roland, AR)
- The Tick (Alexander Springs, FL)
- Circle of The Dragon (Meridian, MS)
- Clock of Doom 50k (Davidson, NC)
- Stoney 100 (Charleston, SC)
- Freight Train 100k/50k (Farmville, VA)
- Middle Ridge Monster 8H Run (Charleston, WV)
- EHQ Valley Falls 6 & 12 Hour (Fairmont, WV)
Featured: Dirty German Endurance Fest (Philadelphia, PA)
“The Oktoberfest of trail running,” the 16th annual Dirty German features 50-mile and 50k ultramarathon races and once again promises runners a fun race experience combined with a festive German-themed atmosphere. Highlights include tasty food, live accordion music, unique finisher medals from the Black Forest of Germany and a supportive, local running community.
The race takes place in Pennypack Park, located within the city limits of Philadelphia, and features a runnable multi-loop course along Pennypack Creek. The 50-mile runners will start at 7:30 a.m. and run three 25k figure-eight loops, plus a one-mile dogleg section each lap. The 50k participants will take on two 25k loops.
Read more about the Dirty German here.
Other Northeast Events:
- TARC Wapack and Back (Ashburnham, MA)
- Watuppa Trail Races (Fall River, MA)
- Mind the Ducks (Webster, NY)
- Mind Over Miles- 24 Hour Challenge (Buffalo, NY)
- Glacier Ridge (Portersville, PA)
- Eagleton 86 & the Eagleton Trail Challenge (Lock Haven, PA)
- Dawn To Dusk to Dawn Track Ultras (Sharon Hill, PA)
Featured: Conquer the Canuck (Cambridge, ON)
Conquer the Canuck is a fundraising event that benefits KidsAbility, a nonprofit that helps “children and youth with disabilities and developmental delays to thrive through pediatric rehabilitation.”
The race features two ultramarathon lengths, a 50k race and a 12-hour fixed-time contest. Conquer the Canuck takes place at Shades Mills Conservation Area in Cambridge, Ontario. Participants will run a 6.25k loop course that offers a mix of terrain, including gravel, grass, dirt and a small technical section.
Read more on the 2026 Conquer the Canuck race website.
Other Events in Canada & Mexico:
- Harriers Elk-Beaver (Victoria, BC)
- Wascally Wabbit (Folly Lake, NS)
- Nakkertok Trail Enduro (Val-des-Monts, QC)
Email corys@ultrarunning with questions about adding your event to the UltraRunning Magazine calendar.