What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — November 1, 2025

The first weekend of November features 58 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in California, Illinois, Alabama, Massachusetts and Alberta, Canada. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.

Featured: Rio Del Lago (Granite Bay, CA)

The 23rd running of the Rio Del Lago 100-Mile Endurance Run kicks off Saturday, November 1, at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area in Northern California’s Sierra-Nevada Foothills. The 100-mile participants will run an out-and-back-style course that combines California’s most popular trail races, the American River 50 and Way Too Cool 50k, as well as sections of the iconic Western States Trail. Runners will set off at 5 a.m. and head south to Folsom before turning around and heading northeast past Auburn and then back to the finish. On trail, athletes can expect varied terrain (including pavement in the early stages) and approximately 13,874 feet of elevation gain and loss. Runners have 30 hours to complete the race to earn their buckles and 2026 WSER qualifiers. In addition to the 100-mile event, Rio Del Lago will also host a 50k race. You can follow the action on the race stream and live results page. Read more.

Other West Events:

Pacific

• Griffith Park Trail (Los Angeles, CA)
• Almaden Hills Trail Run – Fall (San Jose, CA)
• Machete Trail Madness 100 Miler (Perris, CA)
• Wildwood Canyon Trail Run (Yucaipa, CA)
• Roosters Backyard Ultra (San Diego, CA)
• Silver Falls (Silverton, OR)

Mountain

• Colorado 24 Hour Run (Fort Collins, CO)
• Liberty Park Endurance Runs (Salt Lake City, UT)

Featured: Chicago Lakefront: Fall Version (Chicago, IL)

The 24^th annual Chicago Lakefront Ultras Fall Edition 50-miler and 26^th annual 50k races take place this weekend in the windy city. Runners will run multiple out-and-back laps on the Chicago Lakefront Trail, a flat and fast pedestrian path on the shores of Lake Michigan. Each lap begins and ends at the Foster Avenue Beach House in Lincoln Park and offers scenic views of the Chicago skyline. The 50-mile participants will run four 12.5-mile laps, while 50k runners will tackle three 10.36-mile laps. This is a great event for beginner ultramarathoners, veterans training for longer events and runners who enjoy competing in an exciting, urban environment. Read more.

Other Midwest Events:

• • Lake Vista Lunatics Run (Borden, IN)
  • New Hope Wesleyan Ultra Trail Run (Corydon, IN)
  • The Ultra Bird 12hr and 6hr Trail Races (West Olive, MI)
  • Cal Crusher (Caledonia, MI)
  • Broken Toe (Harveysburg, OH)
  • Conquer the Castle Trail Race (Willoughby Hills, OH)
  • Autumn Squatch 10K, Half and 50K (Lewis Center, OH)
  • GRRR 50K and Relay (Columbus, OH)
  • Glacier Hills Ultra (Canton, SD)
  • Icebox 480 (River Falls, WI)
  • Fall Back Blast Trail Run (Eau Claire, WI)

Featured: Pinhoti (Sylacauga, AL)

My first 100-mile ultramarathon, the Pinhoti 100 will always hold a special place in my running memories—and rightfully so. Now in its 18^th year, Pinhoti has a little bit of everything, including beautiful fall colors, 83 miles of single-track trails, scenic views from Mount Cheaha (Alabama’s highest peak) and some of the most fun aid stations I’ve ever encountered in a race, complete with fully stocked bars and big screen TVs showing SEC football games. This year’s participants will begin in Heflin and travel south on the Pinhoti Trail, following the turkey claw blazes through the Talladega National Forest, before finishing in Sylacauga. On course, they’ll have to navigate mostly runnable trails with a few creek crossings and technical sections, and over 14,000 feet of climbs and descents. Along with Rio Del Lago, Pinhoti is one of the season’s last chances to earn a Western States qualifier. Runners will need to finish in under 30 hours to enter their name in the 2026 WSER lottery. Read more.

Other South Events:

Southwest

• Deadman Peaks Trail Run (Cuba, NM)
• Day of the Dead (Legs) (Albuquerque, NM)
• Hula Loop 6-Hour Sunday Series – Race 5 (Watauga, TX)
• Dinosaur Run (San Angelo, TX)
• Camino De Los Muertos (Lewisville, TX)
• The McKinney 24 (McKinney, TX)

Southeast

• Kettlebell Kountdown (Pelham, AL)
• Beast of Burden – Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)
• Azalea (Florahome, FL)
• Savannah Rails to Trails 50k | 25k (Savannah, GA)
• Fire Tower Frenzy (Ellijay, GA)
• Standing Boy Trail Festival (Columbus, GA)
• No Man’s Land Trail Run (Lake Charles, LA)
• Fire on the Mountain (Flintstone, MD)
• Run the River Ultra (Petal, MS)
• Tideland 24 (Swansboro,, NC)
• Terror Trails Ultra (Waxhaw, NC)
• OMR Ultra 24 Hour Challenge (Mint Hill, NC)
• FATS (North Augusta, SC)
• Norris Dam Hard Trail Race (Norris, TN)
• Natchez Trace Trail Run (Franklin, TN)
• Mountain Masochist Trail Run (Lynchburg, VA)
• Great Eastern Endurance Run (Lyndhurt, VA)
• Noland Trail 50K (Newport News, VA)
• Froggy’s Freaky Friday (Galax, VA)

Featured: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival (Ipswich, MA)

First run in 2021, the Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) Stone Cat Trail Festival now includes two ultra distances (100k and 50-mile) as well as a marathon, half-marathon, 10k, kids race and perhaps, what I’m most cut out for—the Cider Donut Mile. All events take place at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Massachusetts, just 45 minutes north of Boston, on a 12.5-mile rolling loop course with 1,100 feet of elevation gain. The 100k runners will run five loops, while 50-milers need to complete four loops. TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival is known for its warm atmosphere and supportive crowd and has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for the local trails and community. Read more.

Other Northeast Events:

• 8 Hours at the Farm (Brookfield, CT)
• Fall Trailblazer Ultra (Wrentham, MA)
• The Hamsterwheel (New Boston, NH)
• Fall Back Into The Trails 50k (Lagrangeville, NY)
• Pain in Green Lane (Green Lane, PA)
• The Long Run – Fall Back (Wind Gap, PA)
• RUTFest (Williston, VT)

Featured: The Dark: 24 Hours Underground (Bellevue, AB)

With Halloween just a couple of days away, I can’t think of a spookier concept for a race than running for hours in the dark in an abandoned coal mine. But that’s exactly what 100 runners will set out to do Saturday, 150 feet below the surface, at The Dark: 24 Hours Underground. The unique and fun race takes place at the Bellevue Underground Mine in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada, and provides participants with an immersive experience into the world of coal mining. The event includes 6, 12 and 24-hour fixed-time races that send runners down and back a 250-meter-long mine shaft with a 1% grade. Participants will run as many loops as they can before the clock runs out. While this video sure does makes the race look like a great time (and not all that spooky), this may not be the best event for runners who are afraid of the dark! Read more.

Other Events in Canada and Mexico:

• The Beav Trail Race (Milton, ON)
• Staku Track Run 24 horas (Xalapa, Veracruz)

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