What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — March 28, 2026

The final weekend in March includes 42 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we feature events in Utah, Kansas, North Carolina and Connecticut. If you’re a race director and would like your event to be featured in the calendar, register here.

Featured: Behind the Rocks Ultra (Moab, UT)

The 12th running of the Behind the Rocks Ultra kicks off Saturday, March 28, in Moab, Utah. The final event in the Triple Crown of Moab, the race features 50k and 50-mile ultramarathon distances, along with a 30k and 10-mile option. Both ultras start and finish on the Behind the Rocks Trail and showcase some of Moab’s classic desert scenery and unique rock formations.

The 50-mile course features just under 6,800 feet of elevation gain and loss over technical double and single-track trails, while the 50k course includes just over 3,800 feet of climbing and descending. Free camping is offered at the start/finish area for runners all weekend.

Read the official 2026 Behind the Rocks race guide.

Other West Events:

Pacific

• Griffith Park Trail (Los Angeles, CA)
• Bad Ass Backyard Ultra (Rio Linda, CA)
• Dizzy Daze (Seattle, WA)
• Badger Mountain Challenge (Richland, WA)
• Last Fool Standing, 24 & 12-hour Runs (Poulsbo, WA)

Mountain

• Antelope Island Buffalo Run (Syracuse, UT) (CANCELED)

Featured: Prairie Spirit Trail (Ottawa, KS)

First run in 2013, the Prairie Spirit Trail race features four ultramarathon distances (100 miles, 100k, 50 miles and 50k) that take place on the Prairie Spirit Trail, a 51-mile National Recreation rails-to-trail path in eastern Kansas. The flat, fast course is ideal for first-timers as well as runners looking to set a distance PR.

The 100-mile and 100k participants have 30 hours to finish, while 50-mile runners have a generous 29-hour cutoff, and 50k runners have 28 hours. Race highlights include custom buckles for all finishers, free race photos, strong aid station support and complimentary post-race meals.

Read more on the Prairie Spirit Trail race website.

Other Midwest Events:

• Clinton Lake (DeWitt, IL)
• Chicago Lakefront: Fall Version (Chicago, IL)
• Skunk Ape 806 (Dixon, IL)
• Schon Park 3/6/9 Endurance Runs (Glen Carbon, IL)
• Double Chubb (St Louis, MO)
• Vernal Equinox 24-12-8 Hour Run (Batavia, OH)

Featured: Umstead (Raleigh, NC)

The Umstead 100 returns to William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, this weekend for its 31st edition. The classic East Coast event is known for being extremely well-organized, accessible and designed to help new ultrarunners “make the leap from 50-mile runs to the more demanding 100-mile distance.”

The race features a runnable 12.5-mile out-and-back course through the park that runners will navigate eight times within 30 hours to earn their Umstead 100 buckles. Each lap includes close to 900 feet of elevation gain and loss over mostly hard-packed dirt and gravel fire road trails.

While the race is a 100-mile event, runners who complete at least 50 miles will be recognized with an official 50-mile finish. Read more on the Umstead 100 race website.

Other South Events:

Southwest

• Crown King Scramble (Phoenix, AZ)
• Arizona Monster 300 (Superior, AZ)
• Ricochet’s Riot (Killeen, TX)
• The Great Root Trail Race (Dallas, TX)
• 3 Chaparrals 3/6 Hour Endurance Trail Run (Canyon, TX)
• Bluebonnet Trail Run (Marble Falls, TX)

Southeast

• Oak Mountain (Pelham, AL)
• Mulberry Mile: Trail Endurance Race (Hanceville, AL)
• The Next Loop Endurance Series – Arkansas (Morrilton, AR)
• Cow Ford 50 miler (Jacksonville, FL)
• The Georgia Death Race (Blairsville, GA)
• The Bootlegger 100 Mile Trail Race (Jackson, GA)
• Stevi’s Roost 48 Hour Ultra (Sylvania, GA)
• Southern Chicken Fried (Louisville, GA)
• Bourbon Country 25K/50K (Shepherdsville, KY)
• Tennessee 50 miler (Williamsport, TN)
• Iron Griddle (Nashville, TN)
• Capital Backyard Ultra (Lorton, VA)
• Hone Quarry 40 Miler (Dayton, VA)
• RRRC Fool’s Run Fest (Henrico, VA)
• Kanawha Trace Trail Runs (Ona, WV)

Featured: Sleeping Giant Trail Runs (Hamden, CT)

The second running of the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs takes place Sunday, March 29, at iconic Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, Connecticut. The 50k ultramarathon, dubbed “one of the toughest, gnarliest races in the Northeast,” takes competitors on a tour of the park’s challenging terrain, where they’ll have to complete two 25k loops in under 10 hours.

On each loop, runners will have to overcome 3,000 feet of elevation gain, steep climbs and descents, rocky scrambles, and technical single-track trails. Check out the course profile video, and read more about the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs here.

Other Northeast Events:

• MCW Lenape Runventure (Milburn, NJ)
• Spring On The Trails Endurance Runs (Lagrangeville, NY)
• Genesee Valley Ultra (Parkton, MD)
• Froggy Hollow 5 & 9 (Clarksburg, MD)

No events this weekend.

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