The 2026 ultra marathon schedule: thirty major North American and European ultra races, organized by month, with registration windows, lottery details, and course notes. Updated through the season.
The desert season opens.
Black Canyon City, AZ
A Western States Golden Ticket race. Fast desert course, runnable, perfect for a fast 100K finish.
Calabasas, CA
Santa Monica Mountains, technical, a serious 100K. Western States Golden Ticket race.
Sonoita, AZ
Storied desert 50, high-desert grasslands, runnable, a classic.
Mid-distance ultras across the country.
Page, AZ
Slot canyons, sand dunes, scenic non-mountain ultra.
Moab, UT
Slickrock, red rock, the Utah desert in early spring.
The big-distance season starts.
Auburn, CA
Western States training course. The 100K is a Western States Golden Ticket race. Same trail as WSER. Practice run for the real thing.
Sacramento, CA
40-year-old race, point-to-point, a real classic. Runnable, fast.
Virgin, UT
Zion mesa-tops, big-sky views, runnable singletrack. Solid first 100M.
The 200-mile season begins. The classics ramp.
Black Canyon → Flagstaff, AZ
The biggest 250 in the calendar. Aravaipa Running event. Premier-tier multi-day. Live-tracked, world-class crew experience.
Shenandoah Valley, VA
East-coast technical 100. Ridge running, quintessential Appalachian.
North Georgia
33,000 feet of vert in 106 miles. As steep as Hardrock without the altitude. East-coast brutal.
San Jose, CA
Nice spring 100K, well-organized, runnable.
Western States month.
Olympic Valley → Auburn, CA
The race that made ultrarunning. Lottery is the hardest part, most runners wait years.
Dayton, WY
Mountain 100 in the Bighorn Range. Stunning. A great alternative if you don't pull a WSER lottery slot.
Lake Cuyamaca, CA
Mid-elevation, mostly runnable, friendly first 100.
Hardrock month.
Silverton, CO
The hardest 100 in North America. 33,000 ft of vert at 11,000+ ft average elevation. Lottery odds: about 1.5%.
West Windsor, VT
Dirt-road 100, runnable, friendliest first 100 in the country. Founded 1989, supports Vermont Adaptive Sports.
Salida, CO
Sawatch Range, all above 9,000 ft. A gorgeous mountain 100 with Hardrock-adjacent terrain.
The marquee month: UTMB, Leadville, Bigfoot.
Chamonix · France/Italy/Switzerland
The European Western States. 171 km / 33,000 ft of vert through three countries. The single biggest ultra event in the world.
Leadville, CO
Race Across the Sky. Out-and-back from Leadville (10,200 ft) over Hope Pass (12,600 ft) twice. The buckle: sub-25 silver, sub-30 finisher.
Marble Mountain, WA
Mt. St. Helens to Mt. Adams to Mt. Rainier. The volcano triple. Two nights, 41,000 ft of vert. Brutal.
Tiadaghton State Forest, PA
Pennsylvania ridge running, technical, no-frills, hard.
Easton, WA
PNW classic. Cascade Range, technical, the ropes section.
Tahoe 200 + the late-season hundreds.
Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
A loop around the lake. The most accessible 200, no resume required to apply, friendlier elevation than Cocodona.
Kaysville → Heber City, UT
A founding member of the Grand Slam. 26,000 ft of vert through the Wasatch Range. Hard.
Steamboat Springs, CO
Two-day-rabbit and four-day-tortoise divisions. The race with the largest prize purse in North American ultras.
Logan, UT → Fish Haven, ID
Bear River Range, gorgeous fall colors, big climbing. A great late-season 100.
Moab + the season wind-down.
Moab, UT
Loop course through canyons, rim, La Sal Mountains. The closing race of the 200-mile season.
Albion, IN
Friendly midwest 100. Loop course, runnable, well-organized. Good first 100.
Fountain Hills, AZ
Halloween 100 in the Sonoran desert. Costumes mandatory. Western States Golden Ticket race.