The post This Week In Running: May 18, 2026 appeared first on iRunFar.
The Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon was the runaway weekend headliner, and we also have international reports from Ultra-Trail Australia and Ultra-Trail Snowdonia, and some U.S. results from Cruel Jewel, Massanutten, and more.
You can also check out our race coverage from the weekend:
2026 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon Results: Tove Alexandersson Nabs Record, Elhousine Elazzaoui Repeats
Ultra-Trail Australia – Katoomba, Australia
It was the event’s 18th year, and it was the UTMB World Series Major in the Oceania region.
UTAMiler
The 100-mile race had nearly 24,000 feet of climbing through the Blue Mountains. Neutral runners Aleksei Tolstenko and Aleskei Beresnev were at the front of the men’s race in 17:38 and 17:44, and Chris Lenkic (Australia) was third in 18:34.
Aleksei Tolstenko, the Ultra-Trail Australia 100 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Ultra-Trail Australia
Women’s winner Antonina Iushina (Neutral) was sixth overall in 19:51. Stephanie Auston (Australia) and Emma Timmis (New Zealand) were second and third in 22:01 and 22:57.
Antonina Iushina, the 2026 Ultra-Trail Australia 100 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Ultra-Trail Australia
UTA100
Only five minutes separated men’s first and second, Michael Dunstan (Australia) and Gui-Du Qin (China), who finished in 9:04 and 9:09. Race local Dunstan gained the lead near halfway and held the edge to the finish. Two-time Leadville 100 Mile winner Adrian Macdonald (U.S.) was third in 9:32.
The women’s race was close too, with Katarzyna Dombrowska (Poland) edging Beth McKenzie (U.S.) for the win by four minutes. Dombrowska and McKenzie ran 10:50 and 10:55, with McKenzie rapidly closing on Dombrowska on the infamous 951-step Furber Steps section of the trail. Emilie Mann (Canada) was third in 11:34. [From 2016 to 2018, Beth McKenzie (née Gerdes) served a two-year doping sanction after testing positive at the 2016 Ironman Australia for ostarine, a prohibited selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
UTA50
Dan Jones (New Zealand) ruled the men’s race in 4:04. It was a repeat win for Jones, with his 2026 finish about three minutes slower than in 2025. Hajime Kasagi (Japan) and Blake Turner (Australia) were next in 4:15 and 4:18.
Daniel Jones, the Ultra-Trail Australia 50 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Natalie Wong
Miao Yao (China) ran the women’s race 90 seconds faster than Ruth Croft (New Zealand) for the victory. The pair ran 4:33 and 4:34. Yao led by about two minutes for much of the race until Croft caught her on the Furber Steps section. Reportedly, Croft dropped a flask and started to cramp when stopping to retrieve it. Yao then pulled away for the win. Holly Ranson (Australia) was third in 4:57.
Miao Yao, the 2026 Ultra-Trail Australia 50 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Natalie Wong
Ultra-Trail Snowdonia – Llanberis, United Kingdom
UTS 100M
The long course went for 101 miles, and Beñat Marmissolle (France) won in 21:59. Joaquín López (Ecuador) and Franco Collé (Italy) were next on the podium in 22:38 and 25:18.
It was an entirely British women’s podium with Myvanwy Hanna, Charlotte Fisher, and Rachel Sergeant running 29:14, 32:56, and 33:17.
UTS 100k
Men’s winner Paul Cornut Chauvinc (France) finished in 11:51, and second- and third-place Jean-Philippe Tschumi (Switzerland) and Keith Wigley (U.K.) ran 12:12 and 12:53.
Ariane Wilhelm (Switzerland) was a runaway winner in the women’s race in 16:02. U.K. runners Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn and Mel Sykes finished next in 18:40 and 19:41.
UTS 80k
Josh Wade (U.K.) was over an hour better than second place with a 6:56 winning time. Lowri Morgan (U.K.) won the women’s race in 9:21. Wade has been here every year since 2021 and won the 100 miler in 2023 and the 100k in 2022.
UTS 50k
Race winners Jonathan Albon (U.K.) and Giuditta Turini (Italy) ran 5:34 and 7:00. The 2021 Western States 100 winner Beth Pascall (U.K.) was second woman in 7:34.
Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon – Zegama, Spain
Marathon
This was the event’s 25th year, it was the first race of the 2026 Golden Trail World Series, and it was exceptionally competitive.
In the men’s race, Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) opened a big early lead but ultimately finished sixth.
Defending champ Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) and 2025 third-placer Daniel Pattis (Italy) hauled past Bonnet near the halfway mark, and Elazzaoui again used his late-race kick to score the win. Both Elazzaoui and Pattis finished in 3:45, with Elazzaoui 20 seconds in front.
Taylor Stack (U.S.) moved up for all of the race and got onto the podium on the race’s final downhill to finish third in 3:52. Americans on the Zegama podium are rare, so Stack’s performance stands out against U.S. history.
The 11-time champ Kilian Jornet (Spain) was in the mix early but faded over the second half with a reported leg issue to finish 41st.
The men’s top five was:
Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 3:45:07
Daniel Pattis (Italy) – 3:45:27
Taylor Stack (U.S.) – 3:52:17
Manuel Merillas (Spain) – 3:53:14
Robert Pkemoi (Kenya) – 3:53:28
Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui navigates the crowds of the famous Sancti Spiritu climb, en route to winning the 2026 Zegama Marathon. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
For the women, Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) rocketed around the Aizkorri Massif in 4:08. Despite the muddy conditions, it was a new course record by eight minutes, bettering Nienke Brinkman’s old best from 2022. Alexandersson was over 16 minutes better than everyone else this year, too.
Malen Osa (Spain) passed 2025 winner Sara Alonso (Spain) late to score second in 4:23, and Alonso was third in 4:25. Although well behind Alexandersson, Osa’s time was the race’s third-fastest ever.
The women’s top five was:
Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) – 4:08:09
Malen Osa (Spain) – 4:23:56
Sara Alonso (Spain) – 4:25:51
Ida Amelie Robsahm (Norway) – 4:28:19
María Fuentes (Spain) – 4:33:10
Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson, 2026 Zegama Marathon champion and new course record holder. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Vertical
Heavy rainfall forced a course change to the Vertical Kilometer. The course distance was limited to 5k with about 760 meters of climbing. The race was exceptionally muddy.
Past marathon winners Nienke Brinkman (The Netherlands) and Stian Angermund (Norway) won in 38:21 and 32:47.
[Stian Angermund served a 16-month doping ban after testing positive for the prohibited masking agent chlortalidone at the 2023 OCC race in France.]
Stian Angermund, the 2026 Zegama Vertical Kilometer men’s winner. Photo: José Antonio Bellido Puebla
Nienke Brinkman, the 2026 Zegama Vertical Kilometer women’s winner. Photo: José Antonio Bellido Puebla
Additional Races and Runs
Trail Alsace by UTMB – Obernai, France
The long course went for nearly 100 miles. Race winners Baptiste Derouin (France) and Manuela Soccol (Belgium) ran 16:27 and 19:17, and in the 100k, it was Kamil Leśniak (Poland) and Lin Chen (China) winning in 9:00 and 10:44. Leśniak was only 29 seconds in front of runner-up Corentin Play (France), and Chen beat second-place Anna Li (China) by 18 minutes. Christian Allen (U.S.) edged local runner Benjamin Polin (France) by 11 seconds to win the 50k in 3:11, and Martyna Młynarczyk (Poland) won the women’s 50k in 3:48. Camila Magliano (Italy) was second in 4:02. Full results.
Valhöll Ultra Trail – Valhöll, Argentina
The 50k winners were Argentinians Sergio Gustavo Pereyra and Marcela Casadey in 5:08 and 6:19. Full results.
Sun Mountain 50k – Winthrop, Washington
The Rainshadow Running race had Stephen Kersh and Andrea Lin win the 50 miler in 6:30 and 8:04, and Carl Koopmans and Nicole Bergstrom were best in the 50k in 4:10 and 4:22. Full results.
Tillamook Burn Trail Run – Tillamook, Oregon
The 50-mile winners were Matthew Guarino and Angela Bates in 7:06 and 10:16, and the next-day 55k had Colton Gale and Leigh Kingsbury on top in 4:54 and 6:15. Full results.
Ram Party – Colorado Springs, Colorado
Race champs in the 55 miler were John Harris and Addie Bracy in 9:13 and 8:02, with Bracy winning overall and setting a new course record. Daniel Finger and Molly Thomsen led the 50k in 3:27 and 3:57. Full results.
Black Canyon Ascent – Montrose, Colorado
The race is a six-mile road climb to the entrance of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Joseph Gray and Marisa Borchardt won in 39:26 and 63:20. Full results.
Rothrock by UTMB – Boalsburg, Pennsylvania
The event in Rothrock State Forest had Eli Hemming and Sarah Carter as the 50k winners in 4:22 and 5:15, and Samuel Lanternier and Tabor Hemming were best in the 25k in 2:27 and 2:58. Full results.
Cruel Jewel – Blue Ridge, Georgia
The 104-mile race was deep within the Chattahoochee National Forest on a course with 33,000 feet of climbing. Brian Kallhof and Rachel Doxey won in 25:04 and 27:45. Cody Bare and Holly Adams won the 50 miler in 12:02 and 14:03. Full results.
Brian Kallhof, the 2026 Cruel Jewel 100 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Emily Cameron
Rachel Doxey, the 2026 Cruel Jewel 100 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Emily Cameron
Free Spirit 50k – Leyden, Massachusetts
The mostly flat race ran on dirt roads. Jacob Varekamp was the men’s winner in 4:19, but Kayla Lampe won overall in 3:38. Lampe is a two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. Full results.
Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile – Fort Valley, Virginia
Racing through the George Washington National Forest, Andrew Simpson and Cali Janulis won in 18:26 and 23:35. Full results.
Quest for the Crest – Burnsville, North Carolina
The 50k race ran point-to-point, with three big climbs totaling almost 11,000 feet of elevation gain. David Wenzel and Chantalle Falconer won in 8:01 and 8:52. Lance Harden and Becca Morris were fastest in the 25k in 2:16 and 2:59. Full results.
Keys Ultras – Key West, Florida
The far south Florida road ultra had three ultra distances. Iván Penalba (Spain), the 2025 Badwater 135 Mile runner-up, won the 100 miler in 15:55. Ashley Leisher won for the women in 18:35. Jeffrey Adams and Nicole Coccia were best in the 50 miler in 8:47 and 8:05, and Calum Blow and Emily Paradis won the 50k in 4:39 and 3:56. Full results.
Call for Comments
What are you excited about from the weekend’s racing?
This Week In Running: May 18, 2026 by Justin Mock.
